How to Film Behind-The-Scenes Footage

On a shoot, it’s natural to want to focus 100% of your attention on capturing the story at hand, but what goes on behind the camera also deserves some attention. Capturing behind-the scenes (BTS) content can be a powerful tool for any production. It engages your audience by offering an inside peek of the filmmaking process and it humanizes the brands and companies behind the content. Sure, behind-the-scenes filming takes a little extra effort, but with the right mindset and the right equipment, your bonus content could create some great engagement!

Whether you like to stay behind the camera or you want to take your vlog content to the next level , learn how a little BTS footage can go a long way.

Why You Should Create Behind-The-Scenes Videos

With so many social media platforms at our fingertips, there’s an insatiable demand for content. At the same time, creators can’t do it all, there are only so many hours in a day. By setting up an extra camera to capture the behind-the-scenes story, you can get more content out of the same shoot. 

There are many benefits to capturing behind-the-scenes content. You can:

• Give your followers an ‘inside’ look at your creative process
• Connect with your audience in a relatable and human way
• Highlight the hard work you put into the filmmaking process
• Share production tips and tricks to help colleagues in the industry
• Build your brand and differentiate yourself from competitors
• Create bonus content for your social media feed

Now that you see the power and potential of behind-the-scenes content, let’s talk tactics.

Planning Your BTS Filming Strategy

Like all production, when filming behind-the-scenes, set yourself up for success and plan ahead. It helps to have your finger on the pulse on everything that’s happening, so you can prioritize and strategize. Filming BTS footage tends to require a more time, so pad your shoot schedule accordingly.

Setting up a behind-the-scenes camera could be simple or complex. To get started, you’ll need a camera or your phone and a tripod, and possibly a microphone and light. On bigger crews, you might have a dedicated filmmaker or photographer to capture the behind-the-scenes story. If you’re flying solo, you’ll need some extra time to switch gears to set up and position an additional camera.

Most importantly, identify your goals. Perhaps a behind the scenes short film is packaged to your client as an extra deliverable. Or, perhaps your goal is to focus on behind the scenes photography. On the other hand, maybe your behind the scenes footage is intended for your own use. You could capture footage to use in a future promotional sizzle reel or upload short vertical video clips to your daily Instagram Stories.

With the end goal in mind, you can determine the key shots to capture. In some cases, you might follow the entire step by step process—packing your gear, flying or driving to the shoot, getting set up on location, filming behind the scenes footage of the production, jumping into the edit, seeing the final video on YouTube or Instagram, etc. Alternatively, you could decide to only capture a few key moments on set, so you can ignore everything else. Making these decisions before you get started will help you manage your time.

While you’re at it, think through the details. Do you need interviews or will you record an introduction to camera to explain what you’re working on today—you might need a mic. Will you add VO and on-screen captions later—you’ll need to compose your shots to make room for graphics. For creative shots, think a step ahead.  If you want to capture timelapse footage of you setting up, have your BTS camera ready before you arrive.It's easy to get carried away capturing BTS content, so make sure you have a plan. Even though the goal is to capture the reality of the production, it pays to come prepared, so you can capture the essence of all the behind-the-scenes action.

Camera:
For simple shoots, your camera may not be manned. Think through your camera settings before you walk away. If you can’t babysit your camera, are there some auto-settings you could use?  Perhaps you want to lock down your focus or perhaps you want to auto-focus to follow you with face detection. Maybe you want to set your exposure manually, or maybe you want your camera to auto adjust if the light changes. Think through the best camera settings for each situation and check your camera frequently. It’s the worst when you run out of battery or space and don’t even realize it!

Support:
If you don’t have a dedicated BTS filmmaker on your crew, a tripod can come in handy to get the shot with low effort. Flexible tripods for a compact camera or your phone make it easy to set it and forget it!

Sound:
Level up your BTS content with quality sound. We all know built-in phone mics and in-camera audio is not the best. Mobile microphones are lightweight plug-and-play options to capture ambient sounds or dialogue when in close proximity.

Light:
When possible, utilizing natural light can make for an easy set up. But for more advanced shots, investing in a lighting kit will be well worth it, especially if you’re creating a home studio so you’re ready at any moment. When traveling, mini LED lights might come in handy to give you a bump of light without weighting you down.

Media:
Extra memory cards are always helpful to have on hand, so you never run out of space to capture B-ROLL and other magical moments on camera.

Composition and Angle Variations

To give yourself plenty of options for the edit, capture a wide variety of shots. Have a play with different compositions and camera angles. If you capture a timelapse during set up using a tripod in the back of the room, for the next shot, move the tripod to the front of the room to get another angle.

Here are some ideas:

• Grab a static wide-angle frame on a tripod to capture timelapse footage of the full production like a fly on the wall.
• Capture run and gun style handheld footage which naturally adds subtle movement to your shots and gives a real sense of being in the moment. Try to follow different members of the crew to get a sense of what their role involves. Mix in some nice close-ups with medium and wide shots.
• Have a play with specialty shots--rack focuses, slow motion, timelapses, hyperlapses, etc.
• Consider capturing sit-down interviews and on-the-fly interviews with the creator or team members and have them explain the project. It’s always fun to hear about their passion for their craft, interesting details about the production, and unique challenges and successes! Asking questions in the moment while they’re working versus asking them later in a controlled setting will give you different results, give it a try.

Etiquette Tips For Working With Talent and Crew

Remember, while it’s a lot of fun to create content, not everyone may feel comfortable being included. If your shoot involves other people, whether talent or crew, get permission in advance so you can respect their privacy and protect your relationship. It’s also smart to outline the expectations for other people who want to post on social media.

Appearance release forms are a common way for on-camera talent to give permission to be included in the production. Make sure all uses and possible uses for the footage is included. Crew members often sign an independent contractor agreement or employee agreement that describes their participation in the production and possible marketing efforts. Be sure to read all the fine print to make sure your needs are covered.

Not having permission could have some consequences. Parties could ask to have the piece re-edited or taken down, they could ask for additional payment, or at extreme, they could file a lawsuit. Be sure to CYA and get permission before the cameras start rolling. For larger productions, it’s good practice to make mention that BTS content will be captured during any pre-production calls and during an on-site meeting that happens before the shoot officially begins.

Of course, discuss with your client on what their policy is for social media and BTS capture, so you’re not revealing any trade secrets or positioning their brand in a negative light. Ask if it’s OK to post the BTS content in real time or if they prefer you publish the content after the final videos are released to the public. Communication goes a long way to build trust with your clients and colleagues.