If you want to shoot a video production in Melbourne but haven’t been here before, read for some tips and advice to get you started. Melbourne isn’t a complicated or daunting place to wor,k but it helps when you know how to get what you need quickly. Ensuring the little details are all covered and planned for will ensure your production runs smoothly without any costly delays.
Getting About
Melbourne’s modern infrastructure makes communicating and getting around pretty easy. The trip from the airport shouldn’t take more than an hour on public transport and will be even quicker in a car or cab. Most accommodation has Wi-Fi and telephone facilities once you get to where you’re staying. If you get around by car, remember that during peak hour traffic, your journey time could skyrocket, especially in central Melbourne.
The Melbourne Weather
Melbourne is notorious for fitting every season into one day. If you see that it’s sunny when you head out, be prepared for that to change. Packing a jacket or an umbrella is fine, but if you’re planning to shoot outdoors, you might need to consider the possibility of rain and wind.
Ask yourself if you can get the shots you need if the weather changes. If the answer is no, then preparing a flexible timetable or some kind of backup is a good idea. Before you start the day, it’s always worth checking the Bureau of Meteorology website for their predictions.
Crew
Getting a crew isn’t tricky, but you must ensure you get the right one for the job. Ask yourself precisely what you need from a crew and ensure you share those needs with anybody before hiring them. A standard working day might vary from country to country.
One question we often ask is, Does your crew work for 8 hours or 10 hours? Some production crews call a standard day 8 hours. At DreamEngine, we have found that 10-hour working days are better for our clients and are happy to accommodate this.
For more tips on choosing the right crew, see our previous blog post, “What to ask yourself when choosing a Melbourne Corporate Video Company.” Don’t forget to keep in mind the output for your video production; in Australia, we use the PAL system, so you might need to specify your intentions for the final product so that it’s consistent with your country’s broadcast standards.
Equipment
If you need equipment on the day but couldn’t bring or don’t own, there are a few places in Melbourne that you can hire from. Lemac is a great place to rent video equipment like specialty lights or cameras, but many other places in Melbourne can do this, too. Remember that they rent equipment, not operators, so you’ll need to know how to work it all yourself or find somebody who does.
Dream Engine has a great range of in-house equipment, such as video sliders, autocue, Steadicam, and lighting, and it has the advantage of a crew that knows exactly how to operate it all. If you do choose to use your own equipment, though, it’s good to keep places like Pro Hi-Tech in your contact book if anything goes wrong and you need camera repairs.
If you need a space you can control more, you might also need to hire a studio. Docklands Studios is one example of a very large and flexible studio setup, but for simple shoots like interviews, production companies will most likely either have their own studio space or at least a good relationship with an independent one.
So this is a little introduction to Melbourne to get you started. If you want to get some more information or discuss any upcoming production, then I’d love to get in touch. You can do this easily by leaving your details on our contact page.
Ryan Spanger is one of Melbourne’s most respected and sought-after video production professionals. Ryan founded Dream Engine in 2002, and specialises in helping medium to large corporates, government departments, and the non-profit sector to connect with their audience more effectively by using video.
