Some of our clients like to have their video shot on location at their building. We think this is a great idea as we can personalize the background to match your company’s branding as well as create a unique look for your video. There are, however, a few challenges that arise when your video is shot on location. It is most likely that your building is not designed with video production in mind. The three biggest issues that arise usually come in the form of space, time, and sound. With this in mind, here are some steps you can take to prepare your location.

SPACE

Making a video takes a lot of space. Not only does your room need to fit the people and the cameras, we also need to make sure there’s space for the lights and audio equipment. We recommend a space larger than 12ft x 12ft. If your room is smaller than this, it’s probably too tight to film in. Bonus if your room has lots of natural light.

TIME

Making a video takes lots of time. There’s a lot that goes into a video that you don’t see in the final product. If the final video is planned to run for 1 minute, it’s not uncommon to spend 2 to 5 times that long filming. People in front of the camera don’t always nail their performance on their first try and may need a couple of takes to get it right. We also need time to set up our cameras, lights, and any other equipment necessary for your video. This process can take an additional 30 minutes to an hour depending on the video.

SOUND

Now you have enough space and time to film at your location, but what does it sound like? Sound is one of the most important parts of making a video. For the best results, make sure there’s little-to-no ambient sounds. This may mean turning off any air conditioning, fans, or music. You will also want to make sure your room is acoustically sound. Rooms with padded surfaces such as furniture or carpets work best.

Going through these steps will help ensure that we’re able to produce a high quality video at your location. If your building doesn’t have a room that meets these specifications, don’t worry! We’d be happy to film your video in our in-house studio.

About Nate

Nate Houts is the IFC team’s Media Production Lead, and also their official office Hipster. He’s inspired by photographers Samuel Elkins and Garrett King and director Wes Anderson and can be found at local coffee shops listening to bands you’ve never heard of and pretending to like coffee.