As they say, the best videos are made in pre-production. Writing, casting, assembling your crew, these are the big things that you'll be focused on during this process. However, the pre-production phase is also the time to mull over all the small details to avoid the chances of putting out unexpected fires on the day of your shoot.

Make sure to look over these small details that can have a large impact:

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📆 1. Never schedule interviews back to back, without a buffer. Someone’s inevitably going to show up late, a microphone battery is going to die or the fire alarm is going to go off (ie. something is going to delay the shoot). So make sure you schedule at least 15m buffers in between interviews to avoid unnecessary stress and headaches.‍

☀️ 2. Try to avoid having a window in the background. The sun will likely be moving across the sky during the day, as it does, seeing it jump across your background will be distracting, and could post larger continuity issues. When location scouting and setting up on the day of, be mindful of any continuity and lighting challenges your area will pose.

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🛗 3. Don’t forget to put the elevator on service. Even cheap and cheerful interviews require a lot of equipment and you don’t want to stress your facilities manager out..right? Speak to them in advance to get your video team’s load-in on their schedule so the elevator can be waiting; if they really like you, they may even hang moving blankets to be extra cautious. Putting the elevator on service ensures you maximize the time your crew has to setup.

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🍔 4. Not figuring out dietary restrictions. Let's be real, one of the best parts of being on set is the craft and catering that you get to indulge in. After a long day on set, the last thing you would want is someone on your team to have nothing to eat. Figure out all dietary restrictions ahead of time to ensure your team, clients and the talent are all feeling well taken care of

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👗 5. Not sharing wardrobe/prop options ahead of time. Whether you have a props master or a wardrobe stylist, it's important to keep that line of communication with your clients to keep them informed of what options are available. All of these details should be shared with your clients ahead of the shoot so there are no surprises on the day of.