In the second part of this series, Alan Hoida discusses pre-production techniques.

Choosing the right system and understanding how to operate it is fundamental, but the way you go about using it will decide whether the end result looks like Uncle Charlie's wedding video or, the professional mind-bender you intended. So lets see what professional techniques we can apply to achieve the latter.

Film or video production can be split into three stages: pre-production, production, and post-production.

Pre-production involves the planning: getting your ideas onto paper, organising the shoot and so forth. Production is the shoot itself, and post-production covers all that you have to do to edit and mould the produced material into shape. A complete understanding of all three steps is absolutely necessary if you are to make the fullest possible use of your equipment.

Pre-Production

We'll start at the beginning with your idea. You must have an idea. That may sound like an obvious remark, but it is a fact that if you just point a camera and shoot, and assume that all there is to it, you will be very disappointed with the end result. Think about the style you wish to use. Are you going to film the band on the set performing a number, or are they going to act out a story on location? Maybe a combination? (I'm using the word 'band' throughout in the broadest sense. Exactly the same could apply to a solo artist.)

Whatever your idea consists of, write it down and stick with it. Everything you do should be done with the idea in mind. Resist the temptation to be side tracked. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't follow flashes of inspiration whilst filming, so long as there is a place for them within the original idea.

Now you must write a script: a story line based on the idea. This may seem unnecessary, but even on the simplest of shoots, you should make a list of every shot you need and tick them off as you go along. It is all too easy to discover at the editing stage that you haven't (for example) got a close up of the drummer.

On a more complex shoot, perhaps covering outside locations, the need for a script is even more important. Filming will rarely be done in sequence order, so you have to know exactly what you need at any point during the shooting. The camera has to move, otherwise viewing everything from the same angle would be very boring. You will shoot all the scenes from one particular angle and then move the camera. Shots will be placed in their correct order during the post-production stage, but more about that later.

The aim of this pre-production stage is to ensure that on the day of production you know what you want, and that you have the capability to shoot it. For filming the band on a set, you need to think about the lighting gear, the playback gear, a crew to help you if possible, and of course the camera gear. For filming on location you need, in addition to the above, to have organised all the locations, dress, props and so on. Make sure that you know in advance that the location is available and that you won't upset anyone by using it.

"It can only be a matter of time before recording companies expect all audio demos to be accompanied by a demo video."

Most importantly, you must make sure that the band has a pre-recorded demo tape of the number that you are going to use, because it is here that we hit a basic problem. You cannot record a live band using just one camera. Amateur cameras don't usually have the facilities to be operated in synchronisation, and I'm assuming that you couldn't afford the professional tape of cameras, synchronisation equipment, and vision mixing desk which are necessary on a multi-camera shoot.

So, we need to shoot the same number from several different viewpoints, using just one camera. If you simply move the camera around during the number the problem is that you will get all sorts of shots of your feet, the singers backside and the ceiling as you move into position. You will also need to focus each shot and adjust the zoom lens. All of these unwanted intrusions would be recorded and look terrible.

Even if you could persuade the band to play the same live number several times for each change of viewpoint, the sound edit at each change of angle during the editing would be noticeable as no two live recordings will be exactly the same.

The way around this problem is by using the pre-recorded sound tape, and the order of events for shooting is as follows.

1. Record band in a studio. Try and put a synchronisation beep on the tape just before the start of a number. Any high pitched electronic beep will do. This is to aid in synchronisation later on.

2. Arrange for a playback machine to be available on the set or location.

3. Take a direct feed from the playback machine to the audio input on the camera recorder.

"The camera has to move, otherwise viewing everything from the same angle would be very boring.

4. The band mime to the playback. As you have a direct line, the band could play over the playback if they want, and you won't be picking it up.

5. The band can repeat the mime to playback as many times as you need changes of angle.

The same technique applies to location shooting enabling you to re-shoot any scene as often as you need, and as from as many angles as you fancy.

I have made up an example of the first few shoots of a basic script to give an idea of how it would look.

In order to film this number you will probably need two days, assuming that all locations other than the band stage set are in the same place. For the band stage set as far as illustrated, you will have organised the set and made sure you have blue and red lights available.

For the location illustrated you will have needed to have found a friendly jacuzzi owner who was willingly to have it drained of water in advance. You would have organised the evening dress and you would have photocopied some bank notes, because we all know you have not got a rich father. (Don't bother writing to tell me that it is illegal to photocopy bank notes. Just make sure you don't spend them.)

During the shoot, you will group together all the shots which are from the same angle, and run the number through entirely from this angle. Then repeat from the next angle. In my example, scenes 6 and 8 would be shot together, and scenes 4 and 9 together.

Part 3 will focus on more about the technique of the actual shoot: the production stage.