The camera is ready. The lighting is set. The crew is on time. And then your CEO walks in and says they’ve never done this before and they’re not sure what to say.
This is the most common reason corporate video shoots run long, cost more, and produce less than they should. Not equipment. Not weather. Unprepared people.
Here’s how to fix that before we arrive.
Brief your team on the story, not the script
The worst thing you can do before a corporate video shoot is hand someone a script and ask them to memorize it. Scripts produce performances, not people. And audiences can tell the difference in about four seconds.
Instead, brief your team on the story you’re trying to tell. What is the key message? Who is the audience? What do you want someone to feel after watching this? Give people the destination, not the exact words to use to get there. Let them find their own language. It will always sound more authentic than yours.
Do a pre-interview conversation the day before
If your shoot involves interviews — and most corporate videos do — have a 15-minute conversation with each subject the day before. Not a rehearsal. Just a conversation about the same topics the interview will cover.
This does two things. It surfaces the best material before the camera is rolling, so you know what to draw out on the day. And it reduces anxiety — subjects who’ve already talked through the content once are far more relaxed when the lens is pointed at them.
Sort out wardrobe in advance
Ask everyone being filmed to prepare two outfit options. Avoid bright white, fine patterns like herringbone or tight checks, and anything with a large logo. Solid colors and mid-tones work best on camera. Earth tones, blues, and grays. What looks good in the mirror doesn’t always look good on a lens.
This conversation needs to happen at least two days before the shoot — not the morning of.
Clear the schedule around the shoot
A corporate video shoot is not a meeting you can run late to. If someone is on camera at 10 AM, they need to be available from 9:30. Not finishing a call at 10:05.
Brief your team that the shoot day runs on a production schedule, not a business schedule. If the light is right at 2 PM, we shoot at 2 PM. We can’t reschedule the sun.
Designate one point of contact on your side
On every shoot, we need one person who can make decisions. Not a committee. One person who knows the schedule, can direct internal traffic, and has the authority to say yes or no when something needs to change.
Without that person, small decisions become delays. Delays become overtime. Overtime becomes budget overruns.
The day of
Eat before you go on camera. Sleep the night before. Arrive five minutes early. And remember: everyone looks more natural on camera when they stop trying to look natural on camera. The goal is a conversation, not a performance.
If you’re planning a corporate video shoot in Ohio, reach out to AmeriFilms. We’ll walk you through the full preparation process as part of our pre-production. See our Dayton video production services and full service list.