How to keep shoot days organised and on-agenda

In this month’s blog, Awaken’s Creative Lead, Amelia Morgan, shares her expert insights into how she keeps production shoot days organised and on-agenda.

A shoot day is like a moving puzzle where everything has to align. On any given production shoot, we may have multiple actors coming and going for different scenes, as well as changes in locations, lighting, and crew members needed for different scenes. With all these moving parts, below are three ways that I make sure that we are organised and on-agenda on production shoot days:

1. Have a clear vision: Before the shoot day, it is essential to have a clear vision of what needs to be achieved. This includes having exact storyboards and scripts mapped out. While some things may not always go to plan, such as weather, sickness, wardrobe, or malfunctioning props, we try to plan for these worst-case scenarios and have a team on hand to help if we need to move to plan B.
2. Set strict timelines: To ensure that everything within our control runs smoothly, we set strict timelines and have someone keeping an eye on the clock. This helps us work efficiently with the crew and talent involved. Breaks are also imperative so everyone can take a breather and stay on peak performance. These breaks also give us the opportunity to roll through the previous scene with the clients and reshoot anything necessary.
3. Make it memorable: We love our shoots to be relaxed and heaps of fun, so that everyone goes away with a positive experience – which also shines through in our productions. We believe that breaks are essential, and they give us the opportunity to bond with the crew and talent involved.

Overall, keeping production shoot days organised and on-agenda requires careful planning, efficient prioritisation, and a positive attitude. By having a clear vision, setting strict timelines, and making it fun, we can ensure that our shoots run smoothly and that everyone involved has a positive experience.

If you’re interested in knowing more about our creative production work, please get in touch with our team. We have a huge amount of experience and knowledge in this space and love working with our clients to put together creative productions that are used to build and execute effective campaigns that achieve the right goals. Give us a call and let’s start a conversation.

Jose Cuervo – Sparkling Margarita Watermelon from Awaken on Vimeo.