Scouting For The Perfect Video Shoot Location Part 4: Comfort and Amenities

Alright location scout, you’re practically a pro by now. You’ve mastered the art of choosing a video shoot location that provides the best flexibility for shot composition. Your eyes have adjusted to see the best and worst lighting options and your ears are finely tuned to listen for audio challenges. Now, you are ready to pick your spot and start shooting! That is, unless you’re interested in taking that extra step and transcending to the highest plane of video location scouts?

The Secret Sauce

When most people think of shooting video, typical challenges come to mind: lighting, audio, framing, etc. – technical skills that most average Joes and Janes might not feel comfortable with. And, those challenges should not be taken lightly. However, even if you’ve done everything else right, there always seems to be something on the day of the shoot that sneaks up on you. It’s Murphy’s Law and you better believe it happens on a video shoot. How do you prevent it? By popping the lid off a can of details and sprinkling it around while you determine if a location will work for your next video shoot.

There are more details?

Yep, if you want to go beyond simply shooting video that looks good and get to the place where your video production can run smoothly and everyone involved actually enjoys the experience, then focus on a few of the finer details when you are scouting video shoot locations. You and everyone involved will thank you.

You’ve got the power. Right?

There’s nothing quite like showing up to a video shoot location and setting up your camera, lights, and audio only to find out the nearest power outlet is 100 yards down the hall. While scouting, take a look around to ensure there are plenty of power outlets available and within reach from any angle you might set up on the day of the shoot. Of course, you’ll want to pack extension cables and power strips when you come back to shoot, but you’ll still want to consider your power situation ahead of time.

Temperature control is temper control.

Will your potential location afford you the ability to control temperature? It might not be a dealbreaker, but any ability you have to reduce the temperature of the room, especially if you play to bring in additional lighting and/or an entire crew of hardworking people. The last thing you want is an interviewee getting frustrated or uncomfortable. Sweaty, angry people don’t make great videos – except for pro wrestling. Wait, those aren’t great videos either. I stand by my first statement.

Craft services, or at least a water bottle.

Did you know there’s a term for the delicious looking spread of fruit and tiny sandwiches you see on a production set for a blockbuster or TV show? Yep, that’s craft services. All joking aside, if your video shoot is going to run through lunchtime or keep people busy for more than a couple of hours, providing an appropriate amount of food options will keep everyone’s bellies satisfied and, perhaps even more importantly, spirits high. Imagine the positive affect you can have on your video if everyone knows you’ve thought about them ahead of time and they feel special. At the very least, provide some cold water bottles and maybe a few small snacks. Think about this while you scout locations. Will you have access to a refrigerator? Will the venue allow drinks or snacks? Could the venue provide this for you as a service?

The comfort kit.

Finally, think about that person you know (maybe your mom, or a girl you liked in school, or the robot sidekick you built in your garage) who always seems to have what you need in a pinch. Bandaids, towel, pen – you know the situation. Someone asks for something that everyone thinks should be within arms reach, but after two awkward minutes everyone is still scrambling to find it. Regardless of what location you choose, I recommend you pack a kit of things like this so you can become the hero who keeps the production running smooth as silk. A list of these items can include: a notebook, pens, hand towel, bandaids, and a pocket mirror.

So, there you have it. Once you’ve mastered the arts of scouting a location for what it brings to the table in composition, lighting, and audio options top off your skills with these tips for keeping the production comfortable. Smiling, content people can bring up the energy and production value of a video shoot as much as a fancy set of lights. Now, get out there and scout for your next video shoot location! And, if you want some help shooting the video once you find it, we’d be happy to oblige (especially if you’re serving those tiny cheesecake bites on your craft services cart).

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