Preparing to film

Filming a music video is a difficult task, whether you are a professional or not. You have to be organised and make sure all your dates are recorded, and the actors know the filming location and when it's taking place. Also, giving yourself plenty of time to film is vital, if you think it will take two hours, give yourself three hours.

Make sure to book everything you might need: Cameras, Tripods, shoulder mounts, lights, set and actors. Be sure to double check everything you need is working and take an extra battery or a charger in case your camera dies. 
Try not to forget your storyboard as then you are able to get on with filming straight away. However, we did manage to forget ours but because we are both drama students- making us very creative, we were able to improvise and we ended up with very good shots- better than the ones on our story board. From this I've learn't not to be afraid to stray from the storyboard if you come up with a better idea on set.

Make sure your actors know what they're doing. Give them the lyrics/script in advance so they can learn the words. Let them know if they need to do anything that they might never have done before (dancing, acting). Make sure they know where they are supposed to be on the day of filming, and what they are going to be wearing (hair, makeup ect...) this will take the pressure off you if they already know what they are doing. 

If you are booking a studio or anything professional make sure you record the date you've booked, check they are safe and legitimate (looking at reviews on Yelp for example is useful) and don't make your payment until after you've filmed so as to make sure they won't do something dodgy or rip you off. For my music video we wanted a plain white background that was large enough for Lois to walk around in, so we could get full body shots. In order for us to do that we had to search local places to hire. I rang up different studios to enquire about using their space. We managed to book a studio in Barlow, just outside our local town. 
Being organised and making sure things like this are booked in advance is vital, especially if you have a deadline.