What Happens on a Corporate Video Shoot Day

Most people who book a corporate video have never been on a film set. That's completely normal, and it's usually the not knowing that makes people nervous. It isn't the camera or the cost so much as not knowing what's expected of them.

So here's roughly how a day goes. Every shoot is different, but the shape is pretty consistent.

Before anyone arrives

I aim to be on location 45 minutes to an hour before anyone else. That time goes on things you'll never see in the final video but that decide how it looks and sounds.

I check the light (where the windows are, when the sun will move, whether we'll need to block anything), find power outlets, and listen to the room. Air conditioning and open-plan offices are the two most common surprises. An aircon unit you've stopped noticing will be very noticeable in an interview recording.

I also walk the shot list against the space. Floor plans and reality don't always match, and it's much better to find that out before your team is standing around waiting.

Setup

Gear comes in, lights get built if we need them, and the camera gets positioned. From the outside this is the slowest-looking part of the day. You'll see someone moving a light a few centimetres, looking at a monitor, and moving it back.

It's also the part that decides whether the footage looks considered or looks like it was grabbed on the way to a meeting. A well-lit interview makes your people look like themselves on a good day. Rushing this step is where corporate video starts to look cheap.

Talking to the people on camera

Anyone appearing on camera gets a short, informal chat before we roll. It isn't a script read. It's a conversation about what we're trying to capture and why, so their answers come out sounding like them and not like a rehearsed statement.

Nerves are completely normal, including for senior leaders who present for a living. I always build in time for a few false starts. People usually relax around the third or fourth answer, once they realise nobody is judging them and we can simply go again.

The best on-camera moments rarely happen on the first take. They happen once someone forgets the camera is there.

That's something I learned on documentary-style work like Behind the Listing, where we filmed in the subject's own home precisely so she'd feel at ease. The same principle works in an office.

Coverage and B-roll

Once the interviews are done, we film everything around them: people working, the space, details, hands, screens, the things that make your business look like your business. This footage (B-roll) is what the editor cuts to while someone is talking, and it's what gives a video its pace.

I always shoot more than we'll use: extra angles, safety takes and cutaways. Decisions about pacing and structure are much easier to make in the edit than to predict on the day, and having options there saves time and money later.

Wrap

Before anyone leaves, the footage is backed up on site. That part isn't optional. Then we pack down, which takes longer than people expect, and leave the space as we found it.

For planning purposes, a half-day shoot is usually three to four hours on location once setup and pack-down are included. A full day typically covers two or three different setups or locations. If you need more than that, it's worth talking through whether it's really one day or two.

How to prepare

A few things make a big difference to how smoothly the day goes:

• Confirm building access, parking and power the day before, not on the morning.
• Let the people appearing on camera know what we'll be talking about, but don't give them a script to memorise.
• Book a quiet room for interviews if you can, away from kitchens and meeting rooms.
• Have one person on your side who can make decisions on the day.
• Allow a bit of slack in everyone's calendar. Shoots rarely finish early.

The calmest shoots I've done are the ones where everyone knew roughly what to expect before they walked in. If a videographer can't give you a rough outline of the day beforehand, take that as a signal and ask for one. You're entitled to know what you're paying for.