How to Craft A Shot List
One of the things that takes the longest in the creative process with our clients is creating their shot list. Many of our clients come to us with what they think is a shot list, but they need help (they just didn't know it). The foundation is there but it needs tweaking.
When we dive in we take a look at three key components that need to be there in order for our time together to be successful and to capture the greatest images possible.
Timing: Many tend to over estimate the amount you are able to capture. Not accounting for setup time, transition timing, styling, tweaks, lighting and just the overall time it takes to get the shot. How do you factor this time? Well that depends on what you are shooting and what the styling surrounding the focus is. Obviously when shooting on seamless your transition time is going to be faster than if you are resetting the atmosphere of the object with each shot.
Prioritization: I always ask clients to prioritize. We're all human, life gets in the way and let's say we get caught on a shot longer than planned and therefor don't get to the last two shots on the list. Are those two shots important? Don't ever put them at the bottom if they are! Think through which shots you will need most and set your shot list in that order.
Inspiration: For many clients having inspiration on hand is crucial. Keeping it on hand shot by shot if something we highly recommend specifically with product shots. It's always hard to duplicate a shot exactly because you never know what circumstances it was shot in i.e. lighting, props and of course editing, but making sure everyone is on the same page about what the final shot needs to emulate is helpful.
I am gearing up to share a FREE guide on how I create shot lists with my clients complete with FREE template examples. I am going to share what I use for timing tips, the two templates I use for clients and how I stay on track to achieve our shot lists!
T minus 1 month until launch!
Elizabeth