Video Production in Adelaide
How to Prepare for a Video Shoot: A Client Checklist
The shoots that run calm are not the ones with the biggest crew or the fanciest kit. They are the ones where the client turned up ready. Learning how to prepare for a video shoot comes down to sorting 6 things before the camera ever switches on: your location, your wardrobe, your talent, any permits, a realistic schedule, and a signed-off script or brief. Get those locked and shoot day becomes the enjoyable part instead of the stressful part. This checklist walks through each one with the specific, Adelaide-relevant detail we wish more clients knew before we arrive, so you spend your budget on filming rather than on solving avoidable problems on the day.
Key takeaway
Lock 6 things before shoot day: a confirmed location (with access, power and a quiet backup), wardrobe that reads on camera, briefed talent who know their lines, any permits for public or council land, a realistic hour-by-hour schedule with buffer, and a signed-off script or shot list. Sort those and the crew films instead of firefighting.
Start with the location: access, power, light and noise
Location is the single biggest source of shoot-day surprises, so settle it first. Confirm you can actually get in at the time you have booked and that someone with a key or swipe card will be there. In Adelaide office buildings, that often means clearing it with building management a few days ahead, because after-hours or weekend access frequently needs a security escort or a lift pass.
Walk the space at the same time of day you plan to film. North-facing windows flood a room with hard light by late morning; a boardroom that looks perfect at 9am can be unusable by 11am. Note where the power points are and how many, because lighting and monitors draw more than a laptop does. If you are shooting in a warehouse or a rural property out toward the Adelaide Hills or Barossa, ask whether the power is reliable or whether we should plan around a generator.
Then listen. Air-conditioning hum, a fridge compressor, a busy road, or a neighbouring tenant's music will all land in your audio and cannot be cleanly removed later. Identify anything you can switch off during takes, and always have a quieter backup room in the same building in case the main space turns noisy.
Sort wardrobe so it reads on camera
Clothes behave differently on camera than they do in a mirror. A few simple choices prevent a lot of regret.
Avoid tight stripes, small checks, herringbone and fine houndstooth. These patterns create a shimmering moire effect on screen that is distracting and impossible to fix in the edit. Solid, mid-tone colours are the safest bet. Steer away from pure bright white (it blows out and pulls light away from faces) and from full black (it can read as a flat void), and be careful with green if we are ever near a green screen.
Bring options. For each person on camera, have 2 or 3 tops in different colours so we can avoid everyone matching, avoid clashing with the wall behind them, and swap looks if a scene needs to feel like a different day. Have clothes pressed and lint-rolled beforehand, because creases and stray threads show clearly in close-ups. Keep jewellery understated, especially anything that jingles or catches the light and flares the lens. If your talent wear makeup day to day, a slightly matte finish reduces shine under lights.
Brief your talent before they arrive
Whether your on-camera people are staff, actors or the business owner, the shoot goes faster when they know what is coming.
Send them their lines or talking points a few days ahead, not on the morning. For a corporate or training piece, most people are far more natural speaking to a few bullet points in their own words than reading a script stiffly off an autocue, so tell them which approach you want. Let them know roughly how long they will be needed and whether there is downtime between their scenes, so nobody is standing around wondering when they can leave.
Tell them the dress code and hand them the wardrobe notes above. Ask them to arrive a little early to settle in, because the first few takes of anyone's day are almost always the most nervous. A short warm-up conversation on camera, footage you never intend to use, relaxes people quickly. If children or pets are involved, plan their scenes early in the day while patience and energy are highest.
Check whether you need a permit
Filming on your own premises or a private property with the owner's permission needs no paperwork. The moment you move onto public land, that can change.
Many Adelaide councils, including the City of Adelaide, require a permit for commercial filming on footpaths, streets, parks and reserves, and the requirement usually kicks in once you are set up with a tripod, lighting or a crew rather than simply holding a phone. Popular spots such as the Torrens riverbank, Rundle Mall, the Adelaide Botanic Garden, Glenelg foreshore and Adelaide Oval surrounds each have their own rules and, in some cases, their own booking process and fees. State-managed sites like national parks and beaches can sit under a different authority again.
Applications commonly ask for proof of public liability insurance and want a few business days' notice, sometimes more for anything that affects traffic or parking. Sort this early. A permit knock-back or a ranger asking you to pack up mid-scene is an expensive way to lose a shoot day, so if there is any doubt about a location, ask us and we will help you confirm what is needed.
Build a realistic schedule with buffer
The most common planning mistake is assuming everything happens as fast as it does in your head. Filming is methodical: each new setup needs the camera repositioned, lights adjusted and sound checked before a single usable take.
Build an hour-by-hour run sheet rather than a vague plan. Group scenes by location and by lighting setup so we are not moving gear back and forth or fighting the changing daylight. Front-load anything time-sensitive: interviews with a busy executive, a scene that depends on morning light, or talent who can only stay until lunch. Leave genuine buffer between blocks, because a phone that keeps ringing, a late arrival or a delivery truck idling outside will eat minutes you did not budget for.
Factor in the human basics too. People fade after a couple of hours of concentration, so schedule short breaks and, on a full day, a proper meal break. A calm, slightly under-packed schedule almost always produces better footage than a rushed one crammed with 'just one more' setups.
Sign off the script and shot list
The last box to tick is agreement on what we are actually making. Before shoot day, everyone who has a say should have read and approved the script, storyboard or shot list, and any key wording should be locked.
This matters most for anything with regulated or precise claims. If your video mentions pricing, statistics, qualifications or compliance-sensitive wording, get the final phrasing signed off by whoever owns that in your business, because re-recording a line after the crew has left means paying for a second visit. Confirm the small details that are easy to forget: correct spelling of names and titles for on-screen text, the logo and colour files you want used, your phone number and website, and where the finished video will live so we frame and format it correctly for that platform.
Write down who has final say. When one person is the clear approver, decisions happen quickly on the day. When 4 people all half-own the brief, shoot day becomes a meeting, and meetings are the enemy of a calm set.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should I start preparing for a video shoot?
For a straightforward single-location shoot, 1 to 2 weeks of preparation is usually comfortable: enough time to confirm the location, brief talent, sort wardrobe and lock the script. If you need a council filming permit, or the shoot involves multiple locations, external actors or a public space, start 3 to 4 weeks out, because permits and insurance confirmations can take several business days and popular Adelaide sites may need to be booked ahead.
What should I wear for a video shoot?
Choose solid, mid-tone colours and avoid tight stripes, small checks and fine patterns, which create a distracting shimmer on camera. Skip pure bright white and full black, keep jewellery understated so it does not catch the light, and bring 2 or 3 tops per person so we can avoid clashing with the background or with each other. Have everything pressed and lint-rolled beforehand, because creases and stray threads show clearly in close-ups.
Do I need a permit to film in a public place in Adelaide?
Often, yes. Most Adelaide councils require a permit for commercial filming on public footpaths, streets, parks and reserves, particularly once you are set up with a tripod, lighting or a crew rather than just holding a phone. High-profile locations such as the Torrens, Rundle Mall, the Botanic Garden and the Glenelg foreshore have their own rules and sometimes their own fees. Filming on your own premises or private property with permission needs no permit. If you are unsure about a location, ask us and we will help you confirm the requirement before the day.
What happens if we run out of time on the shoot day?
It depends on what is left. If the essential scenes are captured, the extras can often be dropped or picked up in a short follow-up. That is exactly why we front-load the must-have shots and build buffer into the schedule. The way to avoid the problem entirely is a realistic hour-by-hour run sheet, scenes grouped by location and lighting, and a clear approver on the day so decisions do not stall. Prepared shoots rarely run out of time; unplanned ones almost always do.