FAQ
THE FUTURE OF ON-LOCATION SHOOTING
WHY
WHY SHOULD I WORK WITH YOU?
IS IT NOT CHEAPER TO SHOOT IN STUDIO?
Absolutely.
WHY SHOULD I SHOOT ON-LOCATION?
Well executed On-Location content is brand changing.
BOOKING
FOR WHEN CAN I BOOK PRODUCTION SLOTS?
We are open for On-Location bookings in the period for the months of January, February and March 2023.
HOW CAN I BOOK A PRODUCTION SLOT?
We are currently working on a direct-booking solution. For now, you can check availablity by sending me a message.
PRICE
DO I PAY PER IMAGE?
You pay per on-location production. Our price per image is based on the entire on-location shoot budget divided by the number of final images.
HOW MUCH DO I PAY PER ON-LOCATION SHOOT DAY?
We offer different solutions for differrent budgets. Please inquire for an intake.
HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO OFFER AT 60% OF A EUROPEAN PRODUCTION?
Cape Town is the home of many productions, ranging from fashion campaigns to elaborate Netflix film productions. We work with the international best, at local rates, with no additional lodging costs.
WHAT DOES THE BUDGET INCLUDE?
The budget generally includes production, collection room, location scouting, photography, crew, model(s), styling, props, lighting and production equipment, locations fees, pre-selection and 6 months worth of buy-out for online usage.
WHAT DOES THE BUDGET NOT INCLUDE?
The budget does not include concept, art-direction, shot list, storyboard, transport of merchandise, flights and lodging of additional crew, retouch, edit and print-usage.
WHAT DOES THE FINAL BUDGET DEPEND ON?
The final budget depends foremost on the number of shoot days, in addition to the number of models, an additional videotographer, specific props, exclusive locations, retouch or edits.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY VALUE?
Value means you get what you need at a great price.
WHY IS IT SO MUCH CHEAPER TO BOOK MULTIPLE ON-LOCATION SHOOT DAYS?
By batching our on-location shoot days back to back, we maximise time in pre-production so we save time and money for everyone involved, increasing the value of your production.
WE ARE A BRAND. CAN WE BOOK MULTIPLE ON-LOCATION SHOOT DAYS FOR DIFFERENT SEASONS AND COLLECTIONS?
Yes. We recommend shooting back-to-back with advanced pre-production to increase value.
WE ARE AN AGENCY. CAN WE BOOK MULTIPLE ON-LOCATION SHOOT DAYS FOR DIFFERENT CLIENTS?
Yes. We recommend shooting back-to-back with advanced pre-production to increase value.
ART-DIRECTION
WHAT IS A TREATMENT?
A treatment deck is a visual guide for all creatives involved to help bring the concept to life.
WE ARE A BRAND. DO YOU OFFER ART-DIRECTION?
Absolutely. We offer creative direction and art-direction to help your marketing department tell your story.
WE ARE A BRAND. CAN YOU WRITE US A TREATMENT?
Yes. We are talented creatives. We would love to write a treatment as an additional service.
WHAT METHODOLOGY DO YOU USE?
I use The Protagonist Trinity.
WHAT IS THE PROTAGONIST TRINITY?
The Protagonist Trinity is a psychological analysis of your brand as persona. It combines Mazlow's hierarchy of needs, Plutchik wheel of emotions and Jungian archetypes.
WHY DO YOU USE THE PROTAGONIST TRINITY?
I use the Protagonist Trinity to get to the core emotional truth of the story. This helps you tell your story in perfect clarity.
WE ARE AN AGENCY. CAN OUR ART-DIRECTOR WORK DIRECTLY WITH YOU?
Yes. We enjoy working with the best. We require a treatment deck and shot list to bring your vision as art-director to life.
CAN YOU MAKE A SHOT LIST FOR PHOTOGRAPHY BASED ON THE TREATMENT?
Yes. We offer creating a shot list based on your treatment as an additional service.
CAN YOU MAKE A STORY BOARD FOR VIDEO BASED ON THE TREATMENT?
Yes. We offer creating a storyboard based on your treatment as an additional service.
PRE-PRODUCTION
WHY IS PRE-PRODUCTION SO IMPORANT?
On location-shooting is risk-management. We are experts in risk-management. The better the pre-production, the less surprises on set, the better the creative outcome.
WHAT DOES PRE-PRODUCTION ENTAIL?
My team and I love to make decisions with you. The pre-production involves signing-off budget, concept, transport, dates, crew, models, equipment, styling, props, shot list, locations and weather planning so we can do what we do best, shoot.
WE ARE A FASHION BRAND. HOW DO WE GET THE MERCHANDISE IN THE COUNTRY?
We help you to get your collection into South Africa as safe and quickly as possible, through our network of worldwide transportation partners.
HOW LONG DOES THE TRANSPORT OF THE MERCHANDISE TAKE?
Transport by ship takes around 6 weeks. We also offer transport by air through our worldwide partners, which can be arranged in a matter of days.
DO WE HAVE A COLLECTION ROOM?
Yes. A collection room is included in the production budget.
PRODUCTION
WHAT ABOUT THE RAIN?
The summer season in Cape Town is from January - March. It ensures us blue skies. As an extra fail-safe, we built in weather days, a stand-by day for artists and crew.
HOW MANY HOURS CAN WE SHOOT?
Our crew is at your disposal for 10 hours per on-location production day.
CAN WE SHOOT MORE THAN 10 HOURS?
Yes. We can extend the number of hours on set at an additional rate.
ARE WE SHOOTING THE WHOLE DAY?
No. We work with natural light. Most of our shots will the morning and afternoons, in particular during the Golden Hour.
WHAT IS THE GOLDEN HOUR?
The golden hour is the last hour before sunset, in which the colours ar the most vibrant. We advise this time for the Money Shot.
WHAT IS THE MONEY SHOT?
The Money Shot is your most important key visual.
DOES THAT MEAN WE SIT AROUND AT HIGH NOON?
No. We use the time around high noon to prepare the set for the afternoon.
WHAT IS A LOOK?
A look is one setting on the shot list that has been pre-produced and has confirmed combination of outfits, model(s), props and location.
HOW MANY LOOKS CAN WE DO PER DAY?
We shoot a maximum of 10 looks per on-location production day.
HOW MANY FINAL IMAGES DO I RECIEVE?
We offer alternative angles with up to 5 images per look. This makes a total of maximum 50 final images per day.
ARE 50 IMAGES PER DAY ENOUGH?
If you are a brand that posts twice per week, you will have 6 months worth of breathtaking on-location content.
WHAT IF WE WANT A CAMPAIGN WITH LESS IMAGES?
We love attention to detail. A limited number of final images does not affect the total on-location shoot budget.
IMAGES
HOW BIG IS MY PRE-SELECTION?
We include circa 200 images in our contact sheet, out of which you can select your final 50 images per day.
CAN I PICK ADDITIONAL FINAL IMAGES?
Yes. You can.
IN WHAT FORMAT ARE MY FINAL IMAGES?
You will recieve your final images as flattened TIFF in addition to uncompressed JPG format at 21 megapixel.
WE WANT TO DO LARGE PRINT CAMPAIGN. DO YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFOREHAND?
Yes. Please let us know and we will shoot at double the resolution or higher, depending on the size of the billboard. It will affect the equipment budget.
IS RETOUCH INCLUDED IN THE PRODUCTION BUDGET?
No. Retouch is part of the Post-Production budget.
DO YOU DO YOUR OWN RETOUCH?
Yes. Colour grading is a vital part of my workflow and signature.
WE ARE AN AGENCY, CAN WE DO THE RETOUCH IN-HOUSE?
Yes. Artist integrity is an important value to me. I require to sign off on the final images before publication.
DO YOU FORMAT THE IMAGES FOR US?
No. We offer landscape and portrait images in our pre-selection. The final images are in high resolution and can be cropped in any format. We love to recommend a suitable partner for you.
DO YOU OFFER DESIGN SERVICES?
No. We love to recommend a suitable partner for you.
VIDEO
CAN I INCLUDE A VIDEO?
Yes. We recommend including video. We work with the best cinematographers in Cape Town.
WHY WOULD I INCLUDE VIDEO?
Video increases your brand value. With the advent of Insta Reels and TikTok, we advise you to include a cinematographer on set.
WHAT ARE MY DELIVERABLES FOR VIDEO?
We offer (1) a brand video. This includes a dedicated storyboard, direction, video and edit. In addition we offer (2) additional 10x edits for Insta Reels and TikTok.
WE ARE AN AGENCY. CAN WE DO THE EDIT IN-HOUSE?
Yes. You receive a hard drive up to 50gb raw footage per day, that you can edit in-house. Artist integrity is an important value to me. I require to sign off on the final edit(s) before publication.
IN WHAT FORMAT COMES THE VIDEO?
Our deliverables are in 4K resolution at 60FPS, in both landscape and portrait format. We can shoot at a higher frame rate if needed.
HOW MUCH DOES VIDEO COST?
Adding video will increase the total production budget by around 30 percent.
PRODUCTION VALUE
WHAT LOCATIONS DO YOU OFFER?
Cape Town is known for its natural beauty. In terms of scenery, we can move from the Sahara desert to the Hamptons in matter of one hour. In addition, the city offers the most exclusive villa’s to give you the Californian glow or we can use the streets of Woodstock to express a more urban grit. Please inquire for all options.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE STYLING?
Styling includes a full outfit per model per look. For apparel brands the looks will be complemented with shoes, scarfs, heads and other accessoires, in line with the treatment.
WE WORK WITH OUR OWN STYLIST, CAN WE BRING HIM/HER?
Absolutely. We enjoy working with the best.
WHAT KIND OF PROPS CAN WE EXPECT?
We have huge prop warehouses available to my creative team. This includes set-dressing, like furniture and plants, from inflatables to vintage cars. On request, we offer set-building and custom made carpeting.
CAN WE CHOOSE OUR OWN MODELS?
Yes. All models will be signed-off by you. We offer a casting or video casting with a wild variety of local and international models available for your on-location shoot.
WHAT KIND OF PHOTOGRAPHY CAN WE EXPECT?
Our team has extensive background in fashion and lifestyle. We are experts in making brands luxurious. Please visit my instagram to asses if we are aesthetically a fit.
WHAT CLIENTS DO YOU WORK FOR?
We offer the Future of On-Location Shooting to fashion brands, beauty brands, real-estate firms, financial service providers and beverage makers.
REMOTE SHOOTING
WHAT IS REMOTE SHOOTING?
Remote shooting is a revolutionary way for art-directors and other brand stakeholders to take control of the outcome from the (home) office.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN REMOTE SHOOTING?
Remote Shooting includes a live connection on set with our producer and a cloud solution for the realtime results per look.
WHY SHOULD I USE REMOTE SHOOTING?
Remote shooting allows you to save both time and money and still get the results you want.
BUY-OUT
IS BUY-OUT INCLUDED?
Yes. The first 6 months of buy-out are included. This entails online usage only.
DOES THIS BUY-OUT INCLUDE PRINT?
No. For print we offer an additional solution, depending on your exact wishes. Please inquire.
WHEN DOES THE BUY-OUT CYCLE STARTS
The buy-out cycle starts after the final selection has been received by our team.
CAN WE EXTEND THE BUY-OUT CYCLE?
Yes. You can extend the buy-out cycle for another 6 months.
LET US FIND OUT IF WE ARE A FIT.
Prefer email? stefan@stefanmarcelgerard.com