(Brickoven) were understanding when we had to make changes and went out of their way to make the shoot days run smoothly! (sic) – COUCH Health
Sometimes on shoots, it can seem to clients like we can predict the future. However, this is just our years of experience showing through. After we received the testimonial above we thought we would put together a handy list of steps we take to ensure our shoots run smoothly.
It’d be a safe bet to say that 99% of film productions are completed by having on-the-day changes to the strict filming schedule they are proceeded with. Sickness, technical issues, weather, and even a last min location change are just some of the things that can go wrong and should be prepared for when shooting.
The safest way to combat this is to have a few aces up your sleeve, and a few pre-prepared predictions to help combat situations that could affect your filming day.
Spare Wardrobe – Many budgets don’t cover pre-production days for wardrobe to work with the actors so it’s always a great idea to have the actor bring in an alternative set of clothing. This not only backs you up if you have a location change but the client may realise on the day that colour scheme isn’t suiting their brand and want a change of costume.
Backup Gear – “Could we get some behind-the-scenes videos and pics?” – Our advice with this is to have a lightweight camera always packed away for this very question. It’s great to be able to answer this one with a firm “yes” but be sure to inform the client that it would be an optional extra to add to their final invoice.
An Alternative Location – It’s not too common but we have run into it before. It’s always great to have a plan B in mind to cover you when the shooting schedule is tight and the weather isn’t going your way. You can also rearrange scenes to suit the weather. This saves time and could save the client from being forced into an extra shoot day.
Crew/Cast on standby – We’re only human. Cast and crew are still as vulnerable to the every-person when it comes to catching an illness before the shoot so it’s always wise to have stand-ins in mind. This works for both crew and talent. Being connected to a pool of freelancers or actor agencies might be beneficial for your production company. Freelancers are typically brilliant at being speedy.
Allowing For Extra Time – No matter how long you think something is going to take on set, we would suggest you times that by 2. There are so many factors you can’t predict until being in the there and then. Giving yourself and your client this extra time means that you’re less prone to rushing, you have more time to get that exact shot you have been employed to do, and best of all, you finish on time.
Hopefully, these tidbits of information might help in your future shoots.
Brick
