Location scouting: the checklist we never skip.

Pretty loses to practical.

The most beautiful location in the deck can sink a shoot day. Our producers score every location on the unglamorous five before anyone falls in love with the windows.

The unglamorous five

Power: where are the outlets, and can they carry your lighting package without tripping the building? Parking: truck, van, client cars — within cable distance or a shuttle ride? Sun path: visit at the hour you will shoot, not at noon. Sound: stand still for two minutes and just listen. Access: elevators, load-in doors, quiet hours, neighbors who need a heads-up.

Photograph like an editor

Shoot the scout photos from the angles you will actually cut: wide masters, reverses, the ugly corners you must avoid. A scout deck of forty honest photos beats four hundred pretty ones when the director plans the day.

Always have a wet-weather twin

Every exterior gets an interior backup within twenty minutes' drive, permitted and pre-lit on paper. The day you need it, this paragraph will feel like the smartest money on the budget.