What to Expect During Your Video Shoot Day
Your first video shoot is a big day! You’ve finally made the decision to invest in high-quality video for your company, and you want to do everything possible to ensure you get incredible results.
But do you know what to expect during your video shoot day?
Having a good understanding of what will happen gives you the information you need to prepare.
So, whether you’re planning to use videos for social media, YouTube, or general content marketing, be sure to read our outline of the day so you and your team are ready!
What to Expect During Your Video Shoot Day
Most of our video shoots last about three to four hours. Here’s what you can expect to happen in that timeframe:
1. Arrival
We build an extra 30 minutes or hour into the schedule ahead of filming. This gives us ample time to set up our equipment, review filming locations, talk to the client, and prepare to shoot.
2. Introductions
We’ll introduce our video crew to you and the rest of your team members necessary for filming.
The size of the team we bring generally depends on the size of the project. For smaller shoots, we’ll generally have only one or two people with us!
3. Picking A Location
After introductions, we’ll look for suitable locations to film, and we’ll actually look for two things:
A suitable location for interviews.
Suitable locations and subject matter for b-roll/stock footage.
The ideal interview location has:
Quiet surroundings
Great lighting
A clean or uncluttered background
We can dress up the background slightly if necessary, and we can cut down on some noise, but it’s important to have a good starting point!
For b-roll and stock footage, we’re looking for things we can film that represent your company and the work you do, even if that means walking through your office to film some people on their computers.
4. Setting Up
We’ll set up a few things in this phase:
Our equipment. Depending on the goals, scope, and location of the project, we’ll have a variety of gear with us to assemble.
The set. We may request help adjusting the set where we decide to film our interviews for the day. In some cases, that could mean cleaning up clutter in the background, moving a picture on the wall, or adjusting the placement of a nearby office plant.
The lighting. In a perfect world, we’ll have excellent natural light that perfectly illuminates the set. Although we’ll likely have our own lighting equipment with us, we may need a hand in perfecting the lighting for our interviews.
To see what sort of equipment we typically work with, check out our video equipment rental options.
5. Round One of Video - B-Roll
The purpose of our b-roll session is to get as much high-quality stock footage as possible for use in ads, social media, website videos, and other content.
Great b-roll footage subject matter could include:
Your office exterior
Your office interior
Your parking lot
A job site
An employee interacting with a customer
A customer walking into your store
An employee on the phone or computer
A company car
A company sign
We’ll talk to you beforehand to make sure we’re capturing the appropriate subject matter!
To see some examples of b-roll footage, watch this promo video for Worm Return:
6. Round Two of Video - Interview
After we capture some b-roll footage, we’ll interview one or a few team members.
We always make sure our subjects are camera-ready! In fact, we can even provide a hair and makeup team upon request (which is also something we generally recommend if there is going to be three or more interviews)!
In case of emergencies, though, we always carry a kit of must-haves, including:
powder
a lint roller
oil
safety pins
tape to hold buttons in place
We’ll also give the set one more review to ensure everything looks good in the background.
Once we have our interviewees in place, we’ll work to get them comfortable. This generally starts with simple conversational questions: Do you have any family? Tell me about your personal life. What do you do here?
By gradually ramping up to the important questions, we can get the subject relaxed in front of the camera and ready for the hard-hitting sections.
Most of our interviews are over in less than an hour, so schedule accordingly!
7. Round Three of Video - More B-Roll
Before we leave, we’ll do one more round of b-roll footage, which is typically based on what we discussed during the interviews.
If someone mentions something extremely specific or interesting, we want to get it on camera for future use!
8. Pack Up and Leave
Once we’ve finished recording, we’ll clean up our video gear and get out of your way so you and your team can get back to work!
Next Steps After Your Video Shoot
Unless we’re asked for an expedited timeline, most of our projects are drafted and delivered within two to three weeks via frame.io, where you can comment directly on the video for quick feedback. Once the video is completed, we’ll deliver the file through Google Drive.
Of course, we can also offer customization in how files are delivered. For example:
Video files can be edited and delivered in the same day.
Video files can be stored and delivered offline, via an external drive.
We’ll happily sign confidentiality agreements to ensure none of your trade secrets are published via video.
Once you’ve had a chance to review the videos and provide feedback, we’ll make edits to ensure you’re thrilled with the final result!
Hire A Pittsburgh Video Production Company
If you’re ready to hire a Pittsburgh video production company, contact us! We’ll ensure your video shoot day is a fun, resounding success!
