Production Suggestions

Develop a plan of action. 

We recommend engaging a professional video team whenever possible. Discuss an appropriate plan of action with the team before any shoot occurs. Establish appropriate roles and communicate expectations of the crew.

Respect the relationship.

Most video shoots are more grueling and longer than one would expect. All crew members, whether Make-A-Wish staff or otherwise, must put the child and their family first during any production. This means that we help create a comfortable environment, address any concerns in a friendly manner and always ask permission for engaging in any sensitive or personal matters.

Create an inviting environment.

When engaging in an interview with a child, friend or family member, keep the environment to a minimal amount of people in order to minimize distractions or possible intimidation.

Invite narrative over commentary.

When conducting an interview, ask questions that welcome descriptive narrative responses. For example, leading with a question like “Can you describe the moment (be specific and detailed) that you met Selena Gomez?” will paint a picture for the audience that will welcome a shared experience. Commentary driven questions such as “What did you think of the experience?” often result in flat, short responses that will ultimately be forgettable.

Capture beautiful, crisp and well lit video.

It is important that our videos reflect the Make-A-Wish brand commitment to honor the child, which includes portraying our subjects in a beautiful manner while maintaining high-quality standards of production. Ensure our subjects are in focus, utilizing a shallow depth of field when appropriate. Be conscious of poorly lit subjects or scenes and compensate with professional lighting as needed.

Capture appropriate b-roll.

When supporting a narrative-driven video, capture plenty of good b-roll (extra footage to help enhance the story). If you have the luxury of capturing b-roll after an interview or a narrative is established, seek out b-roll that can support this. Some b-roll should cover people other than the child as the hero.

Capture high-quality audio.

Audio is as important as the visual capture in any video production. Avoid environments with sporadic background noises and utilize audio equipment that records high-quality audio.

Minimize shake.

Due to the (light) weight of a phone, it is easy to shoot video or photos with significant shake. We recommend stabilizing the phone by supporting it with a solid surface or tripod, or by using two hands.

Be conscious of available light.

Utilize available daylight whenever possible and supplement additional lighting sources as needed. Please note that shooting video on a phone typically requires more light than when capturing a still image. This tends to become more obvious when shooting inside or at dusk. We recommend simply being aware of this when engaging with mobile video.

Avoid zooming in.

Zooming in on a photo or video will compromise the quality of the image and/or produce a grainy picture. We recommend leaving the phone in its native state while shooting.

Be conscious of composition.

The native lens a phone utilizes is typically considered wider than what may be available with professional cameras or lenses. Because of this (and our recommendation NOT to utilize the zoom feature), there will be a need for the photographer/videographer to move closer to the subject in order to maximize the composition and increase detail. We recommend moving as close to the subject as appropriate and as needed without distraction.

Shoot horizontal.

Although we often utilize our phones in the vertical format, it is important to capture video footage in the horizontal format (16:9) as this will be the format in which the videos will be experienced. Photos can be captured in vertical format when the subject or scene calls for it, but this will most likely be in a limited state.