Walkin’ on Sunshine: 5 Tips for Filming Outside
We’ve taken our experience as a top Chicago video production company and put together our Top 5 Tips for outdoor filming.
As a full service video production company, we’ve filmed numerous videos outdoors. Our camera crews are experience and equipped to make a corporate video production run smoothly. Our experience as a production agency allows us to hire the best cameraman for the job and provide them with the right video equipment so our outdoor productions feel effortless while still being prepared to make adjustments when the shoot calls for it.
Type of project, filming style and crew size all play a factor in how to best work around the challenges of outdoor shoots. However, these general tips should work well for most productions.
#1 Simplify. Simplify. Simplify.
Working outside requires even more flexibility than indoor production. Depending on the project and size of crew, our video production team aims to travel light with the ability to reorganize on the fly. This is especially important when multiple relocations are required throughout filming.
Even when working in one designated area, we equip our camera crews to easily maneuver around whatever troubles the big wide outdoors throws at them.
Chicago corporate video production calls for shooting all kinds of talent in all kinds of weather! Our video team knows this and has plenty of tricks up their sleeves (or lack thereof) to pull from when needed. As one of the top video production companies in Chicago, our camera crew has the know-how to use the elements to their advantage, such as using the sun as their main light source.
#2 Work with the Sun, Not Against It
Assuming the day(s) scheduled for outdoor production are nice & sunny (more on that later), any lights will face a major competitor – the sun. The ideal time to shoot is when it is cloudy or during “golden hour” & “blue hour”, but you can’t always control the latter and certainly not the former.
Using reflectors to bounce the sun around is one way our video production teams use the sun to their advantage. Diffusers also help soften hard light.
One of our favorite tricks is to use the sun as your backlight and then reflect it onto the talent. If the sky is a big part of the shot, it’s important to remember that shooting north is usually darker than other directions.
#3 Go Wireless & Battery-Operated
Outside power sources are usually limited and generators can be loud and expensive. Our video team allows plenty of time to charge batteries beforehand and always travels with backups.
Using wireless video monitors and mics can require more planning, but allows for greater freedom of movement and can save valuable time on setup and teardown.
Creating an education video requires a creative video production company who can work with their camera crew to get a corporate client’s message across in an engaging way. That even includes working outside a video production studio! Showcasing the skills needed in a training video in real-life situations requires creative solutions from our Producers and video teams. Creativity coupled with experience is just one of many video production services Production Craft offers!
#4 Plan for Weather Days
The date for filming a corporate or commercial video is scheduled long before the weather has had time to make up its mind. As part of our video production services, our Producers work with clients to account for a “rain day” in the schedule. This date is considered a “backup” in case production doesn’t go as planned due to heavy rain or other inclement weather.
#5 Hydrate & Refuel
What you feed a crew matters, especially when our Chicago camera crews are working outside on a hot summer day.
We ensure our crews are energized with access to fresh cold water and lunch is filling - but not overly so. We don’t want everyone to be tired before they start the second half of the day! Sandwiches, salads, fresh fruits, and nuts/granola are great options to keep everyone full and energized.
You can see featured examples of our work here. Or contact us to discuss how we can work with you to make an award-winning video.
Production Craft, Inc. is a video production company based in Chicago, serving markets worldwide.
We are proud to be a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) certified by the State of Illinois Business Enterprise Program (BEP) and the National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC).
