DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Cinematic workflow tips to save you time on set

Dec 20, 2021 by Udi Tirosh 2 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

You know how you get to the end of the day and it feels like you’ve only done half of your shot list? We’re gonna fix this. Today’s episode is all about knives. Knives, and making your workflow extremely efficient.

If your video company is a one-man-band, or even a small crew, running a tight ship on set, will have a dramatic effect on your ability to deliver. And a few tricks can go a long way in terms of doing more with less. My old boss used to say that “anyone can do a lot with a ton of resources, the magic comes when you can do a lot with little“.  So today, we will look at a few things that I found over the year to really improve my workflow when I go on location.

Today we are shooting at an incredible local forge, Iskander,  who makes incredible Damascus steel knives. If you’ve never seen Damascus steel knives before, they’re forged from several different kinds of steel to produce some amazing and intricate patterns.

When Packing

This brings us to our second tip – unload and verify your gear before you start shooting. First, make a packaging list at the studio, and make sure you bring everything you need. This makes packing a breeze and guarantees that you will not forget anything crucial. Then, on location, just review this list again against everything you unload. Ideally, you’ll want to set up a work area which is the only place where “free” or unused gear may be. (A small tarp can help in a pinch).

A good way to manage your gear is to have every item in dedicated cases so there are no “free” items that you can forget. for example, a case for tripods and stands, a case for the audio kit, a case for gaffer gear, and so on. Even the small batteries, memory cards, and cables have a dedicated place. As your workflow evolves, you will find the more convenient and efficient ways to pack, but for now, let’s just say that no piece of gear should be a free agent, everything must have a place.

When setting up

Our first tip is about arriving on location. Even as a small crew you may still need to bring a sizable kit to a shoot. Aside from the cameras, lenses, monitors, and sound kit,  you may also need a slider, a few tripods, some lights, a gimbal, and other accessories. Those amount for a few cases and bags.  And before you know it, there is quite a bit of weight and volume you need to haul over. Even if you can park close to the shooting location, a small camping cart can save quite a few trips to the car. A cart costs around $100 on Amazon and with the time-save, it will pay for itself in your first shoot.

When shooting

Once you are on location, start going through your shot list. Depending on your talent’s availability, and the type of video you’re shooting, you may wanna group the shots by timing, location or setup needed. For us, many of the shots are either hand-held, sliding shots, or simply stationary shots on a tripod. This is why we grouped the shots according to our talent’s convenience and worked in “stations”. Since we will be taking a few types of shots at each “station” we are using the Manfrotto Move quick release. It allows us to quickly move between those setups without wasting setup time.

That said, You might see a bunch of cool stuff while shooting, but don’t get distracted. When you think you’ve shot your entire list, double-check it and just make sure that you have everything you need, and then go shoot all the other cool stuff. If you get distracted by the cool stuff before you’ve done your shot list, you might find yourself short in your edit.

When tearing down

Once you are done shooting, it’s time to tear down and pack your gear away. Remember that we talked about having a dedicated place for every piece of gear? This is where having a good workflow really comes in handy. It helps making sure that you leave no gear behind.

One last tip before we depart, make sure to put your cables away nice and tidy, use the over /under method when you wrap.  Also, consider getting some of those hook & loop straps or cable velcro, they are priceless when it comes to protecting your precious cables.

Conclusion

There are many more tips for using your time on set in an efficient way. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and by no mean a full guide. I hope it will get you inspired to do more, with less.

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

5 tips for creating perfect cinematic lighting and making your work look stunning Tips for getting cinematic GoPro footage on the trail 7 tips and shortcuts to make your Lightroom workflow faster and easier Here are some tips to help you speed up your Lightroom workflow

Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: cinematic workflow, on location

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.net

About Udi Tirosh

Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

« Photographer travels across the US to take intimate photos of people and their bedrooms [mildly NSFW]
Watch this footage from an action camera on a weather balloon 100,000 feet up in space »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Here’s a bullet time video booth you can build yourself
  • Ricoh has discontinued the HD PENTAX-DA 21mm F3.2AL Limited silver lens
  • This “stellar flower” unravels the twilight’s evolution in 360 degrees
  • Strobes vs Continuous LEDs – Which is right for you?
  • Wave goodbye to Apple’s My Photo Stream next month

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy