Guidelines for safe filming practices and making your production pop with stock
It’s been an unquestionably challenging time in the film and entertainment industry. In turn, this has changed the way that all forms of filming are carried out. To help make your production a success, we’re sharing what we’ve learned, with tips and tricks to make every step of production easy while being cautious of safety requirements. Many creators have found stock even more useful in filling their creative needs during the pandemic, so we’ve also highlighted ideas for using stock content in your productions.
Rules and Protocols
Given that things can change quickly, it is worth checking your local government website for rules before you start filming. You can find a handy list with guidelines for each country here. When planning for production, ensure that the location has enough space for the people on your cast and crew to socially distance – and shoot outside where possible.
Cast and Crew
Above all, ensure the safety of your cast and crew. Consider how cast and crew travel to the shoot, and think about where they will be staying during the production.
Generally, it is advisable to keep the number of crew members minimum without compromising the quality. Make sure you stagger performer’s arrival times so you have time to clean the location between scenes, and provide plenty of PPE.
Regular COVID tests will need to be factored into extended periods of productions.
Suppliers
You will often need to work with third-party suppliers for your projects, such as a film equipment rental company or hair and makeup artists. Remember that these suppliers will have their guidelines to consider when working with you, and check what this might mean for your production.
Kit
For the most part, you should restrict the handling of equipment to one designated user. However, the kit you freely shared among cast and crew in the past will now need some added attention. Where possible, use a boom mic to prevent sharing radio mics and ensure you have antibacterial wipes on hand.
Harness the power of Stock
Stock Footage has been an invaluable post-production tool to filmmakers of all skill sets. From establishing shots of cities to sweeping aerials, a good piece of stock footage can add real value to your film or project. There is no question that it can save you time and resources that would otherwise be spent filming.
Here are our top 3 ways to use it in your next project.
Establishing Shots and B-roll
Establishing shots and B-roll can help set a scene without ever actually being there. Whether you are producing a narrative film or a social media promotional video, stock footage can help to give the right background.
Instead of using stock to fill gaps during the post-production process, factor it into your pre-production process. That way, you know you’re only filming what you need to before the cameras roll.
Create a Narrative
Stock Footage can also be used to create a narrative for your videos and is often used for this purpose in commercials and promotional videos. The trick to visual storytelling is to select clips carefully, choosing unified or complementary shooting styles.
Creating a narrative from stock footage works best with a voiceover, as it can help you set the scene and convey important but subtle details. Keep these videos well considered, short, and sweet, and you’ll leave your viewers wanting more.
Motion Graphics
Stock Footage is also the perfect background for after effects, motion graphics and typography videos. A massive advantage of animated content is that you don’t need to film a single thing. Motion graphics are fantastic for slideshows, business promotions and shorter online content.
Creating motion graphics videos does require a level of animation knowledge, but this is another area in which stock websites can help. Along with video footage, stock websites will also provide animated title templates, animated icons, and sometimes fully rigged characters. Even if you have no experience animating content, these stock assets can give you a whole new range of videos that require no filming whatsoever.
Start Creating
The rules around filming will keep changing as we find our way forward, so it’s always worth checking the guidelines for your area before planning any shoots. For everything else, there is a near-endless supply of high-quality stock footage to utilize. As filmmakers, we use creativity to work around limitations, so we’re sure you’ll be able to find loads of creative ways to use stock footage in all your future projects.