Promo Video - The Shoot

Read the previous blog 'Promo Video - Per Production'

Outline

Filming a promotional video is a lot more work than one would think. This is the way people are going to perceive your brand so it must be perfect. The smallest things showed/said in your video can either gain followers or lose followers.

People would much rather watch a 3 minute video then read a page of your website, it takes a lot less effort and is a lot more enjoyable. Especially in the modern western world where your target audience generally do not read for enjoyment. You need to think about the end result, how it will look in the edit, rather than just rocking up without a shot list and a camera in hand.

You need to work out how long your video will be, It should be less than 5 minutes, never over. even 5 minutes is too long, I would say if your video is between 2.30 - 3 minutes then your onto a good thing.

Obviously your first promotional video will be a lot longer as you are wanting to engage the audience, take them on a journey then tell them what your campaign is about, this should be max 5min.

Scheduling on the day

No matter how much scheduling is done in pre-production, something will always go wrong.

Scheduling should be done in pre-production but things will never go the way you plan, if you know this going into it, then you will be ready for what ever comes your way.

The worst thing that has ever happened when I have been on set was the crew managed to burn down a rental van, and also the generator. We then had to get the area evacuated for the fire crew to make sure the generator which was full of petrol didn't explode.

For scheduling our promo video, we had a very hard time as everyone working on the project worked full time, we all had different days off which made it even more difficult. Finding an actor and equipment which was not in use was very hard, as neither Jesse or I had our own gear.


Things to keep in mind


As we were filming in the middle of town, we had to choose a day where there would not be an influx of drunk people walking through the shot, or stealing our gear.
Depending on what town you live in, the best days to film would be Monday or Tuesday evenings.

Always take a torch with you. This will come in handy as if you drop something in the night, will  make it easy to find, but manly if you have a tissue and a piece of white paper, you can wrap the tissue around the torch to make the source of light soft then bounce the light of the paper onto your subject. This making it look like a natural light source rather than being a direct over blown circle of light on their face.

Remember to pay for parking. The last thing you want is to have your car disappearing on a tow truck before your eyes.

Remember an umbrella, the last thing you want is to have to buy your friend a new camera.

If you are not paying your actors or crew always bring coffee, caffeine or chocolate. They have given up their time for you to stand in the cold, the least you can do for them is feed them. A fed crew is a happy crew. When I worked for The X Factor, I spent 50% of my time at the barista truck. It was heaven.

If you can not get power at your location, go location scouting at night with your camera to see how the natural lighting will look. You might have to rethink your location

Always make a shot list, not just a written shot list but a storyboard. How is the character going to be framed? Trust me this will save you a lot of time.

Never leave the house without this, this is your storyboard where you write what happens in the shot, the location and sketch how the character will be framed.

You can find templates of storyboards by searching
'storyboard template' on Google images.














If you don't have permits from the council, be very careful and do not block of walkways or roads, the last thing you want is to lose your location or put a bad name on the film industry.

Here is a great website which lists what type of permit you will need and who to contact within New Zealand.
http://www.filmnz.com/production-guide/permissions.html

Don't film stores, their logos or other people. One day this could come back on you, and you will have to remove your video. By then you have most likely moved the video files off your desktop and corrupted the files. If you do have to film stores or other people, make sure to get a written talent release form signed by the people you film.

Be realistic on your filming times, don't tell an actor they will only be needed for an hour. Always quote over and if you finish early everyone will be happy.

Take a skateboard with you. If you need a tracking shot and can not afford a camera dolly or slider, this is the next best thing.


Make a signature 

For my film work I always have a signature which is present in my short films, they will always have a gas mask somehow incorporated. Peter Jackson (Director of The Lord of the Rings) will always be in his movie as an extra, this is a fun way to make the films your own.

See my showreel below:

Talent release form

Never make a film and not get an actor to fill out a talent release form.
Here is the talent release form I made, you can make it your own:

THIS WILL CONFIRM that I …………………………………. have agreed to be:

photographed/filmed, and that the ‘How to Own A Sweatshop’ and/or its successors will own any and all rights in said photography/film of me on the film/video tentatively titled ‘How to own a Sweatshop’

This will permit ‘How to Own A Sweatshop’ to proceed with the said photography/film and I now waive, as to ‘How to Own A Sweatshop’ and its successors, assigns and licensees, all personal right and objections to any use to be- made of me, my name or my personality in connection with the use of photography/film containing my photograph, for any and all appearances in or part of the project “How to Own A Sweatshop” and performances thereof, accompanied by any narration and dialogue whatever, and the publicity in connection there with. The material can be used for television, print, on-line, marketing purposes and future mediums. I understand that in proceeding with said photography/filming ‘How to Own A Sweatshop’ will do so in full reliance on the foregoing permission.

Dated:

Signature:

Print Name:

Address:

Producer:

Date:   

Screenshots 

As I have mentioned in the pre-production blog about what worked and what didn't, here are some unedited screenshots of the raw footage before colour correcting/changing the aspect ratio.