COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY IS A MULTIFACETED ART FORM
Commercial photo shoots are a unique and multifaceted art form. There are so many variables that go into any given project….there’s the business side; emails, estimates, invoices, negotiations, image galleries, file delivery. The logistics; pre-production, securing locations, model releases, scheduling and planning. And the art; creating amazing commercial imagery, post-production, retouching, compositing.
Unfortunately, this also means that there’s not a one size fits all pricing model when it comes to producing a commercial shoot. It’s almost like asking, "how much does vehicle cost?” Well that depends... Do you want a car or truck? New or Used? Base model or fully loaded? Gasoline, hybrid or electric? You get the picture.
If you’re considering hiring a commercial photographer for any given photo shoot, it’s absolutely crucial to have a shot list. Shot lists can apply to any type of photography being commissioned by you, the Client. So whether you’re hiring a photographer for a product photography shoot, an architectural photography shoot or a commercial advertising shoot involving multiple talent, a makeup artist's and a catering crew, having a shot list in place can serve your project well.
Sounds simple right?! You’d be surprised how many companies contact me about a photo shoot and have no idea what a shot list is. So I thought I’d dedicate an entire article to the subject…because it’s that important!
WHAT IS A SHOT LIST IN COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY?
A shot list is a document with a numbered checklist accompanied by a description of the photographs that need to be captured or created for any given commercial photography project in order to serve the needs and expectations of the final deliverables; the delivered images. Sound like a mouthful? Let me describe that again in simpler terms; a shot list is simply a numbered checklist with a corresponding description of each photograph in the form of an outline.
A shot list should not be confused with a creative brief, which is a separate document that otherwise outlines and visualizes the aesthetics of the project like the creative style, color palettes, mood and messaging.
WHY IS A SHOT LIST SO IMPORTANT TO THE SUCCESS OF A COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT?
Generally speaking, companies that are hiring commercial photographers are doing some form of marketing and advertising. This could be anything from updating their company website and regularly posting on social media to implementing full blown national advertising campaigns seen on billboards and consumer magazines.
Behind all of this, is the need for commercial imagery to help sell your company’s products and services; thus the need to hire a commercial photographer who specializes in a specific genre as it relates to your project. Your shot list serves as the foundational outline which describes the scope of work in detail, identifies the final deliverables, sets expectations and clearly articulates the overall needs of the project into a digestible format. The shot list informs nearly every aspect of the photo shoot.
For example, let’s pretend that you’re a company that designs and manufacturers products. Your hypothetical shot list might include some standard views of your product on a white seamless background (front, back, side and 3/4 front view etc). You might want an epic hero shot for the face of your campaign. Next you may want some shots of your product in use.
Now, I want you to think about this for a minute. If you want to show your product in use, depending on your product, you may need people in your shot (aka talent). Is your talent male or female? Does the shot involve a single person or multiple people? Should your talent be a certain age? Do you even have a budget to hire talent or are you expecting to pull random employees in for a shot or two? Having a descriptive shot list will help identify the answers to these questions, or at the very least call attention to them so you can re-think your budget if you need to.
What about that hero shot? It needs to be epic, it needs to have that flawless commercial look and capture people's attention right? Can you describe what that image looks like? Having a vivid description of that shot would allow the photographer to find the most efficient way of creating that image. For example, does your hero shot require special effects? Having a descriptive shot list in place could help the photographer make a more informed decision on how to best approach those effects as well as find the most cost effective solution for producing it. Practical effects may require the photographer to go out and purchase additional props and materials. While creating these effects digitally on the other hand, could add to the amount of post production work needed. Both of which would impact the overall cost of the project. Hopefully you’re starting to see how having a descriptive shot list can inform a commercial photo shoot.
A WELL WRITTEN SHOT LIST WILL DO THESE 5 THINGS:
A well written shot list will help establish and inform the scope of work of any given commercial photo shoot
A well written shot list will outline the specifics of each image needed
A well written shot list will identify the expectations of the final deliverables
A well written shot list will aid in establishing and setting a realistic budget relative to your wants and needs
A well written shot list will help get you a written estimate much sooner
A WHO’S WHO OF SORTS
While employees in smaller companies often take on many different roles, larger corporations likely have their own dedicated internal marketing departments. One important role of your companies internal marketing team is to concept, strategize and implement marketing and advertising campaigns on behalf of your employer. In many cases, your internal marketing team may decide to hire outside help in the form of advertising agencies and digital marketing firms. So in other words, when it comes to creating a visual marketing strategy, you may opt to do this in house or hire outside help.
WHO’S IN CHARGE OF WRITING THE SHOT LIST?
Generally speaking, a shot list is a document that is that is provided by the company that is requesting creative work to be done. This means you, the Client. Whether your internal marketing team creates this document in house or elects to hire an outside consultant or creative agency, it is ultimately your responsibility to provide this document.
If you work for a small company:
If you work for a small company with a small team of people, you may or may not have a marketing department. If you don’t have a marketing department, there should be someone elected to take on the role as the marketing liaison. It would be their job to determine the photography needs of their employer and therefore establish a shot list based on the project at hand.
If you work for a large company:
If you work for a large corporation, ideally there would be someone in charge of your marketing department (likely with the title of a marketing director or marketing manager) taking on the role of leading and facilitating the creative needs of the business. In this instance, it could be the marketing director’s job to create this list however, they could delegate this task to someone else on their marketing team.
If you hire an agency:
If you elect to hire outside help, it would likely be the agency's responsibility to create a shot list based on a creative brief and strategy that they’ve proposed. That being said, in a lot of cases writing a shot list would fall within the scope of the agencies services even if they are not in charge of finding and hiring the photographer on your behalf. This is really a discussion to be had between the client and the agency.
What About the Photographer?
It's possible that the photographer could write the shot list for you, however it’s important to keep in mind that this can take hours of time on the part of the photographer. Hours of time are not free. That being said, if you’re not already working with an agency, you may want to consider the possibility of hiring the photographer as a consultant for these creative services as this is really considered a discovery process that lies outside the scope of producing the actual photography itself.
Think about it this way, if a shot list can’t be established from a single email exchange, a phone call or the initial meeting to discuss a project, it’s highly probable that your company isn’t ready for a photo shoot as there may be more to unpack. Figuring out your true needs for a project can take a significant amount of time and as we all know, time isn’t free.
If you don’t have any clear, definitive creative direction or any real purpose behind your needs for a commercial photographer, you may want to do one of three things;
A.) Further discuss the project internally with your marketing team
B.) Hire an outside agency for help or
C.) Consider hiring the photographer as a creative consultant to help guide you through the process of visually communicating your ideas in the form of a marketing or advertising campaign.
HOW DO I CREATE A COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY SHOT LIST?
The good news is that writing a shot list isn’t rocket science. If you know how to use Google Docs or Microsoft Word and know how create a numbered list and a write a description, guess what?! You can write a shot list! Writing a shot list doesn’t have to be complicated. However, keep in mind that it should be easy to follow as well as descriptive.
SHOT LISTS SHOULD INCLUDE BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO THESE 3 THINGS:
Include A Numbered List - next to each shot, you should have a number. Make it easy to identify the number of shots needed for your project.
Include A Description Of Each Shot - Be as descriptive as possible. Ask yourself “what does this shot look like?” Think about angles and the message you’re trying to visually communicate. If your shot list involves talent, describe what the talent looks like and what the talent is doing in the scene. If your shoot involves products, be sure to include the product name and include any sku numbers or other relevant info that helps differentiate your products from one another.
Include A Tally - At the end of the list, calculate the total number of images needed. This should easily identify the total number of shots needed for your project
MY BEST ADVICE
Before you even begin contacting commercial photographers about a project, you should have a good sense of your photography needs along with some form of creative direction and at the very least a rough shot list. I can tell you from a photographer's perspective, it’s much easier to put an estimate together for a client who is well organized, already has a creative brief put together and has a solid shot list in place. We all enjoy working organized people, am I right?
TO SUMMARIZE
As you can see, there’s a lot to uncover here! While it's not your job as the client to know if practical effects or digital effects would be the best approach in creating a hero shot for your new product line, it is your job as the client to be able to describe your commercial photography needs in detail. And the best way to do that is by having a descriptive shot list in place. If you’re looking to get an estimate for commercial photography services, you really should have a descriptive shot list prepared in advance. The more descriptive your shot list is, the better equipped you are for getting a more accurate estimate for commercial photography services based on your specific and unique needs.
Wow! This article turned out to be a little longer than I had anticipated! But I hope you stuck with it and learned something of value. Establishing a shot list for your next commercial photo shoot is critically important to the success of your project. Again, your shot list serves as the foundational outline which describes the scope of work in detail, identifies the final deliverables, sets expectations and clearly articulates the overall needs of the project into a digestible format. The shot list informs nearly every aspect of the photo shoot and it’s worth investing your time to get it right.
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