What to Expect During a Video Shoot That Requires Traveling
This will NOT be a vacation. You will be working the entire time you are in the city and will not have time to sitesee. Suprisingly, there may not be time available to visit a gym. Time flies by fast, shoots take longer than expected, technical problems occur and you will be faced with full schedule each day.
It is important that you understand how busy you will be before agreeing to participate.
While in the city, we must know where you are at all times. You cannot explore the city on your own. Excitement after the first day of shooting can lead students to want to blow off steam at a bar, but it is important to get ample sleep on your first night because you will be awoken at 7AM the next day.
You will be expected to filmed for 10 short videos. Each will be 1-2 minutes in length. Subject to our approval, you will choose the topics for these videos in advance of arriving for the shoot. View available topics.
Speaking roles vs. demonstrating.
Some athletes and students feel comfortable speaking on camera and others do not. During your first shoot with us, you can choose to appear in videos in which you physically demonstrate a technique, rather than speaking roles. Videos that discuss training gear require athletes to talk about how to choose the gear on camera.
When you demonstrate something in a video and do not speak, we add a voiceover track to explain the video. This voiceover track is an audio-only sound track that is recorded separately.
Videos that require more than one person
When shooting one student at a time, we choose topics that only require one person. Exceptions are made for sports that require multiple people (such as wrestling). When multiple students are scheduled for a shoot, this is not an issue, but topics must be planned in advance. For details on bringing a partner to a shoot, please read our policy.
What is a Script Review?
For each video, we use a "How-to" page on the site as a script. A script review is where each "How-to" is printed from the site and you and a professional go through each How-to in the same room, reading the text out loud, line-by-line.
By practicing, you become familiar with the material and assure that sentences make sense and can be easily pronounced. Remember, the easier the dialogue is to say, the better the video will be.
The script review is the last chance to make improvements to dialogue and assure all props will be on hand and every aspect that needs attention is addressed before stepping in front of the camera.
Most people become tired after traveling. You will be reviewing your scripts within a few hours after arriving, so you will need to be sharp and not tired. This is why it is crucial that you get a lot of sleep the night before your shoot.
Food
We provide food at our expense. You will eat at or within walking distance of the shooting location - to avoid time needed to drive in traffic. Light snacks and juice will be available at the shoot to keep your energy levels high. If you have a special diet, please inform us beforehand. You will not have time available to visit a grocery store. Bring any food you want.
Gyms
We will make an attempt to provide a nearby gym in which you can work out, but we cannot guarantee this due to scheduling. Your gym travel pass may only be valid at a gym that requires hours to drive to in LA traffic. So, you will likely not be able to use your gym's travel pass due to the schedule.
Make-up
We use clear transluscent powder on men's faces and have them add clear mascara to eyelashes. Here are more details on makeup we use on guys.
Location
Videos in which you speak are almost always filmed indoors due to background noise.
When shooting indoors, time of day is an important factor. The photographer may want to schedule your shoot at certain times when the most sunlight fills a room. This is why you need to be available at specific hours.
Professionalism On The Set
Friends and parents should not phone or text you during the shoot. You will be expected to completely turn off your cell phone (including vibration) when the camera is filming. Absolutely no texting during shoots allowed.
Only students being videotaped can attend shoots. You will be able to check in with parents via phone between filmings, but they cannot attend the shoot. In some cases, we can agree to allow a friend who has also played on a sports team, but this must be arranged two weeks in advance and your team-mate must also perform all the requirements for our shoots.