You’ve chosen to sit in front of a camera and answer some popular questions on video. Great choice! Now, we’ll make sure you know how to prepare for a video shoot. Here are 8 key tips on tech, style, locations, wardrobe and preparation.

1. Do it yourself or hire a crew?

Before the Covid-19 lockdowns, we used professional film crews for pro shoots. They’d bring cameras, lighting and sound recording equipment and shoot the video. We’d also attend the shoot to direct the subject on how to answer questions and be engaging on camera.

Pro shoot advantages

• You’re more likely able to get quality video footage and sound in a variety of challenging conditions
• You don’t have to handle any video files

Pro shoot disadvantages

• Due to cost, you need to maximise crew time by shooting the video in as short an uninterrupted time as possible (i.e. a full day shoot)
• You need to pay for the crew’s time

When we could no longer travel, we became inventive and opted instead to offer “Do it yourself” video instructions and direct the video shoots over Zoom.

How DIY shooting works

First, you’ll need to get a kit list. We supply all our clients with the list of kit they need – all sourced from Amazon so you can buy it online and get it delivered in time for a rehearsal. The kit includes:

• lighting and reflectors
• microphone
• adapters
• a teleprompter app
• tripods and lighting stands

Rehearsals are now part of the routine preparation. We schedule an event with you for an hour to 90 minutes where we help you set up the space, place the cameras (usually phone camera(s) on a tripod(s), set up lighting, and attach microphones.

During the rehearsal, we are on Zoom with you. Shooting, however, is done with your mobile phone.

We then ask you some trial questions and evaluate your performance in different conditions. We check everything that a crew might check on a physical shoot.

At the end of the rehearsal, we advise you whether you’d perform better on an ad-lib basis, supported with visible talking points, or when using a teleprompter. We also advise you on wardrobe (see below), lighting, sound, and framing.

Then, we book a time to shoot more videos using the same set-up until we get through the list of questions we plan.

DIY shoot advantages

• It’s less expensive
• You can shoot in shorter segments, which results in more energy throughout the shoot and the ability to improve over days
• We empower the client to use video more habitually, without the need to book a crew. They now have a kit to use when shooting patient testimonials.

DIY shoot disadvantages

• You should not expect professional-quality video. You’re somewhat limited regarding video and audio quality, but it’s usually sufficient for the type of video we shoot (i.e. FAQ and social web video). These days, modern mobile phones are more than sufficient to produce the results we need.
• You need to handle the digital files and send them to us for editing

In summary, we’ve found that many clients have been able to successfully acquire and set up the kit with our guidance. The videos we get are so good that they can sometimes be indistinguishable from pro shoots unless you are well-versed in the differences.

Here’s an example of a DIY shoot we directed during the Paris lockdowns:

2. Choose a style

For produced videos, we generally choose one or a combination of four styles:

The talking head

This approach is by far the most popular style. You can shoot this with one or two cameras. In a dual-camera setup, one camera is a long shot, and the other one is a close-up. Both are typically at an angle, but we also recommend the long-shot being direct-to-camera. This is an excellent format for FAQ videos.

The double-act

If you’re performing your videos with someone else, then this setup works well to give both speakers an opportunity to share their views on the topic. This video format works well for those who do their best when prompted by others.

The interview

The interview setup can work well if you want to introduce more dynamism and a feeling of a comfortable discussion. This format works well for anyone who feels anxious about being in front of the camera and would prefer to interact with someone else on camera. You can also do something similar with Zoom video.

You can do a lot with social video today that can be more spontaneous, informal and interactive. We love that approach but will leave that style of video for another post.

3. Choose a camera-friendly location

You can shoot a video in your clinic as long as you have a suitable space to do so. To prepare for a video shoot, many of our clients select less clinical surroundings to create a feeling of less formality and ease.

Sadly, many clinic facilities are awash in seas of grey and beige, which is not ideal. Unless your clinic facilities offer an aesthetically pleasing look and feel, we suggest you choose a hotel meeting room or conference facility.

Ideally, to prepare for a video shoot you’ll want to consider clean, eye-friendly backgrounds and wall colours with as little clutter as possible. Movement in the background works fine as long as it’s not distracting.

Pro-Tip: Flowers in the near background provide an up-market feel. Choose neutral coloured flowers in a vase (all the same colour, not a bouquet of multicoloured flowers). Choosing many of one type of flower looks best. Besides improving the aesthetics and adding a splash of life and colour, and thus that contact with plants can have a positive impact on our health and wellbeing. It helps to make a connection with the viewer. Note the flowers in the video example below.

This image shows four different approaches to filming around London locations (from left to right),

• Jane Olver, a London eyelid surgeon in a clinical environment on Harley Street, (Clinica London’s YouTube Channel)
• Jaheed Khan, a London cataract surgeon in a modern hotel meeting facility near London Bridge, (Jaheed Khan’s YouTube Channel)
• Robert Morris, a London laser eye surgeon in a corporate facility/conference setting, (Robert Morris’s YouTube Channel)
• Vasuki Sivagnanavel, a London retinal surgeon in a hotel meeting room in Wimbledon (Vasuki Sivagnanavel’s YouTube Channel)

Your chosen location needn’t cost too much (e.g. we usually can arrange fees of £250 to 500/day in central London). Some facilities mark up their hire fees as soon as they know filming will take place. Some mention this upfront in writing and with that, we can agree. In our opinion, there is no justification for increasing the price after you book.

Pro-Tip: We find if we omit our intention to film when making the booking, facility staff don’t worry about what we do in the room.

4. Choose a long and deep room size

We like to have some depth in the room so that we can choose where to place the cameras and the subject (you) to get a depth of field. Depth of field gives us a great contrast between the subject (you) and the background at a distance, blurring the background so that you stand out better.

You can especially see that effect in this example below of Samer Hamada. Notice the background behind him is soft and pleasant. There’s even a little movement behind the window to add a little bit of energy to the scene.

By the way, this effect is difficult (if not impossible) to achieve using phone cameras. However, it’s possible to add this blur effect in post-production. Also, more recent iPhones can add this effect during shooting with software.

Pro-Tip: Glass behind a subject can create some additional issues like unwanted reflections and overexposure from background light, so you may want to avoid it unless conditions are just right.

5. Choose a brightly lit room

A brightly lit room is best for an indoor shoot. We prefer natural lighting from big windows to give you a relaxed and natural appearance.

Two lighting effects to avoid are overhead fluorescents (that cast a pale yellow light) and any lighting that sits directly above the subject (that cast dark shadows that can dramatically change the subject’s appearance). We’d like to be able to shut artificial lighting off if we can. Ring lights work especially well for mobile shoots.

Pro-Tip: A less bright, naturally-lit room is preferable to a room with brighter, artificial lighting. With less exposure, we at least have the detail in the video correct. We can always address exposure and colour correction in post-production. Like with most things; the richer the input the more flexible the output.