When it comes to storytelling, much like with real estate, it’s all about location, location, location. Imagine your favorite movie or tv show without its signature “where”. Seriously, what would Friends be without Central Perk? We can’t even think about it!

Whether as quaint as your office or as grand as the city you love, your location has a great impact on the effectiveness of your story. Change the Bates Motel to the Bates Gas Station and you’d change the whole plot of Psycho. Could you imagine Norman Bates as a gas station attendee? Wait, maybe we’re on to something (possible spin-off??).

When a writer sits down to write a book or a script, one of the first things he or she considers is where the story will take place. Why? It adds to the relatability of the narrative and sets the tone for everything else.

Before any shoot, we always like to go out and scout the location. This helps us determine the best angles, discover scenery details that could be important, and understand how people relate to the location in everyday life. With this knowledge, we know exactly what and how to capture the environment to strengthen the story. Here are a few techniques we use to set your scene.

360 Video

This immersive form of video capture places your audience in the midst of your environment and creates a unique experience that viewers can interact with in real time. 360 video production allows you to showcase your entire location—from every angle.

Although the audience can’t manipulate objects in the environment as they might with VR video, 360 video can still make the audience feel as if they’ve been dropped directly into your story. As a result, your audience becomes part of the narrative. This deeper connection to your brand often results in a higher buy-in rate, which in turn drives action.

Aerial Video

Drones have made this form of video capture quite popular. Even if you’ve lived in a place your entire life, there are probably some views you rarely see. Aerial video allows a storyteller to showcase this bird’s eye perspective and highlight the wonder of the area. With aerial video, your audience can get a real sense of the largeness (or intimate nature) of your location.

Think of aerial video as the backdrop for your story—it gives your audience insight into the bigger picture. If the primary location of your video is your office, adding some aerial footage of the neighborhood can give the audience a better understanding of how your brand fits into the community.

Traditional B-Roll

Advancements in video technology have led to more premium feeling forms of location capture. But B-roll still has a place at the table. This footage can include different angles of your central location or shots of the exterior of the building or even travel between locations. Each shot helps to enhance your storyline.

As with the other techniques, B-roll shots should be planned out in advance. This helps ensure that you are capturing meaningful shots and makes post-production much easier.

Capturing your location is important to telling your story. Don’t get intimidated by the different ways to highlight your location and set the scene of your next video. That’s what the Bottle Rocket team is here for. We will work with you to understand your goals and identify the best ways to capture your environment and craft your story. Let us do the heavy lifting so you can focus on just being you.