Place has an important role in producing a great photo or video shoot result. Whether you are shooting a short film, a commercial, a scene for a TV series or need a location for a photo shoot, finding the perfect place can just be half the battle. Film shoots need resources, people, great facilities and a professional venue with a ‘can-do’ attitude. So here are a few of the most important factors to keep in mind.
- Visit and explore
Before you decide on a place for shooting, you have to visit and explore the place first. Investigating the logistical aspects are just as important as sounding out the more creative aspects of lighting and sound. It’s the basic things like, the time the location can be accessed, what are the neighbors like? If your location is next to a building site or a busy road, you’ll need to make sure the cast and crew are safe from all hazards.
- Sound around the place
A lot of times when shooting video, people completely overlook sound. To rate the sound outside the location, the easiest thing to do is to stand in the middle of the room, open your ears and close your eyes! What can you hear? Is there a busy main road outside the window? Also make sure to note anything you can control and things you can’t. Is the air conditioning centrally controlled or can it be switched off for your room? Can the phones be put on silent and nearby rooms booked out so no noise drifts through into the location?
- Know your surrounding
This goes along with the previous sound tip. What elements are around you that could affect your shot? If you are shooting in public, you won’t be able to control what happens in the background. If you want consistency take after take, you will want to be in an environment that you can control completely. It’s best to properly secure your locations ahead of time, and make sure everyone is aware of possible issues. It’s also a great idea to notify everyone around that you will be filming. If possible, have someone dedicated to making sure that nothing interferes with production.
- Lightning around the place
A big part of achieving great lighting is shaping and working with the light you have. Creating a look that feels naturally lit is vital, and knowing how much natural light and artificial light is within a space is the most important thing. You might not think it, but mixing natural and artificial on camera can look odd. It creates either excessively blue or overly orange tinges to the footage. So scouting out what lighting exists within the space ensures the film crew pack enough lights, diffusion and other tools to make it work.
Try to take care of as many details as you can ahead of time so that you are prepared when it comes time to shoot. Knowing the ins and outs of your location will make the production flow smoothly, and give you peace of mind. With SNXP Studio handled by professionals you don’t have to worry about how the result would be.
