A behind-the-scenes promotional video does more than highlight the backstory of a photoshoot. It is also a professional bio, showing who the photographer is and the energy they bring to a set. Philadelphia-based sports photographer Steve Boyle was looking for a video reel edit of BTS footage for a few recent projects. He had a lot of great footage from working with former Sixers star Jahlil Okafor and from a Core Power campaign featuring star athletes like Tony Romo. He wanted to find an upbeat way to showcase these productions and display them on his website and social media. We worked together to find music, transitions, and narrative styles that would introduce Steve’s personality to potential clients before he ever stepped foot on set.
I finally got around to finding the time to build a BTS gallery for my site and knew that I was sitting on some BTS footage from some past shoots. It was time to pull the trigger and start sharing a bit more about myself and my personality. Inspired by several photographer friends, I was convinced that I needed a BTS page that said, “Look at me: I’m so fun! Hire me and we can have fun on set together!”
Like our other consulting services at Wonderful Machine, a BTS video reel edit begins with a call. We discussed the goal of the video and its intended audience. We also determined what platform the video will be displayed on and how much original footage there was. This helped in developing both the technical and creative direction. Some photographers have compiled hours of content during long shoot days and there’s no easy way to comb through these files as a video editor. Once we had a scope of the initial footage we set a schedule. We broke the project into three stages: music, editing, and final revision.
On our call, Steve and I decided that the CorePower video would follow the chronological order of each set day. That way the audience could follow along with all the production details that came together on set, and see how each of the four photoshoots operated under Steve’s direction. He asked that we include a good amount of footage of football star Tony Romo. It’s clear from his big smile and easy energy why he’s a great subject to photograph on set. Because the Okafor footage was from just a single photoshoot with one subject, it left more room to play around with the narrative style and effects.
The goal of the video was to showcase the level of production I provide, the quality of talent and crew that I work with, and the energy and hands-on direction that I bring to a set.
Overall, we agreed to keep the tone upbeat and fun. We found complementary music to tie the two videos together. Having recently attended a Sixers game in Philadelphia, I was inspired by the hip-hop songs that most players use for their “walk-up” introductions. Using the platform Epidemic Sound I curated a playlist for Steve. It included a combination of old-school, trap, and funky hip-hop beats. Steve and I both loved the song “Things On My Mind” by The New Fools, as it incorporated fun and lively crowd cheers. When looking for music for the CorePower video, we came back to the same sounds, genre, and energy, and used another song by the same artist, “Would if I Could.” This enabled the two videos to feel cohesive when appearing on Steve’s website, despite their showcasing different photoshoots.
For me, music is an integral part of how you edit clips and build momentum in your videos. I always like to bring the audio file into Premiere and add markers for the beats that would make for great transition points. Once those are indicated, it’s a matter of figuring out the flow of the story. For the Core Power video, this was all about the balance between the different athletes.
When you’re editing footage that you didn’t film yourself it’s also important to look out for ways to transition your clips. Clips that move in the same direction are always complementary, and similar colors (like bright whites from a camera flash) can help you transition from one to the other seamlessly. Color-grading can also be a difficult element to handle when the footage is taken from different cameras and in different locations. Thankfully Premiere has the ability to adjust white balance and other elements in one clip. You can then copy this over to all the other clips that need the same adjustments.
Both videos turned out great! Steve was excited about the behind-the-scenes look at his business, which also gave an intimate view of his charisma and connection to the clients and talent on set.
Liz was great to work with, responding quickly and listening carefully to feedback. I hope it gives clients, viewers, and fans a glimpse of life behind the scenes at Steve Boyle Photo. Ideally, it becomes an emailer that I send to select clients. And, if nothing else, it gives me some content to share on social media.
Further Reading
Crew: Post Production (Video)
Expert Advice: Optimizing Images and Video for the Web
Guide: Behind the Scenes Video
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