Organizing a high-budget shoot
It could be the case that the available budget is quite high, allowing you to organize a high-quality shoot at both a technical and a commercial level.
Having a high budget can be the key to positioning yourself better and standing out from the competition: the ability to invest in equipment and shoot shots that competitors can’t afford can be crucial to increasing your revenue. To do so, you will need to invest your budget correctly and make the best use of the advantage provided by the tools you have at your disposal.
Which subjects to choose for a high-budget shoot
Although in any situation research into market trends is very important to sell your clips, this is all the more important if you have made a significant investment: otherwise, you risk spending a lot on a shoot that is unlikely to sell.
When producing a cheaper clip, it may be enough to observe how the market moves and try to follow in the wake of your competitors. If the budget is high, on the other hand, a greater effort must be made to exploit the advantage of being able to spend more than your competitors.
Creating new and innovative content, offering new interpretations of topics already covered, and experimenting with new shots are all excellent methods to get great results.
One of the tricks that works best from a sales perspective is to create clips that are open to a variety of interpretations that can be used in different narrative contexts.
The importance of actors: how to choose the most suitable ones for your clip
The choice of actors is one of the strategic components that can make or break a clip.
Knowing how to choose the most suitable ones, therefore, is an aspect not to be underestimated, precisely because it is not as trivial as it seems.
In addition, particularly expressive actors make the work easier and allow it to be completed more quickly.
How many actors do you need in a clip?
The number of actors who have to take part in a shoot obviously depends on the scenes that are to be shot. However, it may be a good idea to hire more of them than is strictly necessary.
This allows you to film multiple scenes with the same subject using different actors, so you can create several clips at the same time, increasing your possible earnings.
Diverse actors: an extra resource
Today, there is an increasing demand for clips featuring characters from different ethnicities: trends show that in a global market, it makes sense to use a multi-ethnic cast of actors.
Conversely, choosing to use exclusively white actors or actors who clearly belong to a single ethnic group would limit the sales area of the clip to that corresponding to the chosen ethnic group.
Choosing the location for a high-budget shoot
The location is also not of secondary importance. It must be carefully chosen and well thought out: it may be better to rely on an agency rather than doing everything independently.
For indoor shoots, you’ll need to evaluate the brightness, the potential need for additional lighting and the spaces. At the same time, it is important that the environment not be too personal: this does not work well as the scenes must be generic to have a good chance of selling.
You should also be careful regarding the presence of artwork or design objects that may require a release, which you should be able to remove to avoid the risk of not being able to use the clip for copyright reasons.
The best choice is to make a site visit before making a decision, so that you don’t come across any nasty surprises.
If, on the other hand, the location is outside, the inspection should be done at the same time as you intend to record the clip: in this way you can assess the brightness, any shadows and possible light effects, such as those that can be exploited at sunrise or sunset.
It is wise to take into account possible variations in weather conditions and think about how to act in case they do not meet expectations: if the shoot has been organized with actors, it is not possible to move the date at the last moment and it may be necessary to film even in less-than-ideal weather conditions.
Learning how to organize a high-budget shoot
Organizing a high-budget shoot down to the smallest details and being able to overcome all the difficulties that may arise is the result of years of experience in the sector. Alternatively, you can learn from the experience of others.
In our video course, we deal with all the topics concerning this kind of shoot, from actors to location to props and costumes.
Want to learn quickly how to organize a high-budget shoot by investing effectively?
Want to feel able to transform yourself into a real director, evaluating actors and locations?
Want to know how to save money on makeup, styling and costumes while offering a high-quality product?
Want to understand how to manage your set and how to create storyboards that allow you to produce high-level clips?
If you are interested in learning more, discover our video course and what it could teach you.
