Over the years it’s become increasing common to capture stills during a video shoot or video during a photography shoot. The best way to do it though is a full on hybrid shoot. That means bringing the best resources together in the same place and the same time to maximize your return on investment. So how does this all work?

Back in the agency days, it usually started with the print producer and the broadcast producer getting together and have them spec separate resources. These days you can hire a single company like mine that regularly produces both. And these days a lot of photographers are chomping at the bit to get a crack at shooting video. Either way, just make sure you are going to get the right combination of skills on set to get the results you want.

Next, it’s important to handle pre-pro concurrently. And don’t let one team get sidelined by the other. Video often becomes the dominate team as there are more people – but it’s all important to your team. It’s especially important the stills producer go over the schedule with the 1st AD or line producer from the video team. This is where conflict can happen.

Now that you’re on set, it’s extremely important to manage personalities and keep them all working toward the same goal. A union gaffer may not want to help out a photo PA so they may need to be reminded they’re on the same team. If you can keep everyone working toward the same goal the day should be a success. To see some still and video from a recent hybrid shoot of ours, take a look at this blog post about a recent commercial production for a hospital. We worked with a great commercial photographer, used to working with us and it made all the difference.

Posted on: March 13, 2014, by : Jimmy Gilmore