Shoot Brief Checklist for a Commercial Production Studio

Great pieces of content are rarely crafted in just one day.

Even for short clips of no more than a couple of minutes’ long, the planning stage begins long before the camera starts to roll.Whether you are preparing a commercial, branded video or wider media production project in Abu Dhabi, early planning is essential for keeping the shoot on track.

A key part of this organisation period involves compiling a detailed shoot brief checklist that will be shared with the commercial production studio you are using and every member of your team. This essential feature of any project is an effective way of making sure that everything runs smoothly, and that nothing causes delays, setbacks or last minute changes.

In this blog, we will detail the importance of your shoot brief, explain what a content brief should cover, and the kind of items it should include.

What should a commercial production studio brief include?

Planning a content shoot can be immensely exciting. However, the downside of this is that it’s often easy to get carried away with the big ideas and forget about some of the more practical details.

But creating a production studio brief allows you to have one document that details all the project’s objectives, needs, requirements, logistics, costs and timelines in one place. It should also clearly define the intended content format, expected deliverables and any specific client requirements. It keeps the entire team working to the same goals and deadlines, and ensures there is no confusion or crossed wires.

Some of the main elements that should be included in a content brief are:

The script and storyboard

Before you start putting anything into motion, you must have the final script and storyboard signed off and approved in writing. The brand guidelines including colour palette, typography and tone of voice should also be approved by the creative team, as should the duration of your finished production.

This will help you further define your creative direction, budget and deadline for the finished product, and of course avoid any disagreements further down the line.

Another legal consideration is making sure you have all the required permits and licenses you need, whether that’s for filming in a certain location or featuring a certain song or brand in your finished clip. Hiring the assistance of a production studio such as twofour54 and drawing on its wider film production services can help with this.

At twofour54, the tawasol customer service team offers end-to-end support with obtaining licensing and legal documentation, script approvals, location scouting and more. The team use their local knowledge, connections and experience to speed up these processes, and advise each production company about the paperwork and authorisations they need.

This ensures that nothing delays the production process, or prevents projects from being brought to life.

The budget

Disagreements about budgets are another big issue that can delay productions. Therefore, it is immensely important to break down your expected costs in detail before you begin filming.

The budget section of your checklist should include exactly how much you plan to spend on pre-production, location, crew, cast, equipment, production design, wardrobe, catering, transport and post-production tasks, along with a detailed schedule of when each payment has to be paid out.

On a similar note, it should be noted that another huge advantage of using twofour54’s facilities in Abu Dhabi for commercial and film production projects is that it allows production companies to apply for a generous cashback rebate of between 35 to 50 percent..

Offered by the Abu Dhabi Film Commission (ADFC), it is proud to be the first production incentive of its kind in the region. Available for qualifying spend on feature films, television dramas, commercials, music videos and other types of project, more information can be found on the ADFC website.

The size and specifications of your studio

Another advantage of production studio briefs is that they help production companies select the right studio that exactly matches their needs and requirements.

Before creating this all important document you should therefore consider the size of the studio you need, how many team members it should accommodate, what equipment it should contain, and if you will need separate areas such as green rooms, dressing rooms and hair and make up zones.

The lighting you will use should also be considered, for instance whether you need softboxes, ring lights, LED panels, or a full lighting grids.

At twofour54, all the studios are integrated with the latest production technologies and equipment on the market. Allowing brands to create outstanding pieces of content completed with clear and consistent high-quality audio and mesmerising visuals, all the studios have full-production galleries, soundproof walls, adjustable lighting rigs and loading bays. This provides greater flexibility for teams planning commercial and media production in Abu Dhabi.

Plus, by providing twofour54 with a production checklist, our in-house team can ensure that you will arrive to find your studio ready kitted out with all the facilities, amenities and equipment you need. This allows the production process to begin as quickly as possible, and it saves you the time, expense and hassle of transporting equipment and setting it up yourself.

In addition, an enormous, 300,000sqm backlot equipped with five standing sets, construction areas and onsite support is available for production companies to rent through twofour54. Surrounded by the golden dunes of the Abu Dhabi desert, it has been used in iconic productions such as Emirati film Ghost, Bollywood hit Bharat, the action-packed 6 Underground with megastar Ryan Reynolds, and many other Hollywood and Bollywood epics and TV dramas.

Team run down and detailed roles

Every production company knows that organising the perfect production team is just as vital as sourcing the right equipment and studio facilities.

Your production studio brief should therefore include a list of all your cast and crew and their exact roles and responsibilities. It should also identify key decision-makers and clarify who will manage approvals, equipment, scheduling and on-set coordination.

Abu Dhabi-based productions that are lacking in certain professionals can also recruit from the Creative Media Authority’s network of 1,000 internationally experienced crew members.

Including Line Producers, Personal Assistants, Photographers, Camera Assistants, Make-Up Artists, Editors, Art Directors and more highly regarded professionals, it provides an easy way for companies to connect with the right people who can bring their project to life, and accelerate the filming process.

Timelines

Finally, your shoot brief should include the timings of your project. This includes the dates when filming will commence, the post-production editing period and the deadline for the debut of the finished cut. Allowing sufficient time for client feedback, revisions and final approvals should also be built into the post-production workflow.

After all, you need to make sure that your studio of choice is available throughout your planned production period, and that everyone is on the same page about when the project should be concluded.

twofour54 can also help you input final edits such as special effects and subtitles during the post-production stage, and even provide a plush screening room facility where you can show your finished production in all its glory.

To find out more about the commercial production studios at twofour54, please email produce@twofour54.com