A Producer's Checklist

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Be Prepared...Be Very Prepared!

On a typical one-day corporate video shoot (hmm…is there really such thing as a typical shoot?) there’s a number of details that need to be taken care of early on in the process.  By the day of shoot though all of these pre-production items have been nailed down. Our Orlando video production company runs through a checklist to make sure we have all of our equipment lined up and in order so that your project is free of any chaos!

  • Camera (There are some shoots that call for multiple cameras as well as multiple camera operators) One other note…depending on the camera, there may be lens packages involved as well.  
  • Tripod (and appropriate tripod plate for camera)
  • Recording Media For Camera 
  • Laptop and External Storage Drive to Back-Up Media (When working with solid state cards, a good strategy in the field is to back-up the media to a storage device, this is an essential step especially when re-using cards during the course of the day)
  • Batteries for Camera
  • AC Power Adaptor for Camera (On some shoots it’s necessary to have constant power to the camera, for example when taping an especially long seminar session, in productions like that changing batteries can be an issue)
  • Monitor Batteries
  • Script (The script is the blueprint for your marketing or training video.  It provides the structure and foundation for your video project)
  • Audio Package (which might consist of a mixer, hard-wired lavaliers, wireless microphones and or shotgun microphone)
  • 9 Volt or Double A Batteries
  • XLR Cables for Microphones
  • Headsets
  • Cables for Camera and Monitor
  • Stingers (we in the video world like our own unique names) or extension cables for lighting instruments
  • Lens Cleaner and Cloth for Camera Lens
  • Lighting Kit
  • Diffusion, Gels, Scrim and Filters for Lighting
  • C-Stands (a c-stand is a all-purpose production stand which can be used for lighting and audio equipment)
  • Flexfill (or bounce card for lighting)
  • Make-Up Products for On-Camera Talent (On some shoots it may be important to have one dedicated person, a make-up artist for the shoot).

This by no means is a complete list of every piece of equipment or gear that is used during a corporate video shoot.  In some cases, more equipment is used, as well as other advanced pieces.  In other instances there may be some shoots where everything on this list isn’t needed.  Each video production is different and unique. The one constant is the attention to detail that is required for shooting and producing a successful video.