Let’s say that you work in marketing and development for a large corporation with several satellite offices spread out all over the state. You need to produce a promotional video, highlighting your company and its satellite offices. You know this will require several shooting days, and you know that if you aren’t careful, the budget can quickly spiral out of control. How can you keep costs down while making sure you get all the coverage you need? The answer is in pre-production. The more time you invest in this stage of production, the more efficient your shoot will run.
I’ve had a lot of experience in putting together shoots for clients. Some clients have only one location, making things a little easier. Dealing with health care clients, however, is a different story. When I’m shooting in a large hospital, there’s a lot of ground to cover in a brief amount of time. It’s important to have a precise shooting schedule so things stay on track. Here are a few tips:
1. Make sure everyone stays in the loop. I’ve arrived on location before, only to learn that the staff had no idea my crew and I were coming. If you are put in charge of producing a video for your marketing department, make sure everyone is always in the know. Otherwise, shoots can be canceled, or you have to waste a lot of time waiting for someone to go find someone else who can grant approval.
2. Double-up your locations. I discussed production scheduling in a previous post, but this point can’t be overemphasized. If your company has several satellite locations, you don’t have to invest the time and spend the money in driving the production crew all over the state. After all, will the viewer really know that shot “A” wasn’t ACTUALLY taken in location “X?” Most of the time one location can double for several different locations. This ensures that your production team is constantly shooting, rather than wasting the day traveling to all parts of the state.
3. Have a specific shot list. If you are going to take the time to travel five hours to a remote part of the state, you better have a prepared shot list of footage you need. I’ve been on shoots before where my crew and I drove several hours to a location, only to film one sit-down interview. Then we had to drive all the way back. An entire day was spent just for one interview. Working like that can cause your budget to inflate tremendously. So, make sure you have a specific set of shots to capture before trekking off. If things start to fall through and people start canceling, don’t make the trip. Wait until every party is lined up and every shot on your list is confirmed. That way you won’t have to keep going back and forth to the same location.
Producing isn’t easy, and sometimes it isn’t fun, but your boss will certainly be pleased when he/she sees that you have delivered a top-notch video that ’s under budget. If you take the time in pre-production you won’t waste time while on the shoot. And it can save your company money too.
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