How to Commission a Photographer / Part 9: The Day of the Shoot

Part 9: The Day of the Shoot Well the day has finally arrived, it’s shoot time, the fun, creative bit!

If all expectations have been communicated clearly, the ‘pre-production’ efficiently organised and all key elements approved, then, in theory, everything should run like clockwork when it comes to the day of the shoot.

Fair enough, you can’t always be prepared for every eventuality. I was chatting to one of my photographers who mentioned a few classics…

‘’Model having a ‘boob’ job after the casting but before the shoot. They arrived and they were indeed quite impressive however nothing but a man’s shirt would fit.

A 7-year-old girl lost 2 front teeth just before the shoot, resulting in overhead, from behind and strategically placed items in front of her mouth throughout the shoot.

Stylist trying to get flames going on a shoot involving an open fire, newspaper catching fire, scorching wall and ceiling (repainted with no one any the wiser)

Being asked by a ‘pop star’ who’s got the drugs?!’’ (thanks Iain!)

A few incidents stand out in my head from over the years; such as a photographer getting stuck in a lift for 2 hours when he nipped out to get his car from the car park (with no one knowing what had happened to him as he hadn’t mentioned what he was doing); a producer having a rather bad bout of indigestion and spending most of the shoot day on the location bus toilet; the 1000 turkeys that died of heart attacks when the strobe flashguns all fired at once on their farm; a model who took a swing at an art director on a shoot - it can be a dangerous game!

We always make sure we get self tapes at the of casting so we can check what models looks like actually at time of shoot.

Unpredictable shoot crew (booked by the client, not us, of course!) is another. The 80-year-old home economist who had a meltdown when her meringue didn’t work out on set and just went home, the stylist who had a hissy fit as she didn’t want to carry her suitcase up a small hill to a park location. We can safeguard against most things to a certain extent but as you can appreciate, some things just can’t be predicted!

Seriously though, as we’ve discovered in the last few weeks there’s a few key milestones that go into the commissioning process. The more diligence that goes into each of these stages, the greater likelihood of a relaxed, enjoyable shoot with no nasty surprises. Some things that need to be considered are completely down to us as shoot producers, but we are at the mercy of the agency or client with some as you can appreciate. Let’s have a quick recap of what we’ve explored over the last few weeks in this guide. These are your foundations for a great shoot with perfect results.

•Find the right photographer

This is a good starting point. Look for the perfect match in terms of style, experience, personality, approach, price (cheapest is rarely best!), a good team and production support as backup also really help.

• Find the right crew

Whether it’s a specialist home economist, a stylist with interiors experience, a super helpful 1st assistant or models with the right attitude, we pride ourselves on finding the right crew for the shoots we produce. We also do our best to put the most compatible teams together, it makes such a difference to the atmosphere on shoot day and can prevent some of the incidents I mentioned above!

•Write a clear brief

The clearer you can be about your requirements the easier it will be to meet expectations. The more detail that goes into the initial brief the better. If extra shots are added on the day of the shoot or something has been overlooked or miscommunicated this can cause problems.

•Get the budget 100% pinned down and approved

If the brief is clear then we can provide accurate costs and stick within budget on the shoot day. Any aberrations are likely to cause issues such as crew overtime or additional expenses.

•Be realistic about timings and how long things will take

It’s important to plan an achievable schedule taking everything into account. Releases, permits and visa’s for example can take time to process. If elements of the shoot need approving by several parties, allow time for this. We can provide a day to day , week to week production schedule, with key milestones for you.

• Get the contracts agreed

Get all the business terms agreed before the big day. The contract lays down legal guidelines and misunderstandings here can cause major issues for the shoot day and beyond. If the image usage changes on the day of the shoot, this could cause big problem if models are involved or a larger format is required, or if ‘real’ people are being photographed but the client hasn’t noted that they are responsible for model releases are just a few examples.

•Get anything that needs to be approved, approved in writing by the decision makers before the shoot

Last thing we want on shoot day is for the client to suddenly announce they want a red dress or they don’t want to feature pork for example. A PPM is a good idea if time allows.

•Make sure legal obligations and codes of practice are adhered to

An officious local council officer calling the shoot off as you haven’t got a park permit or children’s performance licence, for example, would be pretty disastrous.

•Make sure the appropriate insurance is in place

It won’t help matters on the actual shoot day if something gets damaged for example, but will add to peace of mind.

•Let everyone know what they are doing, when and where, as much as possible before the day and on the day of the shoot

Clear instruction and communication is vital. We do everything we can to make sure the shoot runs on time and within budget. We make sure our crew are fully briefed (usually way before shoot day) and we send out a call sheet a couple of days before the shoot. Call sheets include all the key people on the shoot with contact details, the location details, start, break and finish times, prep and shoot agenda, weather forecast if the shoot is outside, plus any other useful or important information.

•Send a good art director to the shoot

On the actual shoot day, having an art director that is really on board with the brief is very important. Someone who has been involved from the onset preferably. It really is such a collaborative process.

And finally…

• Ensure everyone has what they need on the day

If we are producing a shoot we try to make sure that everyone is as comfortable as possible so they can get on with the task at hand. From warming food and hand warmers on a chilly day, to cold drinks and sun cream on a hot one. If the shoot requires it and budget allows for it, we will always send a producer or production assistant along to make sure everyone has what they need and things run to schedule. Likewise, we’ll always book additional assistants if extra pairs of hands are needed on the day, from helping the stylist move props around to keeping things tidy and making cups of tea.

Just one more part to go now! Putting my producers hat on, I’m going to be tying up all the loose ends and concluding the series next Thursday with Part 10: After the Shoot. What happens next?

Although the author has made every effort to ensure that the information in this blog post is correct, the contents are provided without warranty as to their accuracy, may be of a general nature and the opinion of the author only. The author or any contributor will not be held responsible for any loss, damage or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

The images used in this article are for illustrative purposes only and do not necessarily correlate with specific facts stated in the text.