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Top 5 Ways to Have a Successful On-Location Production

All productions start out with the best of intentions. A strong vision for your final product is key, but a lot more goes into making sure your client receives a product that exceeds their expectations. Here are some ways to ensure that your creativity doesn't get spoiled on the day of the shoot. 

 

1. Scout Your Location.

For a recent commercial shoot at East Georgia State College, we visited the college days in advance to check out the location. We brought the lenses we would be using on the day of filming and took pictures of our locations. This enabled us to quickly set our framing on the day of the shoot.

 

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2. Communicate With Location Personnel.

While scouting at EGSC we talked with members of the staff about specifics of each location and established our contacts to get access to different classrooms, auditoriums, labs, etc. Their expert knowledge of the area helped us map out our route to get the most out of our day. We also learned the locations of different lighting controls, which was especially helpful when shooting our auditorium scene. 

 

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3. Create a Plan of Action.

Before going on our EGSC shoot, our team came together to create a production timeline and shot list. We looked at the shot list and used our knowledge of the location to create a route that maximized our efficiency. A production can be grueling, so the fewer decisions you have to make on the day, the better. 

 

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4. Have Clearly Defined Roles.

On set things can get hectic. Everyone wants to help, which is nice, but it can get messy. Having clearly defined roles allows for everyone to work as a team and keep the production rolling. My role on the EGSC shoot was to organize the grips and make sure we were set up for the scene and were prepped to move to the next one.

 

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5. Vet Your Crew.

Any production is only as good as the people working on it. In addition to the TWD team, our crew for the EGSC shoot was comprised of professionals we have previous positive experience working with or someone that came highly recommended. An experienced, coordinated crew can make all the difference. 

 

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About the Author

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Tarver Petersen

Having been everything from Production Assistant to Photographer, to Promotions Producer, Tarver Petersen brought his valuable experience from Television Broadcast to Third Wave Digital in 2018.

Tarver works as our Production Assistant where he shoots video for commercials, pilots the drone to capture aerial footage, designs graphics for digital clients, script writes for commercials, and edits video for post-production.

Even in his spare time, Tarver is always looking for ways to improve his craft by writing and creating sketches with friends in his free time. He draws his creative inspiration from excellence in video production and writing. 

 

About Third Wave Digital 

For over 20 years Third Wave Digital has been in the business of providing communication excellence to our clients through digital and traditional marketing & advertising services. Third Wave Digital offers a comprehensive array of services from website development, hosting and technical support to digital marketing and traditional advertising agency services. Specialty services include interactive exhibit design, print design and complete video production services. For more information contact Third Wave Digital at 1-888-578-7865 or at www.thirdwavedigital.com.

posted 08/27/2019 in Video Production

Tags: blog, third wave digital, tarver petersen, video production, video services


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