The Difference Between Stills and Video Shoots

Photo and video are two of the most effective ways to promote your business. Consumers are visual, and what they see is easier to recall than what they read or hear. 

If you're a company owner thinking about investing in photography or videography, you're undoubtedly wondering which format is more beneficial.

Photography

A business photography shoot is the ideal approach to build a wide collection of professional photographs for us e in all of your marketing campaigns. Below is a high-level overview of a photoshoot and the planning that goes into it.

Initial Contact

After completing extensive research to discover the ideal corporate photographer, the client often contacts the photographer via email, phone, or contact form to begin the engagement. Photographers may contact a customer who matches their style, but this is less typical.

Align on Client Logistics

Once the photographer and client get in contact, they will schedule an initial meeting via phone or video chat to discuss logistics. Some clients may plan a call with the photographer before hiring them, but the details are usually covered after the client employs the photographer.

In this meeting, the client outlines their needs and gives an overview of what they hope to gain out of the engagement. The client and photographer also agree on a budget, the amount of assets to be supplied, location specifics, shot list, and any other information they believe is necessary for the project's success. 

Hire a Crew

With a strategy in place, the photographer understands who and what they require to prepare for the session. Depending on the client's requirements, the photographer either assembles an in-house team or engages a group of freelance contracted personnel.

The type of crew photographers may recruit is mostly determined by their budget. They must account for numerous expenses, including their hourly rate, insurance fees, and travel (if applicable).

Get the Necessary Equipment

A professional commercial photographer is likely to have a large collection of equipment, including many camera bodies, lenses, and a wide range of accessories. Depending on the shoot, they may require more equipment beyond what they already have. 

Lighting equipment, extra tripods, and other bigger, more expensive accessories are frequently hired for the duration of a production.

Location Scouting

Regardless of where the shoot will take place, the photographer will fly there ahead of time to organize equipment setup, explore natural lighting sources, and determine which spots are most photogenic. This ensures that they are prepared on the day of the shoot and acquire all of the images needed to complete the assignment successfully.

If the shoot is scheduled to take place outside of the company's campus, the photographer and client must collaborate to identify the ideal site. 

Scheduling

If the commercial picture session takes place in an office, the photographer and client must work around regular business hours. Neither party wants the picture shoot to disrupt commerce.

Scheduling also relates to hired personnel, which includes planning travel, designing a shoot timetable, and any other form of scheduling.

Photo Shoot

If you've properly planned, the picture session should go down without a hitch. Each member of the team does their assigned duties, beginning with any makeup and dress.

Lighting rigs and other immovable items, such as tripods, can be assembled ahead of time. If the shoot is scheduled to take place in different areas of the workplace, lighting and tripods will most likely be shifted at each stage. After the session, it is critical for the photographer to back up all of the photographs.

Editing

The final stage in a corporate photo session is to edit the photos. Depending on the photographer's approach, editing might involve anything from lighting tweaks to creative improvements. After editing is complete, the photographer provides the final image files to the client for inspection. 

Between Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook reels, YouTube, and other social media platforms, video has swiftly emerged as the most popular form of visual marketing. However, there is more to commercial video creation than simply taking out your iPhone and pushing records.

Let’s go over each component of a video shoot for your business.

Initial Contact

A videography project, like a photography project, begins with the customer making first contact by phone, email, or contact form. During this phase, the video team's primary stakeholders - usually a videographer, cinematographer, and/or director - meet with the customer to analyze their requirements.

Brainstorming Video Ideas

When the video team has a clear understanding of the client's requirements, they start from scratch. The approach begins with a brainstorming session to generate ideas for content. Once the core idea has been created, numerous stages of drafting must occur before the vision can be realized.

Some of the stages are: 

- Writing a treatment;

- Drafting the script;

- Storyboarding.

Putting Together a Crew

While picture projects may necessitate an additional staff, video production often necessitates a larger workforce due to the numerous moving pieces. Some responsibilities that need to be filled are:

 - Producer;

- Art director, props/set management;

- Lighting director;

- Gaffer; 

- Electricians;

- Wardrobe director, stylist;

- Makeup and hair artists;

- Production coordinator;

- Camera crew; 

- Grips.

Consider Production Stills

If you are investing in a video, it is a good idea to engage a photographer to capture production stills, which are still photographs taken during production. Production stills can be utilized in conjunction with the finished video to increase the longevity and profitability of your advertising campaign. 

If you are investing in a video, it is a good idea to engage a photographer to capture production stills, which are still photographs taken during production. Production stills can be utilized in conjunction with the finished video to increase the longevity and profitability of your advertising campaign.

Location Scouting

Before the shoot, the production coordinator and any other members of the video crew must scout the area, just like they would for a picture session. If the customer requests that the film be shot somewhere other than business property, the production coordinator is in charge of selecting suitable venues.

Casting

If you're working on a small project or a firm that wants to feature its employees in a genuine film, the casting procedure won't be too long. However, video productions are more likely to include outside talent. Casting is a joint effort between the video crew and the client to find the best actors for the project.

Prepare to Shoot

Pre-shoot preparation for video productions is slightly more involved. Before the shot, the team prepares all of the equipment. This comprises lighting set-up, camera staging, makeup and clothing preparation, and any other project-specific responsibilities.

Video Shoot

The video shoot has begun, and everything is in place. The whole cast and crew work together to gather material that will be utilized in the final video. It is critical that the video crew shoots more than enough material to work with in postproduction. If you're investing in a video production, you want to make the most of your shoot, so plan for a longer day (or days) than you think.

Post-Production

Post-production is the final phase in the video production process. When it comes to video, post-production is typically a more involved process than photography. There are more components to consider, as well as several styling alternatives, while creating a memorable film production.

Whereas photography, particularly commercial photography, needs few edits, video productions require many phases in post-production. 

- First, editors must evaluate all of the material and choose the best photos;

- They then edit the film for timing, smart cuts, and sound editing;

- After editing the film and finishing the basic cut, there is the opportunity to apply additional effects to further enrich the video;

- Finally, the editor adds further visuals to put the video production into its final shape.