Hello dear friends ~

I hope you had a lovely Christmas! I’ve been chilling at home with my new wee family and it’s been a special time in every way. We have just been lounging, watching movies, baking cookies, playing lots of peekaboo games and going for lovely walks together.

I’m now getting ready to declare my “word” for the New Year. Every year I choose a word (or two) on New Year’s eve to give me focus and direction in the year ahead. This has proven to be such a good way to remind me of my deepest intentions and to help me manifest my dreams, as opposed to setting New Year’s Resolutions, which had always left me frustrated in the past. I’m excited about the word I picked this time around, as it goes right to the core of all the other words that also appealed to me. So will you come by on New Year’s day to find out what my word is and share yours with me as well? I love hearing everyone’s wishes for the New Year and I sense magic in the air as we collectively name how we want to live our lives.

Till then… Hello! We’ve got part 5 and the finale of the producing series! Yay! :)

If you are new around here, you can catch up by reading Part 1, 2, 3 and 4 to get the whole shebang.

So read on, because there’s lots more I want to share with you in 2011!

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SHOOT PREP:

Given my previous experience as a film producer, I basically prep for a “photo shoot” the same way I’d prep for a “film shoot”. Here are a few things I do to make sure I will have everything I need on set/ location and to be certain that things will run smoothly:

Pre-Production ~ the pre-pro phase includes all the conversations about concept, mood, location, purpose, shot set up, etc, that we’ve discussed previously in this series, as well as scouting and doing your own homework as a photographer: reference gathering, storyboarding and pre-visualization of shots.

Get Organized ~ Create a ‘call sheet’ to send the location and schedule info to your crew, and also a ‘check list’ with all the items you and your crew will need to bring to the shoot: equipment, props, clothes, make up, general grip items, release forms, permits, reference, etc.

Pack & Play ~ I always joke with my husband that prepping for shoots is like prepping for a camping trip. You need to be prepared for all kinds of weather, you need the right gear for the occasion, and all the gear needs to be functioning properly. You can’t forget a thing, because the one thing you forget will turn out to be the thing you will end up needing the most!

If you have no idea of where to start, that’s okay. In the e-book I will show you what a call sheet looks like, and perhaps I will even offer you a check list pdf for you to download. Won’t that be a nice thing to have?

SHOOT DAY:

As a leader you will need to set the tone for the team. Here are the main things that you need to pay attention to: punctuality, the manner in which you address the crew, and establishing and clarifying roles within the team.

In the e-book I will discuss all these points, I’ll expand on leadership skills, and I’ll also walk you through a typical shoot day.

POST/ DELIVERY:

In the post production phase you’ll make selects and retouch photos as needed (digital), or select neg, scan and print (analog/digital). Delivery is the way in which you will hand the files, negatives, scans and prints to your client. When you are producing a shoot you need to make sure you clarify schedules and expectations and you will also need to meat the deadlines set by yourself or the client. It is helpful (and smart) to include all that in a contract.

In the e-book I will not get into how I retouch images (I may post about that on the blog at some point). However, in the “post production/ delivery” chapter you can expect to learn about methods and ideas for an efficient and timely workflow within a digital pipeline.

WRAP UP/ PAYMENTS:

Yes! By this point it’s been a fun shoot and all, but you and your peeps need to get paid for all the work that’s been done. If you are producing the shoot as well as shooting, you will need to get organized and get a system for tracking invoices, payment methods, receipts, etc. This not only includes pay outs to the actual crew members, but also money sent to any vendors (such as location, permit offices, etc) or spent with miscellaneous (post office/ shipping, food, equipment rental, gas, etc).

In the e-book I will not get into how you should handle your finances, but I will list thoroughly all sorts of tracking you may need to put in place, in order to run a reliable business in which you are producing and shooting simultaneously.

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And it is a WRAP, my friends! I hope this intro got you excited about being able to produce your own little (or not so little) professional shoots, and to read the awesome e-book I am writing for you! The process of writing this series & book has proven to be very fulfilling to me. As you know, I pretty much walked away from a decade of producing films to do photography, so it warms my heart to know that all the years I spent producing are worth something in this new path as well.

Finally, if you’ve read this far…

#1: You are about to rock your business with the new producing skills you’ve just acquired!

#2: You totally rock my world and I wish you a fantastic New Year!

xoxo

Hello dearest readers ~

As the end of the year approaches (I just cannot believe how time has flown by since my daughter was born!), I am eager to finish this series (Yes!) so we can enter the new year with new energy! So without further dos, here is part 4 for you (As I mention below, part 5 and the closing of the series will be up before Jan 1st ~ You can believe it! Just check back next week! :))

CREW
Selecting the right crew for the job is probably the single most important thing you/ a producer can do to guarantee a successful project. The challenge is to not only find folks with styles that match well the project, but also those who can work well together.

When putting together a shoot, you will want to look at your needs and see what size of a crew your shoot will require. In general, a standard shoot will include a photographer, stylist (wardrobe/ props), make up and hair artist, talent (models), photo assistant #1 (in charge of lighting set ups and equipment), photo assistant #2 (additional support for assistant #1, last minute runs, catering set up, misc needs), and digital tech (to assist with all technical aspects of a digital shoot: monitor focus and exposure, download images, format cards, backup photos, etc).

In the e-book I will go into more detail about each role, hierarchy, and will also offer some ideas on how to foster a healthy and efficient work environment.

TRANSPORTATION
When planning your shoot, do not overlook the importance of transportation. Here are a few of the main reasons to create a transport plan: carpooling whenever possible, access to public transportation (in case members of your crew do not drive), your own equipment, equipment rentals (pick and drop off, timely arrival, space and safety), parking (for you and your crew, easy access with equipment, permits when needed), easy access and a designated vehicle for runs and emergencies, etc.

In the e-book I will share some of my ideas and how I handle transportation on my shoots. I am also planning on having an interview with a photo producer that has had experience handling big shoots that required trucks, cranes and so forth, just for fun and big picture insight!

CATERING
Catering has to be adjusted to the size of your shoot and team, but please do not overlook this very important aspect of a shoot, regardless of how small your project is! I assisted shoots where the photographer or producer did not offer any food or water to the crew throughout the 10h work day, and I’ll tell ya: I was not a happy camper! Worse! That happened when I was pregnant and the photographer knew it. So you can imagine how poorly I felt all day. In my opinion, that photographer was highly unprofessional, especially considering her many years of experience, so I simply will never work with her again.

Here is one of those vital ‘common sense’ tips: If you are doing small test shoots and you cannot spend any money on snacks, at least ask your players to bring their own lunch and water. Remember that shoots can go long and a crew that is fed is more likely to keep up the good work and even work overtime.

Taking care of my crew is always at the top of my list! In the e-book I will give you some ideas of shoot menus, lunch break schedules, and I will also offer some “green tips” on how to maintain your location/ studio clean and on how to avoid waste.

MISCELANEOUS

I added the miscellaneous category to remind you that as a producer or ‘the one in charge’, you should always prepare for the unprepared! Create a kit with important things to bring to every shoot. Your kit should include grip, lighting and styling items, model releases, permits, etc.

In the e-book I will share with you what is in my “must have” kit for every shoot.

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And we are finally getting to the end of the producing series! Yay! In my next post, which I hope to have up next week, I will finish with the following topics: shoot prep, shoot day, post production, delivery, shoot wrap up and payments.

Hope you are enjoying the content so far. I am thrilled with all the subscriptions to the newsletter showing interest in the e-book. It may take a while for the book to shape up the way I want, but I will not disappoint you!

Happy Holidays, friends! I hope that this season finds you enjoying quality time with family and friends, or even just resting and recharging for the new year. I will come back with a bit more content next week, in case you need some food for thought as you start dreaming about next year’s projects!

xoxo