Where you shoot your videos is arguably as important as the video-shooting process itself. In fact, your shooting location has a major impact on how successful your videos will be in terms of quality and impact. The right location enhances your video’s quality by providing the right atmospheric setting. The wrong one, however, undermines all your hard work and makes it even harder for your videos to shine. This is why location scouting is very important.
In this article, you’ll discover what location scouting is, how it can help your production efforts, and a guide to doing it right.
What Is Location Scouting?
Location scouting is the process of finding the perfect place to shoot or record video advertisements. It involves finding a suitable location that perfectly aligns with the project’s creative vision and requirements.
The goal of any location scouting activity is to find the best possible place that offers the right balance between filming practicability, storytelling boost, and visual appeal. The right filming location must:
- Boost logistics with easy access to and from it. This ensures that moving equipment and other things needed for the shoot is straightforward.
- Have the perfect atmospheric backdrop that contributes to and enhances the appeal and impact of the message.
How To Pick The Perfect Location
Choosing your filming location is one of the first things to do when you’re planning a video shoot. This is because it isn’t something that you can “quickly” do. If you want your videos to have maximum impact and quality, you’ll need to take a lot of time to scout the perfect location. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you can always find the ideal setting for your video shoots:
Step 1: Costs and Budgeting
First things first, how much are you willing to spend? Many projects jump right into scouting operations without first setting up a budget. As you can imagine, they end up having cashflow problems down the line.
When scouting, your assigned team will need to move from location to location, incurring transport expenses. You should plan for this. In addition, you’ll need to consider other expenses, such as rental fees, permit costs, transportation expenses, and any additional expenditures associated with the location you’re choosing.
Setting up a budget will help you streamline your location scouting to areas that align with your cost constraints, ensuring you don’t overspend.
Step 2: Understand The Script
Never go location scouting without first thoroughly assessing the video’s script. The script is like a compass that points you in the right direction to ensure you get optimal results. The reason for this is simple: the script provides you with all the pertinent information you need on how the video is supposed to look. This, in turn, lets you know where to start looking.
For example, if the script calls for an office scene, you already know that the best place to start scouting for shooting locations will be in the business district. Additionally, understanding the script also helps you know how many locations you need to scout before shooting begins.
Step 3: The Timing Factor
If you read the script, you’ll realize that the video you want to film will be shot at different times. As such, when you’re scouting locations to use, you should time your visits so they coincide with the same time the actual shooting will take place. This will help you ensure the locations you choose actually have the perfect atmospheric backdrop you need for your videos.
Beyond this, scouting at that particular time also helps you figure out the logistics. How many cars will be passing by? How noisy is the area by that time? What is the foot traffic like? Are there suitable parking spaces close by?
Paying attention to timing while you’re out scouting will help provide you with answers to all these questions. This will, in turn, allow you to make decisions regarding the feasibility and suitability of each location for filming.
Step 4: Check The Lighting and Explore Power Sources
Lighting plays an important role in video production. It often determines the mood and visual aesthetics of your project. So, during your scouting activities, you’ll need to consider how the natural lighting available will affect the look and feel of your scenes. This is especially important if you plan on shooting outdoor scenes.
Additionally, remember that you will need to plug in your filming equipment. So, you’ll need to check if the location in question offers access to adequate power sources for your filming equipment. This is important because you definitely don’t want power interruptions when you’re filming.
If the area’s power isn’t great, you can either choose a different location or plan for alternative power sources to use while filming.
Step 5: Document and Record
It’s very important to document your findings while you’re out location scouting. This involves taking detailed notes, photographs, and videos of everything you see. Documenting will help you ensure you have a comprehensive report to fall back on during the decision-making and production-planning processes. Documentation also allows you to facilitate seamless and efficient production by minimizing miscommunication or uncertainties.
Step 6: Secure Permits
After deciding which locations to use from those scouted, the final step is to secure any necessary permits or permissions for filming there. Note that the specifics of filming permits will depend on the location chosen.
Contact local authorities, property owners, or relevant permit offices to obtain the necessary permissions. This will help make sure you remain compliant with all legal and regulatory requirements during your video filming process.
Conclusion
So there you have it, your exhaustive guide to location scouting for video production. Choosing the perfect filming location is an important process that requires a lot of careful planning and attention to detail. Still, when it’s done right, it’ll give your video the atmospheric boost it needs to be a huge success.
Also Read: The Impact of AI on Film Editing: From Script to Screen
