Being prepared for a shoot not only allows you to work faster, but also more creative.
You can focus on different tasks, that will have great influence on the quality of your work.
So let's have a look at five tips to prepare for a shoot.
Hey folks, Jordy here for cinecom.net!
At us, even the smallest project gets prepared.
And I don't mean charging your batteries and loading in the car,
but actual preparations that will help you with the creative process on the set.
The first tip is to find the song you're going to use in the edit before you're going to shoot.
This can also be a song that sits in the same genre that you're about to use.
Not everyone likes to clamp themselves to a song before the production,
Tip number two: rehearsal!
If you're working on a short film, rehearse the more difficult scenes or setups.
That could be difficult camera movements, scenes for your actors to play
or a specific lighting setup.
For example, you wanna create a warm sun light.
If you're setting this up for the first time during your shoot,
you might lose a lot of time as you're looking for that correct angle, the right filters, etc.
Same goes for camera movements.
In our mind some movements might seem super simple,
but eventually they might even be too hard or require a lot of practice.
Try it out before the actual shoot to figure out how to do it, or even leave it out
if you're finding out that you're already losing too much time.
Tip number three: make a scenario!
Even if that's a travel video, a vlog, an after movie, etc.
I believe any kind of video projects will be better with a scenario.
Now, this doesn't have to be all written out. For a vlog, you could just think about the structure.
When are you going to do what and which topics are you going to talk about?
Just write down several to-do's, and you'll see that the structure of your video project
will be a lot more interesting.
During the shoot you then not have to pay too much attention
to what you're going to film next,
just get your ideas from the checklist.
I do that for any kinds of video.
The vlog you saw of me was also prepared like that.
The way I shot my intro, what I would talk about and how I would create my outro.
That was all thought about upfront.
Tip number four:
after you've written down a scenario or a checklist for you film project,
think about the equipment that you're going to need.
You certainly don't want to forget anything, but bringing too much is also not that good.
You'll waste a lot of time unloading or setting up equipment that you don't use.
If you're unsure you're going to use something or not,
then put it first in the trunk of your car and leave it there.
When you're on set and you eventually do need it, you can always get it from your car.
Now, what I often do is look through my equipment with the checklist in my hand.
I visualize the shot and think about the stuff that I'll need.
That way I won't forget anything.
And then the last preparation tip is to write down new techniques that you've learned.
When watching online tutorials or courses,
we would often just consume the information and forget a lot.
If you learn something new,
like a camera movement or a lighting technique, then write that down.
It works as a reminder during your shoot to try out the new techniques that you've learned.
We once made a video about the story behind the camera movement.
What visual story you're telling while doing a track in or camera slide.
You could write some of those ideas down, so before you start shooting a scene
you could check that list and adapt your shots to what you've learned.
By the way there's also a link to that video in the description below.
So make sure to check out our channel,
we've got tons of tutorials for camera techniques, lighting, sound and so on.
New and creative tricks that you can try out on your next film project!
Thank you so much for watching and like always:
stay creative!