Principles of shooting video

"If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail" 

You might deviate slightly from your plan on the day, however, without some idea of what to expect there is an increased likelihood of things going wrong. Often you only get a single opportunity to shoot a film so you need to be prepared to capture everything you require. Draw up a shooting list that includes times, subjects and locations, this will keep you on track. Irrespective of who you are creating the video for there are several questions you need to consider before you begin. The more you can answer up-front the better informed your decisions will be as you proceed. Many of the answers to these questions will generate further questions…and even if they don’t mean anything to you right now they are all questions you will have to ask before the end of your project

Background • 

• What is the purpose of the video? 
• What content will be covered? 
• Who is the target audience?  
• What themes will be covered?  
• Does this video link into other areas? 
•  Will this video be standalone or contextualised when viewed? 
•  Who will participate? • How many video clips will there be? 
•  How many speakers per clip? 

Location •

•  Who do I need to get permission from to film here? 
• Is there a quiet room at the location? 
•  Can we remove background noise? 
• Are there people in neighbouring rooms? 
•  Are there suitable power points for equipment? 
•  What is the existing lighting like?

Principles of shooting video

•  How long will we have without interruption in the room?
•  Do we need teleprompting/flash cards? 
• Will there be an interviewer? 
•  Will we use props/decoration? 
• Is there or do we need a backdrop?

Audio considerations 

•  How many speakers at one time? 
• Do you require background music? copyright? 
• Where will the transcripts be stored? Intro/outro 
•  What are the video titles? 
•  Will you show the speakers name/job title/organisation? 
•  Does the video require a splash screen? 
• Do any logos need to be included?  
•  What is the copyright statement? 
•  How will credits be displayed?