Tips for Food Video Content Creation: Pre-Production
Creating captivating food video content requires more than just culinary skills. The pre-production is what can set you up for either failure or success. From conceptualizing the idea to mapping out shots to gathering ingredients and props, every step plays an essential role in staying organized and streamlining the creation process.
When approaching your content creation, start by building out a content brief. This document will contain everything you need to execute your content. This will also keep the process more seamless with a guide you can check off as you go. Your content brief should include a few basic categories: Objective, Inspiration, Shot List, Styling & Props, and Location & Background.
Objective
All details of your content should be centered around your objective. This is the first part you should identify before the other categories because it will serve as an overall view of the project before getting into the nitty-gritty details. Are you showcasing a specific brand or product? Is this for a holiday campaign? Are you recreating a viral recipe? Flesh out all aspects of your objective in creating this video.
Inspiration
Finding reference videos or images is a great way to gather inspiration. The references don’t necessarily need to be about the same topic, in our case food, but you could find a certain editing style, camera angle, or stylized set-up that you can pull inspiration from. If you are creating branded content that needs to follow a specific style, you can include a few examples of existing content from that brand. If not, think outside the box! Pinterest is a great resource for finding curated imagery that will spark your creativity.
Shot List
This will be your step-by-step guide to executing your content. Here is your opportunity to describe your plan and the shots needed. Map out your desired camera angle, such as overhead, close-up, POV, eye level, etc. For video, go line by line and detail the order of the shots (ex: eye level shot pouring dressing on salad). If there are specifics you don't want to forget, such as remembering to show a brand product or label, this is also a great place to jot that down.
Styling & Props
The styling of your content is a huge factor that is sometimes difficult to imagine before actually shooting. This step is still important to list anything you think you may need. Using your references and inspiration, list props you currently have that will fit visually. If you are missing any items, then this is your chance to plan accordingly. Don’t be afraid to get crafty! You don’t always need to have the fanciest kitchen to make great content.
Location & Background
The location of your shoot can dictate a few more details to think through. Does the location require a certain type of weather? Content creators love using natural light, especially for food content. This is something to think about if your light source is a window that will require a sunny day. Using backdrops is an extremely popular method food creators have been relying on for years. This allows you to change up your style easily for an affordable cost. If you aren’t happy with your current kitchen countertops or want something different, investing in some backdrops will take your content to the next level.
You can be as detailed as you would like. When working with clients, it is best to be as descriptive as possible and have them approve your content brief before getting started. If it's for your page, this will help you especially if you are shooting multiple photos/videos in one day to keep you on track and stay organized. On the shooting day, you may find something you wrote doesn’t go as planned, and that's okay! The purpose of the content brief is to be a guiding document that allows you to iron out any details before shooting. Spending this time on the pre-production of content creation will be the key to a smooth and seamless shoot!
Foodie Tribe is an Influencer and Social Media Marketing agency. To learn more about our work, and contact us visit foodietribe.com!