6 Tips for Photo & Video Shoots

If you’re planning on conducting photo or video shoots this summer, we thought we’d help out by offering you our 6 top tips on how to ensure a smooth and successful shoot. Including:

1. The exterior
2. The interior
3. People
4. Breaks
5. Doors
6. The Master Plan

1. The Exterior

Let’s start outside. A good rule of thumb is that everything needs to be clean and tidy. Any bins and boxes need to be tidied away. If you have any delivery vehicles out front, it’s great if they can be moved for the shoot. And where possible, you want parking spaces to be empty. You’re not trying to create a false impression of constant perfection, you just want everything to be looking as good as it can be! If there’s anything that needs setting up outside, such as awnings and umbrellas, it’s great to get that set up early on the day of the shoot. Finally, open up any security screens or gates that you have.

2. The Interior

One tip that can help is as you check the space. Imagine you are seeing it for the first time, as if you were a visitor. It can help you to spot things that you’d rather not be filmed. Ensure that everything is clean, tidy and in its place. If there’s anything you don’t want showing up in the film, stow it out of the way. That includes wires, cables, paperwork and cleaning equipment! Check for screens that have any moving images showing and pause them or turn them off. If you have any product displays that are being filmed, make sure they are arranged and labelled exactly as you desire. Make sure furniture, curtains, displays and internal decor are in their desired position. Finally, adjust the lights to their desired level.

3. People

Communicate with everyone who will be in on the day of filming so that everyone is briefed and up to speed. People may be asked to stay out of sight whilst filming takes place. If your premises will have customers in it, you may want to get some signage sorted to alert people that filming is happening. And if there’s a lot of people from your company around on the shoot day, name badges or labels can be really helpful to identify who is being filmed and who isn’t.

4. Breaks

Allocate time for breaks during your photo or video shoot day – your team will thank you for it! Shoot days can be long and quite intense, so planning breaks in can help keep everyone calm, as well as giving opportunities to hydrate and eat properly. Which leads on to our next point – sustenance. Will there be food and drinks on site? Or are there places locally that people can go to throughout the day?

5. A word on doors..!

This might sound silly but even doors need to be thought about. All the doors that connect areas need to be opened, using doorstops if necessary, and doors that lead to areas that are not being filmed need to be closed. Typically doors that you’ll want to have closed are toilets, storage and possibly staff areas. It’s a minor detail but will make all the difference to your finished photo or video shoots.

6. The Master Plan

To make sure everyone knows where they are, it’s a great idea to have a schedule for the day that everyone has access to and/or a printout of. Do you have anyone in your company who constantly alerts you of the time? Get them involved! It can be so helpful to have someone acting as a time-keeper as it helps the shoot stay on track. One element no one can control is the Great British weather. If you are planning on shooting outside, and the day dawns wet and miserable, it is useful to have a contingency plan. If there are any last minute changes or glitches, discuss them with your shoot team. And one final preparatory note: photo and video shoots can be a little tiring, so get your zzzzs in the night before.

A note about 360s

If you’ve booked a shoot with us, or anyone else who is filming in 360, it’s worth noting that it won’t be possible to avoid specific features or areas. Everything will be visible from floor to ceiling in all included rooms, as if someone was visiting in person. When prepping for a shoot, don’t try and prep in a rush, allow enough time to be thorough.

Good luck!

Pssst. If it would help, you can also download our free photoshoot template today. Just click below.