What to expect on a Line Break Shoot

In Studio

Have an upcoming shoot with us? We’re excited!
We also want you to feel as prepared as possible, so we’ve got some pointers on what sets our shoots up for success.

Prepping your interviewee

We’ve found that people tend to share their stories effectively when it’s told to someone new.

Ways to accomplish this:

  • Try to have different people do your pre-interview and your day-of interview. Let us know if you need us to handle that at the shoot - we’ve got you covered!

  • Avoid sharing your exact questions with your interviewee beforehand. Instead, give a general overview of what you’ll be covering.

    • This helps immensely with authentic story delivery on-camera. We’re shooting for candid, natural and conversational responses, but when your subject has all questions beforehand, they can be tempted to script/memorize what they’re going to say.

Usually, we can make whatever your subject is wearing work (unless we’re using a greenscreen ). But for absolutely best practices, here’s what we recommend subjects to consider when making on camera outfit-decisions:

  • Avoid dangly bracelets/ jewelry that has the potential to get noisy when moving their hands or body

  • Clothing that contrasts well with the subjects skin tone will usually show up best on camera

  • Patterned clothing is totally OK!

  • Make sure to check how see-through shirts/other clothing might be, especially if it’s a darker color. Studio lighting can sometimes make it a little easier for viewers see through sheer clothing. But hey, maybe that’s what you’re going for! We’re here to help our clients achieve whatever look best helps tell their sotry.

Also - feel free to recommend your subject bring a back up outfit if they can’t decide or are torn between choices!

Clothing

On Set

We’ve made it to shoot day! On set we typically have a talented crew ranging between 2-6 people joining us, with roles involving audio, camera operation, lighting, script supervising, art direction, etc.

While every setup varies depending on the story, this what a basic 2-camera setup will typically look like for a studio shoot.

For straight-to-camera shoots where the subject needs to look directly into the camera, we use a teleprompter and place the A Camera behind it. So, all the subject needs to do is look at what’s being displayed on the teleprompter (whether that be scripts, a video feed of the interviewer, etc.)

Conducting interviews

When interviewing people on camera - especially if they’ve never been filmed professionally before - a few extra pointers right before filming is always helpful in getting your interviewee set up for success!

Try giving prompts along these lines:

  • “What I say won’t be included in the video, so in your response, remember to repeat some of my question in your answer”*

    • Sometimes it’s also helpful to give an example

      • “If I asked ‘what’s your favorite citrus fruit?’, your response would be ‘my favorite citrus fruit are lemons’ instead of just ‘lemons’ ”

  • “You can do as many takes/do-overs as you like. We’re here to make you look and sound the best in the edit.”

  • “feel free to pause for a break or water at any point during this shoot”

* People will forget to restate the question with the reminder throughout the shoot at times, and that’s ok! Just remind them to restate their answer with a portion of the question asked, and prompt them with your initial question *

Additional Questions/Resources

For specific questions at any point leading up to your shoot, always feel free to contact Line Break Production Coordinator Nadia Shaarawi.

Resources you can send to your subject