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Production Tips
The Script
Written by Don Shoop
The development of a script is the first step in producing a video presentation. The script provides the narrative and determines what video is required to go with what is being said. On projects where there is little if any narrative, the script is still required to provide a framework. PhotoGroup works with its customers to deliver the best message. To produce this script we need to know your product or understand the service you provide. What does it do? How does it work? What are the benefits of using it? Will it save time or money? Providing our writer with a corporate profile, existing advertising material and the opportunity to discuss what you want to convey will go a long way in setting a solid foundation for the script.
We initially provide a draft of the narration and the suggested video images. Together we review this, ask questions and answer yours, and then make changes to fine-tune your message. It may require additional information and video or a shift in emphasis. After incorporating any changes we will return the script for approval or further red lines. Once approved the script will determine what video is necessary to re-enforce the message.
This is the most efficient and cost effective approach. With a script we shoot only the video material we specifically need. This saves time and money. If we shoot the video first we are sure to shoot a lot of material we don't need and miss material we later discover we do need. You wouldn't build a house without a blueprint and you shouldn't begin a production without the script.
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Shooting Video for Industrial Productions
Written by Rick Shoop
Shooting video of industrial machinery is not rocket science, but there are some guidelines you should follow to improve your intended results.
First and foremost, get a tripod to mount your camera on! Shaky images are hard to watch. Prolonged viewing definitely leads to headaches and nausea. Not the type of reaction you normally want associated with your product. So, unless you want to torture your audience, mount the camera on a tripod. Depending on how much freedom of movement you want for pan and tilt will determine the cost of the tripod, but don’t be overly cheap; you will regret it later.
Next is to analyze the machinery and determine what are the important elements that you want the audience to see. If there are a lot of elements, write them down in a shot list. The order you then shoot the shots depends mostly on whether you will edit the video later or show it as is. Editing the video later is always the better solution and allows you to somewhat overshoot a scene, ensuring you will have what you need later. Also, edits obviously allow you to remove the mistakes you make shooting.
You should decide how close you want each of the elements to be to the camera when you shoot them. Standard television is a fairly low resolution, viewing device. What you can see with your eye is far more detailed than what will be seen later on a TV. Even High Definition TV doesn’t come close to what your eye sees. To overcome this, you will need to shoot from multiple distances. Use a long or wide shot to show the overall machinery. This establishes for the audience what and where the overall item is and hopefully, a sense of scale as well. Medium shots can be used to identify the element of interest as well as show where it is relative to the overall machine. Close ups are used to show the detail. This is typically the interesting shot. Extreme close-ups show the detail better than what is typically seen in real life. As you move the camera closer, change the angle of the shot slightly as well. This helps define the 3 dimensions of the object. The thing to keep in mind is how well the audience is able to orient themselves in the close shots. Do this visually with combinations of wide, medium, close, and extremely close shots. One last thought on shooting and scene composition. Resist the urge to pan all over the equipment. Camera movement should normally be restricted to following moving objects. A good pan of a moving object is easy for the audience to see since it keeps the object steady within the frame. A bad pan of a static object makes it hard for the audience to see since the object is moving through the frame. The effect is usually worse than a shaky camera.
Another step before you actually start shooting is to take a good look around the scene. Clean up trash and clutter. Try to reduce the visual impact of distracting elements in the scene. This can be done through careful lighting or backdrops. You wouldn’t send a picture of yourself just out of bed to a prospective client, why would you want to see a messy image of your equipment?
Finally, light the scene if possible. Lighting is as much art as it is science so I can’t do the topic justice in this article. As a quick tip, use a main or key light to illuminate the scene. Offset this light source from the camera so it casts small shadows as seen through the camera. The shading this produces is the visual aspect that tricks the eye and mind into believing a 2 dimensional TV image is actually a 3 dimensional object. But video doesn’t have much dynamic range as far as capturing both light and dark areas of a scene. Because of this, use a secondary or fill light to lighten the shadows. Proper lighting also enhances the color in the video. Just because your camera has a low light capability, doesn’t mean the image will actually look good. Proper lighting is one of the trickier aspects in shooting video. To learn more on lighting for video, see John Jackman’s excellent book, Lighting for Digital Video and Television (CMP Books, 2002).
As a summary, mount your camera, plan your shots, clean and light the scene, then shoot it. Follow these steps and you will get results that flatter your equipment, not torture your audience.