Capture Video – Location, Location, Location

Location, Location, Location

Many corporate videos are shot onsite at company headquarters. That can solve a lot of location problems though, depending on how happy staff is to have their office space invaded, it can cause a few other issues! But that’s a post for another day.

If you are not staying at your usual offices, here are a few things to think about when you’re deciding where you’ll go.

Choosing your location:
Like what you wear, the location of your video is part of how you present yourself. What message are you trying to convey? If you are trying to sell expensive services, then you’ll want to have a location that says “high end” without question. Are you a life coach? You may want to choose a quiet, attractive home office. Your Yoga video may work wonderfully in a local park, or feel better in a studio. Make sure your scenery fits your story.

Public spaces:
Most public spaces like malls and stores and national monuments require a permit before you can videotape in front of them. Even when you’re doing a ‘man on the street’ interview, if you’re planning to set up a tri-pod and stay put, you’ll need a permit. You can sometimes get away with this if you’re just working with a single hand held camera, but know that you’re bending the rules. Even with a single handheld camera, if you’re shooting on the White House lawn you have about 5 minutes before a large gentleman in a dark suit asks you to move along.

The great outdoors:
Outdoors can be wonderful for shooting. The natural light is excellent, the background is beautiful, and the ambient noise is usually low. The problem is, the great outdoors is actually owned by someone. You’ll need to find out who owns it and what requirements they have, if any. This is particularly true for places like national monuments and national parks. If you are shooting your vacation video, then it is likely that no one cares too much what you’re doing, and separate rules apply. If you’re going to use the footage commercially, then you’ll want to be sure you have the proper permits and paperwork. Any time money is involved, everyone will want their fair share.

Studios:
You can do anything in a studio, right? Well, just about, if you have the budget for it. More times than not, budgetery restrictions keep your studio rental space to a minimum. You can get a news desk feel, or a sitting in an office feel, or maybe go with green screen (though low-budget green screen often looks unprofessional, so be careful), but chances are you are not going to be able to create any world you want with a cost effective studio rental. You can, however, get a sound and lighting controlled environment, run by professional staff whose sole purpose is to put together a video, so there are benefits to this option.

Capture Video producers can help you choose your location. As part of the pre-production process, we will sit down and discuss which option best suits your video production goals.