When it comes to shooting, there is a lot of preparation done before the day of the shoot. Casting is done, crews are booked, and production books are prepared. And in order to make sure everything is lined up and ready to go on Shoot Day, we head out to the location for a Tech Scout. The LBP Video Production Team, the DP, the Key Grip and Gaffer will walk through a location several days before a shoot to ensure shots are set up and the equipment needed will be available.

Everything is carefully blocked and the lighting is planned. The script is broken down and a schedule is lined up. All of this is done to ensure the work flow on the shoot day be as efficient and successful as possible. Some shots require a certain amount of natural light; for example, we are at the mercy of the Mother Nature when it comes to outside shoots. We can add light and block light but we haven’t figured out how to get the clouds to move.  Things are often scheduled very early to avoid the sun, giving us more control over the lighting. More on that some other time!

We recently spent the afternoon in the Katy area Fiesta Mart, a regional Houston based grocery store chain, mapping out and planning our upcoming shoot for their “Explore Your Store” campaign.  With grocery cart in tow, we wheeled around the Produce section, down the International aisle and through the Seafood. When it comes to shooting in a grocery store, there are several elements that require planning. We always have a Food Stylist on set with us to help make everything look its best. She uses the Tech Scout as an opportunity to established items that will need arranging and gets a better idea of how to plan her shoot day. Our goal is to efficiently shoot without interrupting shoppers. For shots, prices have to be removed and sometimes items have to be relocated making her responsible for making sure everything is back in place when we leave.

Utilizing a Stand In, pictures are taken of the blocking and added to a storyboard that comes with us to the set. This guarantees every shot is covered and we know where the next shot needs to be set up.

The following set of pictures is an example of what our Fiesta talent, Luci will be doing next week. (She does a much better job than the Stand In!)