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1. The model is late.
👎 The shoot organizer has timed the shoot by seconds and the lights are set, the location is prepared, the makeup artist and stylist are on low, the photographer has adjusted the lenses but the model isn't there and the phone is silent...
✅ Those who don't adapt don't survive in the harsh world of digital. Change the script, move the block with models to the end of the shoot, for example, shoot the subject first. If a model is missing for good, not just delayed, the most sensible solution is to use someone from the team as a model. Use people who are ALREADY in the same boat as you.
2. The model didn't come in the way you discussed
👎 The photos aren't right, the girl has the wrong manicure, the wrong clothes you approved, poor skin condition, whatever!
✅ If the girl is from a modeling agency, tell them right away. You'll either get a replacement or your money back. If you found a model yourself - either try to fix it on the spot, or get your teammates involved again.
Ideally you should have 1-2 free models on that date, with whom you've talked over the shoot in advance, and if something goes wrong with the " main cast" - call in your backup. We had a situation where a guy model didn't have the right clothes, and to all our attempts to rectify the situation he wasn't very polite. We therefore replaced him half an hour before the shoot with another model with whom we had spoken the day before.
3. Product defect
👎 You've planned a subject with lots of product and you only have individual items with you...Or you suddenly find out that you've got moulages left and the real packs haven't been sent in by the client...
✅ It sounds as scary as possible, but almost any situation can be saved.
Remember that you have a team with you who will always come to your rescue. In an emergency, you can trust them to get you ready for a shoot and run off to the shop to get the goods. Or give a clear "what to buy" instruction to a colleague and make him the savior of the shoot!
4. Deadlines are on fire
👎 In 6 hours of the photo shoot we've managed to shoot 7 out of the planned 10 videos and the studio manager reminds us that there's only 15 minutes left.
✅ No matter how much we plan, we can't turn back time. Minimizing the damage, on the other hand, is easy. Only the manager/organizer knows what is important and what can be postponed until the next shoot. Neither the models nor everyone else knows that. Breathe in and out, do a quick analysis of the script and the answer will immediately come to you. Finish the essentials and plan your next shoot!
5. Houston, where are the originals?
👎 We often create content not only for social media but also for websites, advertising banners and so on. The client needs the photo samples literally on the day of the shoot. It depends on the speed if all the materials for advertising platforms can be prepared in time. And getting the source material from photographers can be a challenge with an asterisk.
✅ Always take a laptop and an adapter to a shoot. While everyone is packing up their stuff and in the euphoria of a creative photoshoot, quickly download all the originals to your hard drive. Now you don't have to text the photographer every hour, or call him at midnight if he doesn't answer.
6. It's not exactly something we've claimed!
👎 When the team is big enough, it's hard for the manager to physically keep track of all the details. And it often happens that it's only in the photo that he sees some shortcoming of the stylist or make-up artist that he just missed on the shoot itself. It may be lint on a jumper, roosters in the model's hair, extra objects in the frame...
✅ Trust me, retouching will save the day. Find "your" retoucher - someone who understands you inside out, and is ready to fix any flaws. Generally speaking, forming a team to create content is an incredibly important task for any manager. But we'll talk about that in the next article.
7. Put in a good word about props
Creativity is creativity, but before you start shooting you often need to scramble to get the decor you need for the shoot. Often the list of props exceeds 10 items and all these items are located in different parts of the city. It's a real challenge!
✅ Please learn from your mistakes and think about it beforehand. Everything has to be ordered online in lockdown conditions and it may take more than a week for everything to be manufactured and delivered. And even in an open mall there might be some items that are out of stock, so it's better not to decide about replacing them 24 hours before the shooting but a bit in advance. When you see all the props together with the goods you will be shooting, it's easier to find references and make a photographer's brief.
8. The miser pays twice...
👎 It often happens that it's unrealistic to implement all ideas due to budget constraints. So sometimes you have to tame your creative streak and use all available free options: shoot in the office, at home, involve acquaintances instead of models, paint each other and lend the right clothes. And, expectedly, such content does not look as expensive at the end as we and the client would like it to.
✅ "On the shore" explain all your real options. The client is not a mind reader and has certainly not been to your flat where you are going to do the shoot. Make it clear that a quality product requires a studio and a team of professionals, special equipment. Ask what is more important for your client's business at the moment: top content or budget savings. In any case, professionals can be found with the most varied price.
9. Overdoing the tasks
👎 Often a photographer and a videographer are called in at the same time to optimise time for the shoot. That is, 2 super creative people have to capture the best emotions, angles and subjects at the same time. The model is at a loss as to which lens to look through and the main criers of the shoot can't agree and get under each other's skin.
✅ Write down the angles for each performer in advance. Discuss potential 'conflicts of interest' with the videographer and photographer in advance. Allow more time for shooting so that you can re-shoot some double-frames. And you will get bombastic photos and video at the end!
10. All wrong and all wrong
👎 It happens so often that the client doesn't suit the content you so lovingly planned and shot. Even if the script, the photographer and the models were all approved before the shoot...
✅ Find out in detail what doesn't fit. If nothing can be corrected, plan photo-try number 2. If it's possible, for example the processing of the photo is not suitable - ask the photographer for the sources and find a good retoucher.
And remember: no mistakes are made by those who do nothing😜
Anastasia Tolokolnikova, SMM manager, Kiwi Agency