10 Things to Consider when Filming Outdoors

25th June 2018 by CH

Ahh the great British summer, the perfect time to take advantage of longer days and better weather.

We love an outdoors shoot but it’s not always blue skies so it’s good to plan ahead.

Here’s 10 things to think about when shooting outdoors (and to make your life easier during pre-production ).

1. The weather (obvs)

Fingers crossed a storm isn’t brewing. To set your mind at rest, become BFFs with the weather forecast and keep checking it before the shoot so you have time to put plan B into action.

2. Risk Assessment

You know what they say – better to be safe, than sorry. This one should also be on your pre-production checklist and should help you plan everything you need to take into consideration and bring along with you.

3. First Aid Kit

Don’t forget about safety whilst filming outdoors, and ensure you have first aid kits, as well as other safety measures in place. It’s also important to make sure everybody on set is familiar with your location(s).

4. Food

Nobody likes working on an empty stomach, and sometimes filming outdoors can turn into quite a lengthy process. Stock up on food and some nice treats for the entire cast and crew to keep everyone happy. Catering companies are usually to best way to go if you’re in the middle of nowhere.

5. Toilets

Another must-have, don’t forget to familiarise yourself with the closest toilets to your locations, or if there aren’t any, have some portaloos set up. You know, for when Mother Nature calls (too many puns by now or shall we keep going?).

6. Extra Clothes & Comfy Shoes

If you’re starting your shoot in the very early hours OR if you know it’s going to take long into the night, then warm clothes are a must. Depending on what you’re shooting, there may a lot of time spent not doing too much physical activity, so making sure you don’t freeze or catch a cold will be good for everyone.

7. Wind/Rain Covers for Kit

Even if the weather forecast was good, sometimes you might have to deal with noisy wind or annoying rain. Take care of your cameras and other equipment, and prevent audio issues made by the weather with the help of wind and rain covers.

8. Charge It Up

Speaking of equipment, before you leave for your outdoors location, if you don’t have a generator, make sure all batteries are charged or that you have a powerpack. The last thing you want is to get there and realise you don’t have enough juice to film everything!

9. Get Lit

Natural light can be great (ah, the golden hour! ), but it can also be a hassle when it comes to unwanted shadows. That’s where reflectors come in handy, helping you to balance out heavy shadows which will pay off when grading and colour correcting the whole thing during post.

10. Have a Plan B

You never know what’s going to happen when you’re in an uncontrolled location and there’s a certain degree of risk and a chance of something (usually, the weather) going wrong. So always plan ahead and have a plan B up your sleeve.

We hope these tips are useful for your next outdoors shoot, but if it seems like too much of a headache, why not let the professionals handle all this for you. hello@ch-video.com.