Professional Video Production Services | Kalanset Media

STUDIO PRODUCTION vs ON LOCATION – Pros and Cons

When considering professional video production services for your business you may be considering shooting in an actual studio space or you may be considering shooting on location. There are pros and cons to both and we want to take a look at them today to help you decide if you need one or the other or maybe even both. 

STUDIO LUXURIES

If you’re shooting in a studio, that essentially means your shooting in a well controlled indoor environment. The studio may offer an LED backdrop, a traditional white cyclorama, a green screen, or it may just be a space where you can build a custom set for your shoot. The benefits of the studio space are pretty impressive. For one, it’s comfortable. Typically there’s a green room for clients to relax in, there’s usually a lighting grid with lights already arranged for general lighting needs, easily accessible restrooms, and you’re not fighting the elements like rain. 

As LED panel walls are becoming more and more popular, many companies are opting to shoot in studio and using the LED wall to create any background they need and they’ll supplement the wall’s image with set pieces, i.e. if the backdrop is a barbershop, then the actual floor might have peel and stick tiles and an actual barbershop chair. 

Conversely, the tried and true cyclorama wall (essentially a white wall that curves into the floor of the studio to make it look like a limitless void) will more than likely already be perfectly lit so that you and your video production team can roll in and start shooting. A company that offers Professional Video Production Services and utilizes studio spaces will also generally have the gear and the lighting needed to limit the search for crew and such. 

Studio shooting is really used to feel like you’re in a controlled environment. The look of the final product, more often than not is going to feel manufactured. That is not to say it’s a bad look, it’s just a very specific one. Many corporate videos will utilize the studio space as it’s easier than shutting down the business office to film. You go to the studio, the business keeps running with no interruptions. 

Now, there are some downsides to studio spaces. Not many, in my opinion, but the one that comes to mind as the “BIG CON” is having to manufacture your environments.

Professional Video Production Services may include a wide range of things, including providing art department services. The art department is generally responsible for set building/creation and props (anything actors interact with directly). Remember the barbershop example above? The art department would have the artists that would make the studio floor look like a barbershop floor, they would find the barbershop chair, etc. One downside to shooting in a studio space is that everything must be sourced. The barbershop has to be built. The set has to be designed from the ground up. How good that set looks is largely going to be dependent on the budget you’re able to invest into. So when thinking of studio shoots, we need to really also be thinking about the build that goes into shooting at the studio. Now, if you’re just looking for a white wall to speak in front of or shoot a product then the studio is definitely a perfect choice. However, if you’re needing something that brings character to your movie, it has to be built in a studio. 

ON LOCATION AND THE AUTHENTIC FEEL

The other option is to shoot on location. This means that when your hire Kalanset Media for professional video production services, we would source locations for us to film at. Instead of building the barbershop in a studio, we’re going to go find a barbershop to film at. Typically, when I’m directing, I really enjoy being on location. It gives me a sense of authenticity that you just can’t capture in a studio. A lot of people may have their own opinion on that but for me, put me in an authentic space any day. 

Now, shooting on location comes with the upside of not building the worlds you need in a studio space but on location shooting is no walk in the park. There are many, many things that have to be considered when shooting on location for professional video production services. For example, space. In the studio, we can make the barbershop as wide or as long as we need to for the camera to capture certain angles. On location, generally the size of the barbershop is the size of the barbershop. We’re not able to move the walls out to get our camera in a certain position. We have to craft and work with the environment given to us. 

Also, there are som logistical things we have to consider as well. Location rentals, shutting down streets require permits, sourcing power for our lights and electronics, etc. However, as a client this is never going to be a concern of yours. It’ll be up to the crew providing the professional video production services to figure out. That’s why they’re there. 

Ultimately the decision of shooting on location or in a studio comes down to the clients preference or the director’s recommendation. It’s a conversation that takes place very early on in the preproduction phase and then the producer gets to work lining up the pieces for either scenario. At Kalanset Media we provide professional video production services for both in studio productions or on location. To schedule your free consultation, reach out today!

Sincerely, 

Christopher Jackson

Kalanset Media, Executive Producer