Stylized Shooting. How to prepare for a commercial stylized shoot



What is stylized photography? This is a shot with a thoughtful idea and concept. Such surveys are mainly needed for commerce. From clothing stores to catering services.

Types of stylized filming

A catalog is a survey for an online store, what will be in the online catalog.

Differences:

neutral background, layout or shooting on a model with a neutral appearance that does not attract attention. There is no creativity, there is information: what clothes, how she sits, size, color, etc.
A lookbook is a book of images, the most important and key examples of a collection. The lookbook shows that with what to wear and combine, the development of the image as a whole. It reflects the brand’s philosophy and vision of how things of this brand should be worn and how they should look on the model. In a lookbook, it’s already important to choose a model that is as similar as possible to the brand’s target audience. If these are business suits - a model with a strong-willed face; wedding dresses - a model with a delicate and romantic appearance.
Campaign is the brand’s advertising company. Those photos that will be printed on billboards, magazine pages, etc. The main goal of the campaign is to attract attention and sell. Campaign must convey the atmosphere and idea of ​​the brand so that even those people who are not familiar with the brand can understand how they will feel and what they will get when they put on the clothes of this brand.
The campaign displays the history, lifestyle of the target audience, the myth of the brand.

Stages of preparation for stylized shooting

·         Idea. We determine what we or the customer wants to do: goal, idea.
·         Mudboard. We create a mudboard.
·         Command. We recruit a team.
·         Counting budget and time. Each team member considers how much time and money it will take for his part of the work.
·         TK. Clearly form TK.
·         Training. Preparation for shooting according to the ToR.
·         Shooting. And only after all this - shooting!

Idea. How to define a visual idea for shooting?

We ask leading questions to the client. Who is the consumer of the product? What mood do we want to create? How did the idea of ​​creation come about? What feelings or emotions do we want from people who see the photo? And other leading questions.
After leading questions, we begin to propose ideas on how we see the shooting and how we can create it.
* If the team does not have an art director and we need to take on his role
Mudboard. Once you have identified the idea of ​​shooting, you need to create a mudboard.
A mudboard is a collage of pictures that visually reflect the idea and concept of shooting. Visual examples of the atmosphere we want to convey should be shown in the mudboard:
in style of clothes, accessories and details
·         locations, compositions, dynamics, color combinations
·         in processing, lighting examples
·         type of model and her poses
·         in hairstyle and makeup
·         in general impressions and mood
All this is very important. The team must understand what feelings you want to convey and what is required of them.
What pictures can be in the mudboard: models, frames from films, other people's photography, etc.   

Command

Photographer:

one of the main members of the team. This is understandable.

Model:

it is very important to choose the right model. A type that 100% falls into the image.

Stylist:

engaged in the selection of clothes and other things, because the photographer is very difficult to answer for everything on the set.

Assistant photographer:

if the client allows the budget.

Make-up artist and hair stylist:

should do the planned hairstyle and makeup.

Producer:

solves all issues. Timing, taxi, food, etc. He is responsible for controlling time and resources.

Art Director:

comes up with a concept, an idea, monitors its implementation.

Retoucher:

if the budget allows.
The team is selected by portfolio. We need to take people who have already worked in the right style of shooting. Otherwise, there is a big risk of failure. It is advisable to assemble a team of 70-80% pros, but if the client’s budget does not allow such a luxury, then at least 1-2 team members should be those who are engaged in their work at a professional level.

Counting budget and time

After the team is formed, each participant in the shooting should calculate how much time and money will be needed for his part of the work.
TK. And now the preparation time and the creation of TK
All information and the technical part should be displayed in the TOR. It is necessary to register all the details: what are the shots for (billboards, social networks, etc.), what are the deadlines, what kind of shots are needed and how much, how many bulbs are needed, what budget is needed for the room, makeup, clothes, etc. TK, ideally, should be done at least two weeks before shooting, so that there is time for preparation.
Key Mistakes
·         Savings on the team.
·         Lack of professional teamwork.
·         Overloading one specialist with too much work / tasks.
·         Haste = loss of time.
·         Work without a mudboard and T3.
·         Incorrect calculation of time and budget.

Training

Each of the team members prepares a part: search for premises, equipment rental, purchase / rental of clothing, etc.

Shooting

The shooting time is completely different, it all depends on the size of the project.
For stylized shooting, good preparation is very important - this is 80% of the result, but still - be prepared for force majeure. As practice shows, even excellent preparation of the team does not exclude unforeseen situations. They can happen to everyone.

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