How to Prepare Your Workplace and Team for a Video Shoot

You’ve agreed to film at your premises. Now there’s the practical bit: making sure the right people are available, the products are ready and we can get into the places you want to show.

When I’m planning a shoot, those details help me put the day together. You know when the workshop is busiest, who has the best product knowledge and which meeting room is usually free. Share that with us early and we can build the filming around how your business actually works.

Here’s what I’d get ready before the cameras arrive.

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Agree What Needs to Be Filmed

Start with the footage the finished video depends on. That might be a product demonstration, an interview with someone who knows the service inside out, or a process that shows how your work is done.

For a company video, think about the people and places that help explain the business. If someone will be talking about how a product is made, it’s useful to know whether we can film that work happening too.

Separate the essential shots from the extras you’d like if time allows. Let us know about anything with a fixed window, such as a customer visit, a demonstration or a team member who is only on site in the morning.

If you’re still deciding how much time to book, our half-day and full-day filming guide explains how those arrangements affect the session. Here, the focus is getting everything ready for the plan you agree.

Get the Filming Spaces Ready

Have a look around the areas you’d like us to film. Think about what will be happening there on the day, what might be visible behind someone and whether we’ll be able to hear them clearly.

Look at the Background

A working office, workshop or shop floor can help tell your story. A quick tidy of the areas being filmed lets the useful details come through: the people, equipment and work you want viewers to notice.

Look out for paperwork, screens or boards displaying information you don’t want in the video. Tell us about restricted areas or anything that needs to stay out of shot.

Listen to the Space

A room can look great and still be awkward for an interview. Listen for conversations next door, phones, music or machinery that could compete with someone speaking.

Flag anything you’re unsure about. We can discuss a different room or a quieter time, while still planning to capture the workplace activity elsewhere. Leave decisions about lighting, microphones and camera position to the filming team.

Confirm Access and Permissions

Let us know which entrance to use, who will meet us and how we’ll get equipment to the filming areas. If a room needs booking or someone else controls access, arrange that with the relevant person.

Confirm any permissions needed for the locations and people involved. If you’re filming at a customer’s premises, for example, make sure their contact understands what is planned and which areas we’ll need. Tell us about any site arrangements or restrictions we should account for.

Tell People What to Expect

Give colleagues a clear explanation of what the video is for, what you’d like them to contribute and where the finished content will appear. That gives them something useful to prepare for.

I’d ask each person to confirm:

• What they’ll be doing: answering questions, demonstrating a product or being filmed at work.
• When they’re available: including meetings, shifts or other commitments we need to work around.
• What they need to prepare: the talking points, facts or approved script discussed with the filming team.
• Anything they’re worried about: so we can talk it through before the day.

We take a calm, conversational approach and give people direction during filming. If someone is particularly unsure, share our guide to feeling comfortable on camera. Nobody needs to turn up pretending they’ve done this a hundred times.

If a customer is taking part, include them in the arrangements too. Confirm their availability and what they’ll be speaking about, so their visit fits the filming schedule.

Gather the Products, Brand Files and Content Details

Think through what we’ll need to show on camera and what the editing team will need afterwards. Getting those materials together early gives everyone the same reference point.

Have the Right Products and Materials Available

If we’re filming a demonstration, check that the correct product, its accessories and the person demonstrating it will all be available. Let us know if something is a prototype, still being installed or due to arrive close to the shoot.

A useful preparation question is: could someone show us the whole demonstration with what’s already here? It’s much easier to spot a missing component while there’s still time to arrange it.

Share the relevant brand guidelines, logos, product information and any scripts or storyboards already agreed for the project. Where names, roles or technical details will appear in the edit, confirm the wording you want used.

Confirm Where the Content Will Be Used

Tell us if you need a widescreen website film, vertical social clips, photography or a combination. We need to consider those requirements when planning the shots and the schedule.

For example, a website refresh might need both a company video and photographs of the team. Flag both before the shoot so we can agree the time and resources required. Additional edits and formats also need to be included in the project scope and editing budget.

Choose a Contact for the Day and Someone to Approve the Work

It helps to have someone on site who knows the arrangements and can answer practical questions. They might need to find the next person being filmed, confirm room access or tell us that a planned activity has moved.

Separately, agree who will approve the project materials and provide feedback on the edit. That can be the same person, but it needs to be clear to everyone involved.

I handle project planning and client communication at Media Village. Having a named contact on your side helps us get questions to the right person and keep the filming plan up to date.

Once the arrangements are agreed, share them with the people involved. If something changes, such as an interviewee becoming unavailable or a room being booked out, let us know so we can review the plan.

A Workplace Video Shoot Checklist You Can Send to Your Team

Copy the points below into your shoot email and fill in the details. Include anything still outstanding so we can work through it together.

You don’t need every answer before speaking to us. The point is to make the useful details visible, so the filming team and the people at your premises know what to expect.

Let’s Get Your Shoot Planned

Give us a shout with what you want to film and where it needs to happen. We’ll talk through the people, spaces and content involved, then help you put a practical plan together.

Plan Filming at Your Premises