Every expensive mistake on a brand film shoot day was a pre-production mistake. Locations that weren’t scouted properly. Briefs that left too much open to interpretation. Shot lists that were written for the wrong version of the film. These things don’t fail on the day: they fail weeks earlier.
We’ve produced brand films for automotive groups, law firms, universities, and healthcare providers. The productions that run smoothly are not the ones with bigger budgets: they’re the ones with better preparation. Here’s the checklist we use before every shoot.
The Brief That Actually Gets Results
A good brief doesn’t tell the director what to shoot. It tells them what the viewer needs to feel, think, and do after watching. Before any creative conversation happens, these three questions must have clear answers:
- What is the one thing the viewer must remember? Not three things: one. If your brief has multiple “key messages,” you haven’t briefed yet.
- What tone are we after? Bring three reference videos (not stills) that capture the feeling you want. Adjectives like “professional” and “dynamic” mean different things to different people: moving images don’t.
- How does success get measured? Define this before the shoot, not after. Watch-time, brand lift, conversion rate, internal morale: whatever it is, name it upfront.
“A tight brief prevents expensive pivots on the day. If the director and client disagree on-set, someone failed in pre-production.”
Location Recce: What to Actually Look For
A location that looks great on Google Maps can kill a shoot. The things that matter aren’t visible in photos:
- Power supply. Does the location have accessible, sufficient power for lighting rigs? Or are you running on batteries? Know this before you haul in a full electrical setup.
- Ambient noise. Visit the location at the same time of day as your shoot. Air conditioning systems, nearby roads, and construction that starts at 8am have ruined more interview setups than any equipment failure.
- Natural light direction. The sun moves. Where is the light at 2pm, when you’re actually shooting the interview? A beautiful location can become a silhouette nightmare if this isn’t planned.
- Background permissions. Corporate offices often have whiteboards, branded materials, or confidential documents in the background. Get written confirmation of what can and can’t be in frame.
The Shot List: Writing for the Edit Room
A shot list written for the shoot day is the wrong shot list. Write it for the editor. Every shot on your list should have a clear home in the cut: you should be able to point to the sequence it supports before the camera ever rolls.
We tier every shot list into two categories: Must Have (the film fails without these) and Nice to Have (adds polish if time allows). This split protects you when the day runs long: and it will always run long.
Finally, build in 30% more shots than you think you need. Not because you’ll use them all: because options in the edit room are worth more than perfection on set. A cutaway that saves the edit will never be remembered. A cutaway you didn’t get will be.
Pre-production isn’t the glamorous part of filmmaking. But it’s where great brand films are made: long before anyone picks up a camera.