#142 - On Set Production Life

Today we're talking about real life tv commercial production and how it relates to social media content creators. Helen covered the stages and crew roles on a shoot, as well as how to connect the dots to yourself as a content creator.

Pre-Production: This happens before the shoot where the client sources their team of production experts. Once a crew is established, they all use their expertise to nail down the budget, creative, storyboards, talent, locations, set design, and more. All of this is done to ensure an efficient and smooth shoot day (or days, or weeks, or even months!)

Production: Lights, camera, action! Production is where it all gets filmed. The pre production teams all come together to execute on the plan they made the weeks building up to the shoot. This is what you traditionally think of when you image television of movie filming, big cameras, lots of lights, and tons of people on set!

Post Production: Once the shoot has wrapped, it goes into post. This is where editors take the footage and string together the different spots, marketing executives secure placement for the ads (or television show), PR teams get publicity, and so forth.

How can you use this knowledge for social media?

The process of a television shoot can be shortened for your own personal social media content. This of post production as your brainstorming and planning of your content, production as your filming, and post production as the editing, posting, and engaging of your content. Putting it into these three categories can help you plan out content.

The Roles on Set

Director: This is what @TheMuthership does! This person calls the shots on set and makes sure the vision of the client is captured.

Producers: On any shoot, producers are who make things happen. Producers are like event planners but for TV or movie production. There could be one or multiple producers on a given shoot depending on the size. They ensure all logistics go smoothly so that the directors and creatives can get their job done.

Production Assistants: Also known as “PAs”, production assistants are the grunt workers of any set. They take orders from the producers or director to do what needs to be done. They run errands, fetch talent and bring them to set, pick up lunch, grab coffee, etc. If you are interested in learning more about how TV or film works, getting a job as a PA is a great way to get your foot in the door and learn!

Production Crew: These are the groups of crew who are responsible for set design, props, hair, makeup, wardrobe, lighting, props, and more. Next time you watch a TV show or movie, just know that every detail in the background of a scene has been hand selected, curated, by groups of crew, then run by the producers and director - and ultimately by the agency and clients.

The Ad Agency Creatives: Most TV commercial production sets have ad agency reps who are the ones who come up with the creative ideas for the content. They are usually stationed in what we call “video village” where they watch everything on monitors, away from the live set area.

The Post Production Team: After a shoot has wrapped and all the scenes have been filmed, they are handed off to the post production experts and creatives. These include editors, audio engineers, color correctors, special effects artists, and more who edit the content into the final spots.

How to use this knowledge for social media?

Creating a great video—whether for TV, film, or social media—involves many people working together behind the scenes. Understanding the different roles on a production set can help you plan your own content more effectively. It can reveal where you might need support, what tasks you can delegate, and how collaborating with others can elevate the quality of your videos.

✨ Get more exclusives like this in the Studio:
https://socialize-studio.mn.co