PREPARING FOR YOUR VIDEO SHOOT

Prior to filming, we should discuss what is the intended purpose of your video. Will it be for the about page on your website? Cable TV commercial? Social Media campaign? Product demonstration? Knowing the intended purpose ahead of time will help with the creative direction and length of the video.

• Take Into consideration your target audience. Are they young? Old? Male? Female? Homeowners? Business owner? Hobbies? Interests etc.
• If possible, we should review some videos that are like what you had in mind for your project. Reviewing ahead of time what you like and dislike should help to prevent additional edits or re-shoots.
• It is helpful ahead of time if you can provide a list of things shots you think you would like included in the video. This is something we will do, but you may have some ideas in mind we did not think of.
• There are three basic styles of videos that we typically create. Voiced over video is a compilation of shots that are narrated by a voice-over. The interview style is where we conduct interviews with the key individuals to illicit enough soundbites that we can edit together to form the narrative. Or we can do a text overlay style video using animated text over the shots to tell the story. Sometimes we combine these elements.
• Whether we do a voice-over, interview-style or just use text overlay, it is important for us to know ahead of time what the main message we would like to convey is. This could be derived from your mission statement, unique selling proposition, slogan or brainstorming exercise. Once we determine the main messaging behind the project that can guide us in the scriptwriting process, interview question writing or storyboarding your project.
• Budget, price, and overall outcome of the video can be determined based on location selection. Select a location that will visually support your main message. Technical issues must be taken into account like background noise and lighting.

Make sure everyone is on board with the timing and scheduling of the shoot to be sure the day runs smoothly. Leave about half an hour before we start for set up.

For interviews make sure interviewees have been prepped for filming know ahead of time some of the main points they would like to convey. For those being interviewed, try to be relaxed and be yourself. Repeat the question back so the viewer has a frame of reference. Ie. Why did you wear shoes today? I wore shoes today because I did not want my feet to get cut on the way to work. If you stumble, don’t worry, just backtrack to the beginning of that thought and we can edit out the stumbles.

With your video know what exactly you want to present to the viewers. A lot can tie into time and budget concerns for your project. Be sure to review with your production team any additional concerns. We hope you learned a lot with this guide to preparing for your video shoot.