Video Pre-Production Checklist: 24 Items for Hong Kong Brands + Free Video Pre Shoot Checklist (Word)
The costliest shoot-day failure is rarely a broken camera. It is discovering that the founder has twenty minutes, the fridge ruins the audio, the venue will not move furniture, the packaging is obsolete, or nobody ordered a vertical version. Pre-production moves irreversible decisions forward.
Define the job in one sentence
Complete: “Help this audience, in this situation, understand this point and take this action.” That sentence drives the script, people, location, duration, aspect ratios, captions and CTA. Three objectives in one sentence usually means three videos.
What each phase must produce
Phase | Decision | Output | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
Objective | Audience, message, CTA, metric | One-line job, deliverables | Brand lead |
Creative | Script, storyboard, must-have shots | Script, shot list | Director / creative |
Location | Permission, power, audio, access | Recce note, plan | Producer |
People | Availability, wardrobe, consent | Call sheet, release | Producer / brand |
Rights | Assets, music, fonts, paid use | Rights list | Brand / legal |
Delivery | Ratios, captions, versions, approval | Naming and delivery matrix | Post / brand |
Location, talent and rights
Hong Kong does not require one general permit for every non-exclusive public-area shoot, but specific government premises, controlled facilities, road closures, replica uniforms, modified firearms or effects may require permission or notification. Confirm private-location access, power, noise, insurance and movable objects in writing. Confirm names, titles, availability, wardrobe and sensitive topics. Record the owner, platform, territory, term and paid-media rights for logos, fonts, music, images and archive footage. Commissioned-work ownership depends on the agreement.
Audio, power, backup and deliverables
Record room tone during the recce. Check air-conditioning, refrigeration, traffic, lifts, neighbouring music and echo. List microphones, headphones, power, batteries, cards and backup equipment. Decide the master, cut-downs, 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9, clean and captioned versions, caption files, covers and stills before shooting. W3C treats captions as text for speech and important non-speech audio.
Hong Kong planning budget and timeline
A simple half-day, one-location shoot with one master and two cut-downs may be planned at HK$20,000–60,000. Multiple locations, talent, art direction, animation, bilingual captions and many ratios may start around HK$50,000–150,000+. Allow three to six weeks. These are Allua planning ranges, not fixed quotations.
Free resource: Video Pre Shoot Checklist
Assign and track twenty-four preparation checks before filming. Get an editable Word version to adapt and reuse for your team.
Enter your email, choose how you’ll use the kit and confirm your consent to receive it by email.
Give every item a status, owner, due date and evidence link. Forty-eight hours before the shoot, review unfinished items and choose cancel, substitute or accept-risk. “Product ready” evidence should be a product list, visual reference and named owner—not a vague “done”.
01 | Objective: audience, situation, message and action.
02 | Success signal: choose one main measure.
03 | Deliverables: master, cut-downs, ratios, languages, captions and covers.
04 | Channels: website, Reels, YouTube, ads or sales decks.
05 | Script: purpose, visual, voice, on-screen text and CTA.
06 | Storyboard or shot list: mandatory, alternative and B-roll shots.
07 | Location consent: written approval, hours, areas and restrictions.
08 | Recce: light, sound, power, network and access.
09 | Permits and notices: premises, roads, effects and controlled items.
10 | Weather backup: relocation or postponement conditions.
11 | Talent list: names, titles, contacts and camera windows.
12 | Wardrobe and grooming: moiré, conflicts, noise and glare.
13 | Speaker preparation: topics, facts and boundaries—not memorisation.
14 | Releases: use, channels, edit, term and contact.
15 | Product state: samples, packaging, quantity, cleaning and continuity.
16 | Brand assets: logos, fonts, colours, imagery and guidelines.
17 | Facts and claims: name the approver.
18 | Copyright: music, images, fonts, archive, project files and reuse.
19 | Equipment: camera, lenses, support, lights, audio and backup.
20 | Power and storage: batteries, chargers, extensions, cards and drives.
21 | Audio test: record room tone and remove controllable noise.
22 | Call sheet: call, address, schedule, contacts, access, safety and contingency.
23 | On-set checks: focus, exposure, audio, continuity and must-have shots.
24 | Backup and handover: two copies, filenames, versions, owner and approval date.
Frequently asked questions
Does a small shoot need a call sheet?
Yes, even if it is one page. Include call time, address, schedule, talent windows, contacts, access, location rules, safety and weather contingency.
Can we decide vertical versus horizontal later?
You can crop, but the result is not equivalent. Subject position, product scale, captions and camera movement change. Mark shared shots and shots requiring a separate take.
Who gives final approval?
Use one final content approver, with named specialists for legal, brand and product facts. Several people with “final” authority usually means nobody owns the decision.
Turn the idea into shoot-ready documents
Share the objective, audience, channels, versions, location, talent, budget and timeline. Allua can prepare the script, storyboard, call sheet, production and multi-version edit. Contact Allua for a shoot-ready production pack
Creator partnership invitation
Directors, cinematographers, gaffers, sound recordists, hosts and video creators may submit official work through the Allua creator partnership form. Submission does not guarantee selection or work.
Confirm permits, personal data, copyright and safety requirements for the actual location and use. Pricing depends on quotation; this is not legal advice. Corrections are welcome.
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