As a shooting video for a single band, you need to prepare a lot of things before, during and after shooting to make sure that your work goes as smoothly as possible and capture everything you need. Unlike big productions, everyone has their own specific job and role. From before production to after production, you will wear most (if not all) of the hats used for shooting. All the content highlighted in bold in this article are individual points that you can easily obscure and forget, or, if you are just starting out in this field, you should have some knowledge. Even if you do it a thousand times, it is best to have a checklist as a review to make sure you are fully prepared for the shooting.

1. Pre-Production

Generally, after initial discussions with the band (or manager) via phone, email or even IM, you should have a general understanding of the band's pursuit of video. This may be just a preliminary idea, or it may be very cool for anything-but usually, you will have a foundation to start getting inspired. The next call slogan is to meet and chat in person if possible to further discuss and consolidate ideas, shooting dates, fees, etc. (this can be a face-to-face meeting or video call).

Before meeting with the band/singer, always ask for a copy of the track, even if it's just a rough recording or online link.

Being able to listen to the repertoire will give you the opportunity to start visualizing the music, and better bring the initial ideas into the meeting, and have a better understanding of the style, rhythm and feel of the repertoire. Write them down so that you can call them up when you need them.

During the meeting, you can get to know the band and discuss in detail what they are looking for in the video. Some bands are very open when looking for their own work and can leave a lot of ideas to you, other bands are more direct about what they want. Usually, the band will have ideas about their ideas-it is your job to start thinking about how to implement these ideas on the camera.

Bring a notepad and pen/notebook/tablet/phone, you can use it to jot down all your thoughts quickly and efficiently.

You want to get as much written form as possible at this stage so that you have all the information you need to leave and start planning your video. Write down everything-the meaning of the track, the music inspiration of the band, other video inspirations, rough ideas, accompanying ideas, stupid ideas, possible locations-at this stage, you will never have much information.

Write a list of shots.

Here, you can browse the overview and start rewriting it in the form of a list of shots, detailing the movement of the camera and a rough estimate of the timing in the video. I like to write out lens details, such as

"Man wakes up in the woods covered by trees",
Along with any camera notes,
"Tripod-close-up shot-may be translated behind".

While listening to the track, write down your overview and list of shots.

This will not only help you better visualize the video as audio, but also write down the timing of the shooting location (as described above), which will help you determine whether you have taken enough footage on the day. Shoot and make the editing process smoother.

Storyboard video.

If you need some extra preparation when visualizing the shot list, drawing a plot summary will help you remember the exact assumptions on the day of shooting. Your drawing ability is irrelevant, only one person can understand your own drawing here!

Plan time, light and weather comprehensively.

It helps to start shooting early. It is best to have as much time as possible to complete the shooting every day to ensure that you have enough time to get everything you need. Make sure the weather is suitable for shooting early and use one of the many sun tracking apps available to see where the sun is all day long.

Check the list of all the camera equipment you need.

If you have a list of all the equipment needed on the day of shooting, you can easily check it, get ready and tick it the day before the actual shooting. In addition, a very important-

Always bring out more equipment than you need ;

Even if you are shooting fully handheld, bring a spare camera, more batteries, an extra monitor, enough memory, and a pan/tilt. When shooting such items, equipment may malfunction, and things may go wrong – you need to be prepared for everything that may happen during the shooting, and by making these additional preparations, you can alleviate these situations as much as possible. What if your only tripod falls and the pan handle breaks? You will have a spare gimbal for stable panning. What if you just updated the firmware on the monitor and now the battery is draining faster than usual? You are not happy that you brought all your spare batteries! The list can continue.

One of the most important things to remember in this section –

It is very important to ensure that you have enough shooting memory.

Make sure you have enough SD cards, CFast cards, hard drives, and any media you will be shooting on. The last thing you want to do is to make the card malfunction or run out of memory halfway through the day! If there is no storage space, you cannot shoot a video.

If you have any assistants to assist you with the shooting, please let them know the plan for the day and send them all preparations.

It is a good idea to let any assistant who is helping know all the plans for the day, any specific things you might need them to do, etc. Don't let them know the plan for the day, let them know as much information as possible. They may also play multiple roles here, and you don't want them to stand idle and become bored.

2. Production

The actual work may be the shortest list to remember-but it will become the most demanding aspect of the process, especially as a solo band; transport and set up equipment and lighting, operate gimbals, change camera equipment, and ensure You have taken everything you need. However, if you have completed all the preparations, then just follow the plan and the shot list!

However, there are some things to consider.

There is always something to be done by your assistant.

Take photos behind the scenes, take more angles, and hold the shelf even if you are just standing under the light. If they have nothing to do right now, make sure they feel they are doing something helpful, not just standing there! Your assistant can also take care of your shot list and plot summary-they can track these and put you on the right path, shoot everything in time, and help you with camera and lighting settings.

Tick ​​the shot list and plot summary as you walk.

Make sure to tick it after you finish all the shots. This is not only psychologically satisfying, but it also helps you absolutely ensure that you have taken everything you need. You never drive home after the day, and suddenly realize that you missed an important shot because you made sure everything was done.

Inspiration is at your fingertips, and you can shoot more than the shot list!

This can be tricky when trying to pass the time on the shot list, if you suddenly get inspired, you should always get extra shots. The type of lens that popped up suddenly or even happened suddenly. Being able to improvise creatively means that there are many of the best moments in the shooting, and it can really improve your work.

Article credit : Rob Ellis