10 Tips for Choosing a Video Shoot Location

If you’re a professional digital marketer, you already know that video is becoming increasingly crucial when it comes to content. Consumers adore video, whether it’s on YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook. And not only on social media, when the term “video” appears in the subject line, emails are opened 7 percent more.

You’re significantly behind the curve if you’re not making video content. Still have any doubts? Take a look at the following video statistics:

• Every week, 78 percent of people watch online videos, and 55 percent watch them every day.
• Online videos will account for more than 82 percent of all consumer Internet traffic by 2022.
• YouTube is the 2^nd most visited website after Google.
• Video is used by 81 percent of organizations in their marketing approach, up 63 percent from previous year.
• Users spend 88 percent more time on video-rich websites.
• According to 97 percent of marketers, video help users better comprehend any products or services while increasing sales.

So, why aren’t all of us making videos?

The truth is that the most crucial portion of the video production process occurs before the camera rolls. Corporate Video Production is neither simple nor inexpensive. Many businesses decide to incorporate video into their marketing plan without first determining how much it would cost or understanding the process — particularly known as pre-production.

When it comes to creating live action videos, one factor that is often forgotten is the importance of selecting filming locations. While you may have a lot of crazy and unique filming attractions in mind, bringing them to life can be a huge challenge. Practically, when you consider permits, fees, and coordination, it can be difficult to find locations that fit your budget.

Many marketers and production managers, fortunately, have already gone through the phases and learned from their failures. At ShootAtSight, we shoot a lot of videos. One of the most crucial considerations is where and when we will be shooting. Today we’d like to share some of our secret recipes. Keep reading!

Here’s is list of 10 tips for choosing a Video Shoot Location.

Understand Your Script

Before you can choose an appropriate site, you must first understand location scouting and what the script requires. When you embrace visual composition as a screenwriter, it’s as if you’re picking up a paintbrush and dusting tones into a canvas.

Locations are nothing more than raw ingredients. Select a shooting site that corresponds to your story’s setting. The first guideline of location scouting is to be creative. When looking for filming locations, you’ll certainly come across a wide range of options: warehouses, private rooms, and event facilities for hire. Above all, remember that you have a narrative to tell.

While you might be tempted to begin location searching before you have a screenplay, you should hold off. You don’t want to get on site only to discover that the key window shot isn’t possible because there isn’t one.

Balanced Lighting Matters

One of the most critical aspects of making a video look professional is lighting. Make sure your scenario is well-lit and doesn’t give off any negative vibes. You don’t want dramatic, contrasty lighting if your video is supposed to be cheerful and pleasant. Consider how much natural lighting your location has and how much light you’ll need to bring in. Make use of practical lighting sources such as desk lamps or windows, and strategically situate your performers. You should avoid shooting directly into a window since it will shadow your actor and overexpose your background.

Color temperature is also something to bear in mind. You can utilize this to your advantage to generate contrast, but it can also ruin your shot if not handled properly. Daylight is usually around 5500K, which has a blueder color than the 3200K light bulbs present in most houses. If you’re a beginner, the easiest thing to do is keep everything daylight balanced so you don’t have to worry with color temperature variations.

Sufficient Power Supply

One of the most important aspects of any shoot is power. There is a lot of equipment that requires the correct amount of power, and you definitely don’t want to lose power while filming the perfect scenario! Multiple camera batteries are always a smart idea because some indoor situations can pose power issues. However, if you’re exploring for a new place, you’ll need to consider your power alternatives.

Perform a Sound Check

Clean, high-quality sound is essential for creating a video that stands out. Traffic noise, white noise from running water, and echoes of speech and movements can all interfere with high-quality audio. Listen to your camera’s microphone pickup through headphones to see if any of these situations exist. At the site, test your wireless mike as well, listening for any form of interference.

Adequate Space for Production Equipment

Make sure you have enough room to set up all of your production equipment and capture the shots you want. A compact building may appear to be the ideal site scout for a shot until you find you don’t have enough place to set up your equipment. In a large facility like a cathedral or an auditorium, you may have lots of room, yet you may not be able to move around freely.

Location Permits

With the support of your Film Production Team, make sure to obtain permits and other legal approvals to shoot at specific places. Do a legal reality check. When renting a place or venue for filming, be aware of the permissions required and any current restrictions. It’s safer to obtain authorization ahead of time than to have a shoot interrupted by the authorities.

Invest in Site Scouting Gear

This important site scouting gear should be considered when seeking for the perfect filming location for your photography, feature film, or music video production:

• For field notes, bring a notebook (or a PDA) with a writing implement.
• For making location archive images, use a still camera.
• For recording test video and audio, use a camcorder with headphones.
• Check the sunrise/sunset, wind direction, and other things with a compass.
• Scouting maps, especially for a remote site.

Perfect Timings

When is the best time to begin? It’s critical to look for filming locations because they can seem significantly different during the day vs. the night, or on a workday vs. a weekend. It’s a good idea to double-check your location.

Scouting on the day of the week and time of day you’ll be shooting: these variables can cause quite substantial differences in the viability of a place. Automobile traffic and noise, visitors to recreation and entertainment venues, and tourists to scenic or historic regions (to mention a few examples) all arrive in waves that differ substantially depending on week, time of the day, or season.

Don’t Forget Parking

So, you’re not carrying thousands of dollars in equipment for miles, scout every venue for accessible and convenient parking. Once you’ve figured out where to park, make sure you shoot as much as you can. Do it if you can get numerous shots in a single place. It will save you money and provide you with additional filming alternatives.

Take a Tour

It almost goes without saying, but scouting a venue ahead of time is essential. Take images of your area using your phone when site scouting so you may share them with your producers, lighting director, sound recordist, set designer, and anybody else who will be a leader on set.

Take a director’s viewfinder with you to see how your location appears at different focal lengths. This is quite important. Because eyes can be deceiving, you can have a better idea of what the place will seem like after you get your camera on location by getting an affordable director’s viewfinder.

Some Other Quick Tips

• Be prepared for weather constraints. Rain and storms can cause problems on outdoor shots and may damage your gear.
• Before you hire a site, take or discover images of it. Photos will help you get a better sense of the place and better arrange your filming.
• Always keep in touch with the owners and management of the properties. Notify them of any changes and keep them informed at all times.
• Use social media to scout. Social networking is great for discovering talent and crew; however, it can also provide a lot of geographical information.

Final Thoughts

With video becoming a more popular type of marketing, you’ll have even more opportunities to get creative with your video content. However, you must first have a plan in place before you can offer a creative end product. These aforementioned steps will assist you in achieving your goal.

Consider hiring a Video Production Company like Shoot at Sight to handle all of your production needs if you’re ready to get started. We can handle the entire process for you, so you don’t have to worry about things like equipment, performers, or venues.

Have any tips for finding a great location? Share in the comments below.