How to prepare for a talking-head recording at your company
Filming two people in an office usually takes 3 to 4 hours, lighting setup included. Whether those hours go smoothly is decided the day before.
Script: teleprompter or conversation
If the message has to be precise (results, strategy, changes to procedures), write a script and record from a teleprompter. Lock the text before the shoot. Rewrites on set eat more time than anything else.
If sounding natural matters more, a conversation works better: we ask questions and pick the best answers in the edit. In the film about an agent's working day for Compensa, the agent spoke in her own words.
The room
We need a room nobody will walk into for a few hours, where the air conditioning can be switched off during takes. Ventilation hum is louder on the recording than it is in the room. Windows give extra light, but it keeps changing, so on a long recording we prefer to cover them and set up our own lights.
Clothing
Plain, matte colours. Small checks and thin stripes flicker on screen. If your company dresses in brand colours, tell us beforehand so we can pick a background that works with them. Make-up is optional, but under strong light a little powder to take the shine off a face helps a lot.
Who is on set
For the full setup: a camera operator, a sound recordist or assistant, camera, lights, microphones and a teleprompter. For a simpler one: a single operator with basic lighting. On your side, it helps to have one person on site who signs off the takes.
