The Brand Shoot Day Checklist We Use to Fill a Month of Content

A well-planned shoot day can feed a brand's Instagram for a month. A badly planned one produces a few nice shots, a lot of waiting around and a team wondering why the light disappeared before the important scene.

The difference is almost entirely preparation. This is the shoot day checklist we work through before, during and after every brand shoot, adapted so you can use it for your own.

Why batch shooting works

Shooting one reel at a time is slow and expensive. Every setup, every location move and every lighting change costs time. Batching means planning a month of content, grouping it by location and setup, and capturing it in one or two days.

The result is more content, more consistency and fewer days of disruption for your business. It's how a monthly package with 17 to 30 reels becomes realistic.

Before the shoot: pre-production

Most of a shoot's success is decided here.

The content plan

• Month's reels listed, each with its hook and job (discovery, trust or action)
• Scripts or talking points for anything spoken
• Reels grouped by location and setup
• Two opening shots planned for the most important reels

Our Instagram content calendar explains how to build the month's plan, and our reel hook ideas help with the openings.

The shot list

A shot list is a simple table of every shot you need: what, where, who, and which reel it's for. It keeps the day moving and makes sure nothing is forgotten. When a shot is done, tick it off.

The location

• Recce done: visited at the same time of day you'll shoot
• Light checked: where the windows are, when the sun moves
• Noise checked: traffic, generators, music, kitchen fans
• Power points located
• Space cleared and decluttered
• Permission in writing if the location isn't yours

The people

• Who's on camera, and when they're needed
• Wardrobe agreed: solid colours, nothing with small stripes or big logos
• Permission from anyone appearing on camera, including customers and staff
• Someone briefed to manage customers or guests if the business is open

The products and props

• Hero products cleaned, labelled and ready
• Spares for anything that will be eaten, poured or damaged
• For food: dishes prepared fresh, timed to the shot list, with a plan for the hot ones
• Props that fit the brand, not random decoration

The call sheet

A call sheet is one page that tells everyone where to be, when, and what's happening. It includes the address, timings, contacts, the order of setups and break times. Send it the day before.

Shoot day checklist: on the day

Kit

• Cameras charged, with spare batteries
• Memory cards formatted, with spares
• Phones charged and lenses cleaned
• Microphones and spare batteries
• Lights, stands and diffusion
• Gimbal or tripod
• Extension cords and gaffer tape
• A small kit: wipes, cloths, safety pins, scissors, a lint roller

Running the day

1. Start with the hardest or most light-dependent shots. Light changes; energy fades.
2. Shoot by setup, not by reel. Get every shot needed in one setup before moving.
3. Hold every shot for a few seconds. Editors need room at the start and end.
4. Record ten seconds of room tone at every location. It saves the edit later.
5. Capture the in-between. Laughter, prep and mistakes make great behind-the-scenes reels.
6. Check focus and sound on playback before moving on from anything important.
7. Take vertical and horizontal versions of hero shots if the content will be used beyond Instagram.

Shoot by setup, not by reel. The order you film in is never the order people will watch it in.

Phone or camera?

Use both. The camera handles hero shots; a phone catches the moments in between. We compare them in shooting reels on a phone vs a camera.

After wrap

The shoot isn't finished when the cameras are packed.

• Back up all footage to two places before formatting any card
• Name folders by date, location and reel
• Note the best takes while they're fresh
• Return the location to how you found it
• Thank everyone, especially the team members and customers who appeared

Then the edit begins: cut, caption, sound and grade. Our reel editing tips cover that stage.

Common shoot day mistakes

• No shot list. The day drifts and key shots get missed.
• Shooting at the wrong time. Harsh noon light or a busy service ruins easy shots.
• Forgetting sound. A great take with bad audio is often unusable.
• No permissions. Content you can't post is content you paid for twice.
• No backups. One lost card can erase a whole day.
• Too many reels in one day. Quality drops when the team is rushing. Plan a realistic number and protect it.

Safety and consent

Keep cables taped down, lights stable and kitchens safe. Ask before filming anyone, and respect a no. For public locations, check whether filming needs permission from the property or the authorities. If you're unsure about rules for filming in a particular space, ask the venue first.

Let us run the shoot

Shoot days and direction are a core part of what we do: planning, lighting, sound, direction and capturing a month of content without disrupting your business. If you'd like a shoot day planned and run for you, send us a brief. And if you're comparing what different levels of production cost, see our breakdown of social media packages.

For general guidance on video formats across platforms, YouTube's creator site is also worth bookmarking.