If shooting video were only about shooting inanimate objects it would be easy. But it’s not. It’s about shooting people, animals, vehicles …things that move and scatter in different directions, often away from each other and more often than not all at once and unpredictably. Shooting video is also about lighting and getting excellent sound which means three point diffused lighting and turning off refrigerators, fans etc during shooting. The perfect client will take direction when it’s explained that turning off an appliance and wearing a lavalier mic is important and makes the difference between an amateur video and a professional quality video. The perfect client will listen when it is explained that shooting a scene when a garbage truck is coming down the street, a wood chopping machine is running, a weed whacker, leaf blower or power saw is in use outside (even when the windows are closed and the scene is being shot indoors) or when shooting outdoors it is too windy (bad for microphones even when covered with a blimp and/or a dead cat “fuzzy” cover!).
The Perfect Client
Scenario: We agree a month ahead of time that you would like a video shot of something very strong and important for your new company’s marketing efforts to succeed. The opportunity might be something you’re aware of ahead of times such as a celebrity expert figure in your niche coming from thousands of miles away to visit you and they’ve agreed to allow you to video them in an interview. Something like this could really give your company a nice a boost in popularity and gain you some respect and authority.
So I direct you to start thinking of how you want this to be video’d since it’s your guest and your property and your business. Three weeks. Two weeks. One week. I remind you of how everything is a factor and that meeting with me to go over ideas will be a good idea. – weather (will you do it indoors or outdoors?), wind (outdoors is always a gamble), lighting (not seated with the sun behind you or the camera will be blinded)…. and now it’s the day of the event and the perfect client is ready. Questions for the interview have been prepared and the guest speakers have been briefed as to who will be sitting where (lighting not behind them, head not turned away from the camera – lol – showing your head to the back of a camera and speaking away from the microphone PROBABLY not a good idea, and yes, it has happened to me before believe it or not).
The needed direction has been supplied and the people involved have bothered to prepare before hand and think about what they’re going to be doing. These are perfect clients.
The video below is as good as any I’ve seen for describing some of the behind the scenes parts of video making. The video below involves the making of an actual film and not an interview or product demonstration, but virtually all of the same factors do come into play, even if only for consideration during the planning phase.
That’s a good video of a sane person describing how a director in control working with trained actors gets things done.
The reality of most video shoots on location at client’s businesses is quite different though, so when you’re hiring your own videographer or paying Brighthouse $1,600 to shoot and edit a 30 second video for a commercial (not including television air time) and you don’t want to be wasting your time and money getting garbage in return, the perfect client understands GIGO. Garbage IN Garbage OUT because the standard industry reply is that “The camera doesn’t lie.” Shooting a video is a lot more complicated than baking a cake. If you expect to serve it to the public, make sure you have and follow a recipe and whatever cooking directions you’re given carefully.
Back to Lighting and Sound Recording
Shooting video requires not just the camera(s) but good lighting and more than one microphone.
Scott Eggleston is the Frugal Filmmaker (Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/
So if you try to be “The Perfect Video Client” (AKA the “Director’s Dream Actor or Performer”) you’ll have a very pleasurable experience, the job will get done faster, at a lower cost to you (or whoever is paying to produce it) and it will wind up being higher quality.
Even expensive films are shot on a budget – and without direction and following direction they would stink. So if you want the perfect video understand what it means to be the perfect client.