If you’re in the midst of a big Lakeland video production project, you know how important that you stick to the schedule and don’t miss anything. But this is particularly hard to do when you forget to bring something to a location.
Imagine being in the middle of nowhere, ready to shoot your actors and actresses only to realize you haven’t charged the batteries of the lights, cameras, and drone. What do you do?
There’s no electric outlet anywhere near you and the next town will take you an hour. So, you take the video anyway, hoping you’ll get what you need in your current battery level.
But lo and behold, the sun has already set and your lights have dimmed, a signal that the battery is almost drained down. The lights turn off and it becomes even more impossible to shoot anything. You haven’t even shot 50% of what you need so you’ll adjust your schedule to accommodate another day in this location.
Every bit of schedule you set would need to be realigned and adjusted. That’s what happens when you don’t have a dedicated checklist that is specific to what you need for a shoot.
In general, here are the most important things to remember to do and bring during an out-of-town shoot:
Permits and fees
No matter where you’re shooting, whether it is a private (unless it is yours or a friend’s or public place) or public place, you need to ask permission if you’re going to use the video commercially.
If you’re going to upload the video on social media for a business or even a wedding shoot, you need to apply for the necessary permits and pay the fees to make sure everything is in order.
During the day of the shoot, never forget to bring copies of the permits and the receipts just in case an authority demands it from you.
Fully-charged batteries and equipment
Remember what can happen if you don’t charge your batteries. Why do we remember to charge our phones before we go on a big trip or even before work?
Because we don’t want to be stuck with a paperweight, right? That’s exactly what cameras, lights, and drones are when they don’t have juice… they are useless.
Scheduled actors/actresses
Okay, this is common sense, but don’t leave your actors behind. Don’t even expect them to follow on a later time. Expect them to be with you when you leave the office building for the location shoot.
You don’t want to arrive in the location only to have to wait more than two hours for a talent to arrive. Make sure the actors are with you when you make the trip.