PLAN AND PREP
The right project brief is the first step to creating a great video
Regardless of whether you’re shooting video for a personal project or a paid commission, there’s no point heading out without a plan and just rolling the camera. Instead, you need a brief and a shot list, as this will ensure you take the right kit, make the most out of your time, exploit expensive or remote locations, and get the result your clients want.
First off, consider the purpose and style of your videos, as well as the intended audience. For wedding videos, at this stage you might meet with your couple to discover exactly what they want from the final product. Be specific here to avoid disappointment later. Find out what key moments of the day they want covered, how long the final video will be, whether they want specific audio covered and in what format you’ll deliver the video.
Outlining the key expectations and specifications of any video shoot will help you stay on track, keep the goals clear in your mind and, if you’re working with a team of photographers, ensure that everyone stays on the same page.
By its nature, video is about movement; moving people and moving images. This means that you’ll have to assess the space of your locations more carefully than if you were simply shooting stills. It’s always a good idea to visit a planned location at different times of day beforehand if you’re able to (especially if it’s indoors), as this will help you to plan the lighting, find attractive angles and see how much space you have to play with.
Take still images or sketches of the room layout, including the location of windows, to refer back to later. Then you can work out where the light is falling and what lighting kit you’ll need, if any. Natural illumination is usually more flattering and requires less postproduction than artificial light. Outdoors, take into account potential weather patterns, as well as how the sun falls throughout the day.
During parties, events or weddings, you might be able to assess the location at the beginning of a shoot, to position a camera on a tripod for the best composition of the key speaker, or in the case of a wedding, the aisle.