Unexpected things happen on set.
People forget lines, things break, locations don’t end up working, you run low on money and more. Though professionals know how to improvise in these situations, why not try to eliminate the risk of these things happening in the first place? Here are our six tips production companies use to avoid chaos and the need for improvisation on set.
Get Insurance
Like we said, accidents happen. Whether it is your fault or not, things happen. Making sure you are prepared for these accidents is crucial for avoiding chaos on set. Before you start filming make sure you are insured. Insure the location you are filming at (if applicable) and insure the things you are using to film. Props and equipment can break and can be very expensive. Save yourself the stress and money by getting important things insured.
PA
Production assistants are people that are on set and simply there to help out—they are extremely beneficial to production companies. Need an extra body to go hold a sheet up over a window? Call your production assistant. Need someone to run and buy some duct tape? Assign your production assistant. Need help maintaining order on set? Production assistants can be helpful in any situation.
Scout Out Location
Something a lot of production companies do that is super helpful to ensure the production process goes smoothly is to go out and scout your filming location ahead of time. Even if you have a perfect location in your mind, going to the spot can help you see things you didn’t think about. You may not realize that the location is smaller than you thought or that you can’t use stage lights at that certain location. Taking the time to perform a walk-through before the actual filming day will help exceedingly.
Pad Your Budget
A thing a lot of production companies sometimes do wrong is not giving themselves extra leeway when it comes to money. You may have a set amount of money you can use for your film, and that is fine. Good production companies will plan on not using all of the money available. They will set aside some of it to use in case of an emergency. This way you won’t end up spending more than you have.
Set Hierarchy
There is a set hierarchy that needs to stay intact for production sets to go smoothly. The specific hierarchy can vary based on what positions are filled at different production companies. Typically though, producers are at the top of the hierarchy followed by directors, cinematographers, lighting crew, and then PAs. As we said, it can vary from company to company, but whatever the hierarchy is, it is crucial that you respect and adhere to it. Here is some more information on different roles on production teams.
Safety
We think it is important as a production company to make sure everyone on set is on the same page when it comes to safety procedures. Having a meeting before filming even takes place is a great way to make sure everyone is aware of what to do if an accident does happen. Not only will it help to reduce the amount of chaos there may be on set, but it will also help to make sure everyone is as safe as possible. Here are a few tips for maintaining safety on set.
Overall, if individuals involved in the production of any kind of video take the time to proactively prepare before the filming day, there will be a lot fewer improvisations and stress when it all comes done to it.
