Five Ways To Maximize Your Next Video Shoot

So, you’ve decided to go forward with a video project – wonderful! The Rock Shore team is here every step of the way to make this a pleasant, exciting and rewarding experience. But before you put your video project concept and plan on the back burner until shoot day, there’s a number of things you should do to get the most out of your investment. See the top pre-shoot recommendations we share with our clients, below:

1. Coach and brief your on-screen talent. Whether the on-screen talent for your video will be you, c-suite leadership or your junior-level employees, it’s vital that they’re comfortable and informed of the process for authentic footage to be captured. If your talent is reading a script, walk them through it, and give them time to rehearse. Provide the script and plan, so they can prepare. If you’re doing on-screen interviews, provide leading questions before, so they can plan their responses.

2. Rehearse actions, processes and procedures. For videos that will capture processes, actions or procedures, have your performers practice these, too. Make sure they’re experts of their craft, for they’ll be the on-screen experts to the rest of the world.

3. Test the concept before recording it. It doesn’t hurt to get a second opinion on your video production vision. Once a storyboard and shot list are locked, run the idea by colleagues, closely kept customers or consumers, and a friend or family member to ensure the idea resonates. There’s always a chance to update before the shoot – and it’s cheaper than having to go back to the drawing board after your production day to get it right.

4. Prepare your space, if you’re going to show it. If you’re shooting at your office, facility or branded retail space, ensure it’s going to look the best it ever has. You want to convey the purest, strongest brand presence you can, so make sure your environment reflects that. Encourage employees to clean up their spaces, and if they’ll appear in the background of any shot, make sure they’re just as professional as your lead on-screen talent.

5. Have a Plan B… For B-roll, that is. While we’re capturing content in your branded space, think of opportunities (time permitting) to record other processes, people, and places that could benefit you in the future. Building a b-roll library is a great way to lower production costs for your next video project.

Hopefully, these tips and tricks will help us have a great production day, and a smooth post-production and editing process for some video content you can be truly proud of. You can be confident that the Rock Shore Media team will be there to help you along the way – our experts are dedicated and know what it takes to deliver quality, professional video content for brands.