How to Prepare for Your First Professional Video Shoot

If you've never done a professional shoot, the day can feel bigger than it is. Most of what makes a shoot go well happens before anyone turns on a camera. Here's what we ask founders to do beforehand, and what the day itself looks like.

One or two weeks before

• Decide what the video is for and where it will be posted. That sets the length, the format and the tone.
• Share two or three videos you like. Even if they're from another industry, they help everyone agree on the look.
• Write talking points rather than a full script, unless you're comfortable with a teleprompter. Most founders sound better speaking from a few bullet points.
• Pick the location: your office, our studio in SoMa, or a rented space that fits your brand. We check noise, light and power in advance.
• Decide who approves the video and who gives feedback. Fewer people means faster edits.

The day before

• Say your talking points out loud a few times. Don't memorize them word for word.
• Get the product ready: logged-in accounts, demo data, a clean desktop if we're filming the screen.
• Pick clothes: solid colors, nothing with thin stripes or small checks, no big logos except your own. Bring a second option.
• Get some sleep. It shows on camera more than anything else.

On camera

• Talk to one person, not to "the audience". It sounds more natural.
• Expect to do each part several times. That's normal, and it's how the best takes happen. When we filmed Quillon's founders, we recorded several versions of the key lines.
• Slow down a little. Most people speed up when they're nervous.
• If you stumble, pause and start the sentence again.

For more on looking and sounding good, see our interview tips.

How the day runs

A typical founder shoot goes like this:

• The crew arrives first and sets up lights, cameras and sound. This takes the longest.
• A quick check of framing and audio with you in the chair
• Recording, section by section, with short breaks
• Extra shots: you at work, the office, the product on screen
• Wrap, and a backup of all footage before we leave

For a single launch video, the whole thing takes about two hours, and you're needed for only part of it. Akuity's CEO walked in once the set was ready and recorded almost right away.

After the shoot

• The edit starts from the best takes. For our launch videos, the first cut arrives within 10 business days.
• Collect feedback from all approvers into one round instead of sending it piece by piece. Two rounds of revisions are included.
• Ask for every version you need up front: horizontal, vertical, with and without captions.

Ready to plan it? See founder launch video examples or tell us about your shoot.