Running a successful video shoot for your social media content requires diligent planning. The future might remain unpredictable, but you can reduce its uncertainty by establishing a firm schedule, a detailed call sheet, and writing a script to help guide your shoots, even when there’s no preplanned dialogue! This ultimately leads to having more content plus a higher return on investment.
Social media videos have revolutionized how we connect, share, and engage online. These bite-sized visual narratives pack a punch, delivering information, entertainment, and inspiration in seconds. From captivating product demos to heartwarming stories, social media videos are the currency of digital storytelling, fueling conversations, sparking trends, and building communities across platforms. Whether it’s a viral sensation or a brand’s strategic message, these videos have become an integral part of our online experience, shaping the way we consume content and interact with the world.
No two shoots are the same, so it’s best to follow guidelines, not rules. Too much rigidity and you’ll find yourself stuck in a prison of your own making. Effective video production involves creating plans that can bend instead of breaking.
The team of seasoned professionals at Socialize has learned how to make this process smooth to deliver the desired results. Years of experience (along with lots of trial and error) has positioned us to ask the right questions before the 11th hour.
Project Overview
Mosquito Shield, a national franchise brand, required additional content to develop marketing campaigns for all of their franchises. They began by selecting the Palm Beach FL location for this shoot and planned to expand to other areas as the season progressed.
The simple act of looking at a map helps us plan shoots for our clients.
This project demonstrates our process really well, and it also presents an opportunity to share some of our knowledge with you. Being transparent, we always advise using our video production packages instead of going at it alone, but we understand that not everyone is in the market to hire.
With that in mind, we wanted to share the steps we take to make shoots more productive. You can use this to better understand our process if you’re interested in working with us, or you’re welcome to model it for yourself.
Either way, more for less, nothing else.
Preparing for the Shoot
Planning and executing a video shoot can be challenging, especially if you’re inexperienced. You’re going to run into many questions, some of which you probably won’t have the answers for. Some of these questions include:
Like all our projects, we begin with our custom scripting and planning session. Together, we establish the shoot’s overall goal and vision, making future decision-making easier. During the session, we specify the target audience, their pain, and what their dream outcome is.
Planning the Shoot
After thoroughly examining messaging, the planning begins. This includes identifying:
- Who will be on camera
- What questions they will be asked
- What kind of setting we’ll be shooting in
This sort of planning allows us to increase the value of what Mosquito Shield gets from the shoot.
The main focus for this shoot was the customer experience interviews, but our planning and organization expanded the schedule to include an interview with the local franchise owners, and footage of a technician in action.
As a result, Mosquito Shield will have more content for franchise development as well as general B-roll footage that can be used to create a hero video or to build out other content in the future.
More marketing collateral, no extra cost. Planning is one way we achieve that.
Once we agreed on what should be filmed, we had to pick a location. There were numerous locations to choose from, but not all were suitable. The planned filming date encouraged us to choose a location in the southern US so there would be lush greenery that aligned with Mosquito Shield’s brand.
Once those details were ironed out, we got to work finding the partner who could execute on our vision.
Search for Video Talent
With the shoot’s requirements detailed, we were able to find the perfect local video professional, Charles. Charles had (and still has!) exceptional filming skills and a professional attitude, both essential qualities at a video shoot. We evaluated his equipment, talent, experience, and demeanor before selecting him for the job.
Our team includes experienced videographers who are able to accurately assess who’s a good fit for a particular project based on the candidate’s gear, resume, and portfolio.
We also confirm what’s potentially the most important factor, is this a nice person to work with? No level of experience can compensate for a lack of friendliness!
Later in the planning process, Mosquito Shield requested a photographer to be included in the shoot. Although we usually extract stills from the video content for online photos, having a dedicated photographer produces superior results. The photographer’s professional eye and higher resolution photos make them suitable for print content as well.
Insider secret? Videographers & photographers can be very territorial and can fight like cats and dogs! Our experience has taught us that coordinating between the two works best if they’re on the same team, so we approached Charles for a recommendation. Without hesitation, he introduced us to his colleague, Loic, and they collaborated seamlessly.
Communication for Success
Proper documentation is crucial, but there’s no substitute for a face-to-face chat. We spoke with Charles and gave him the rundown of the brand, their goals, essentially everything the Mosquito Shield team shared with us, along with our own observations.
It is common for the client and our team at Socialize to have a conversation with a video expert about the shoot, before the day of. Waiting until the last minute to align is a big mistake!
The biggest factor that allows professionals to flex their creative muscles is time. Rushing limits creativity and forces videographers into simplicity. You definitely don’t want to put your videographer in a position where they have to rush or scramble. Chaotic situations like that lead to simplified shots to meet deadlines.
At Socialize Video, time-saving organizational practices are one of the things that set us apart from our competitors. Our scripting process covers the questions and message that the content should cover (the why), and our call sheet handles the specific details of the shoot (the who, what, when, and where).
Want bad content? Simply rush your videographer!
Want good content? Give creatives the time they need!
Schedule
A schedule is crucial for the vast majority of shoots, as there are often elements that require filming at certain times. Mosquito Shield was no exception, and with the predictable unpredictability of Florida’s weather, it was of paramount importance that not a moment was wasted.
Our schedule accounts for travel time, and ensures that the necessary team members are present when and where they’re needed!
Keep in mind, it’s very easy for a day to get away from you when you’re shooting. Without a schedule to keep yourself on task, you’re almost certain to lose track of time and spend the second half of the day trying to make up for the first.
Day of the Shoot
On the morning of the shoot, we held a meeting to provide clarity and alignment among everyone involved. Everyone involved appreciated this pre-shoot meeting, as it created a shared understanding of what needs to be done.
Filming is an intimate experience, which many people discover once the cameras turn on. Doing this meeting allows everyone to talk, break the ice, and ultimately create a comfortable atmosphere for tackling the job together.
The video professionals in particular love the details provided during this meeting, as it allows them to have a good vision of what needs to be done and allows them to focus more of their energy on being creative.Mosquito Shield appreciated this meeting, as it allowed them to meet the video professionals and start building a working relationship. Additionally, the clear expectations set during this meeting eliminated any confusions or misunderstandings.
Overall, this pre-shoot meeting is a crucial step for Socialize Video to ensure a successful shoot.
Call Sheet for the Shoot
A Call Sheet is a one-page document that contains essential information about a video shoot. It is typically used in the video production industry and provides key details such as the location, time, the weather forecast, and contact information for important individuals involved in the project.
The document also includes instructions on what attire to wear and suggested settings for the video professional. Consider it a cheat sheet for everyone involved in that particular day. When we’re creating call sheets at Socialize, we consider all the possibilities of who could need what information. Our call sheet is authoritative and conclusive, leaving no possibilities for error or oversight.
The Socialize call sheet is crucial. It ensures that everyone involved in the video production is on the same page and has the necessary information to execute a successful shoot.
Further, we take our call sheet document a step further by including standard testimonial questions, as well as a list of B-roll footage that needs to be shot. This makes it easy for the video team to capture testimonials from the subjects on screen, and ensure the content captured will be on brand both visually and in messaging.
Paving the Way for Post-Production
We’ll continue on to this topic in part two of this case study! Video production can get complicated because each “topic” overlaps with the ones to the right and left.
We’re aware that this can get a little confusing!
That reality is exactly why we create a script, a plan. With the help of the script, this guide we created, working through the footage is always purposeful and focused. We have clear goals and clear metrics to determine when we’ve met and exceeded them.
We do our absolute best to delineate topics and make things easy for you. To be clear, this article was about how to effectively run a live-action shoot. In the near future we’ll follow up on this project to discuss post production, graphics, and distribution.
It’s always tempting to just keep writing, but our goal is to keep things simple for you, not make it more confusing.
Tune in for Part Two of this case study!