Studio Setup Examples by Industry

J (Owner - Production Manager/Videographer):
Okay. Here we go. Parent topic: Main Studio. Child topic: Studio Setup Examples by Industry. I'm here with Vee again. Once again, back at it. We're going to talk about things we've seen in the Main Studio, examples of how it's been used across industries. There are quite a few: mainly photography, videography, and events.

I'll start with an open. Two examples I’ve seen are in the photography space. When you think of the Main Studio and see that giant 32-foot cyc wall and the lighting grid, you wouldn’t expect it to be used for photography. But recently, a photographer came in to do portraiture for a law firm. They used Apple boxes (which come complimentary with the Main Studio) to stage the height of each person, so the camera didn’t have to move on the tripod. They brought in large Profoto umbrellas and a custom strobe kit, and within two hours - our two-hour minimum - they captured the whole firm with a seamless backdrop.

Vee (Production Manager):
Another industry that’s used the studio is automotive. We had a shoot where someone brought in a golf cart. There were even inquiries about bringing in an ambulance, which is possible because of our dock door in the back of the studio. The automotive industry can definitely make use of this space.

Then there’s the music industry. Our most recent shoot was an entire music video, fifteen hours long. Pretty big project.

J:
Right, and product photography too. We had a custom firearm manufacturer come in. It was a single product shot, but they used the entire cyc wall to capture the depth of field they wanted. The lighting setup made everything accessible.

Let me loop back to the golf cart and music video. For the golf cart, a client, Donago EV - drove carts right from a semi-truck onto the cyc wall using the loading dock. We immediately began shooting macros and micros, wheels, Bluetooth touchscreen, EV design, all the features. It was a great shoot because we had the space to achieve proper depth of field and isolate features.

For the music video, we used a haze machine. We prepped by covering all the smoke detectors using the foot booties from the cyc wall floor. It took about an hour using our complimentary 10-foot ladder. This allowed us to fill the room with haze for volumetric lighting. We also staged different scenes - like a bedroom or living room, by pulling in couches, tables, TVs, etc., right through the dock door. We turned the entire space into a functional set quickly.

Vee:
Events have been another big use. One of the largest clients was a piping company doing instructional-style videos. They had a full desk setup, sort of like a newscast. Everything was mic’d up. It was kind of like a podcast layout, used for safety training and internal communications.

J:
Right... and they used faux walls and custom table builds for the setup. Everything was brought in on casters and built right on the main stage.

Also, we’re a member of the Dallas Producers Association. We host a quarterly DPA Game Night in the studio. We stage the main studio with cocktail tables, buffet-style food tables, games, and even audio announcements via our Bluetooth sound system. It’s not just a networking space, it becomes a full-fledged event center with mood lighting and controlled sound.

Vee:
I love it.

J:
Cool. Cool. That wraps up Studio Setup Examples by Industry.