"What do we need to do before you show up?" Every client asks, so here's the actual checklist I send before shoots. Follow it and your shoot day runs calm, your people look natural, and your edit gets stronger footage.
Two weeks out
- Nail the one sentence. Finish this: "After watching, people should think ______." Everything on the shoot serves that sentence.
- Pick your on-camera people. Two or three real team members beat a big lineup. Choose the ones who light up when they talk about the work, not necessarily the most senior.
- Confirm the space. Walk the location like a visitor. If it's not your space, get permission in writing now, not the night before.
- Share wardrobe guidance. Solid colors near your brand palette. No busy patterns, no other companies' logos, no brand-new outfits nobody feels comfortable in.
One week out
- Block the calendar. The people on camera should be truly free, not squeezing takes between meetings. Half-present people read as half-present on film.
- Tidy what the camera sees. Not a renovation. Clear counters, dead plants out, cables managed.
- List real work moments. Ten everyday things that actually happen at your business: a fitting, a pour, a delivery, a huddle. This becomes the b-roll list, and b-roll carries brand films.
- Prepare talking points, not scripts. Bullet points of what matters. Memorized lines kill the natural delivery that makes documentary style work. Getting real answers out of people is my job, and it's covered in how we shot the MESA film.
The day of
- Run business as usual. The best footage is your team genuinely working, not performing work.
- Keep the schedule loose around interviews. The best line of the day usually comes ten minutes after someone relaxes.
- Assign one point person. One person who can answer questions and unlock doors saves an hour of hunting.
What you don't need to worry about: cameras, lenses, lighting, sound, shot lists, and directing people who've never been on camera. That's what you hired me for. Nervous people are normal; I have short prompts that fix it in minutes, and nobody memorizes anything.
Quick answers
How long is a shoot day?
A typical brand film is one 6 to 8 hour day. Tight scopes can fit a half day; bigger stories take two.
Do we need professional actors?
For brand films, almost never. Real people are more convincing, and audiences can tell. Commercials with scripted scenes are a different conversation, covered in brand film vs. commercial.
What if someone freezes on camera?
Happens all the time and it's fine. Conversational interviews, no scripts, and we cut the awkward parts. Nobody has ever looked bad in a final film because they were nervous on set.