What to Wear on a Video Shoot

What to wear, what not to wear on a video shoot

What to wear on a video production or photo shoot is a question we’re asked a lot by actors and models. Following a few simple guidelines makes life easier for both the production crew and post production editors, and helps save time deciding what to wear.

For a fashion or clothing shoot or bigger-budget films and commercials, the wardrobe is most likely supplied by the client or studio, but that’s not the case for the majority of projects most production companies work on.

As you’ll see in this guide, choosing your outfit doesn’t need to be complicated. A good place to start is to ask the Creative Director for guidance, don’t be afraid to ask for feedback!

Clothing worn by actors on one of our recent shoots - the pink dress works as it's not too bright!

Wear solid, rich colours

Solid colours are the safest bet when filming. Off-white colours like cream, coral and greys usually work well, as do earthy tones and pastels. For darker tones try navy, purple, green or blue.

Wherever possible wear something that’s warm/cool enough and comfortable. Solid colours can also be used to create contrast with your background - if you're shooting in front of a green screen, stick with darker tones (not green of course!).

When you wear black, keep in mind that it will absorb much of the light around it. This can make details less visible through a camera lens so wearing a colour can be beneficial.

White can work when filming in a studio under controlled light conditions.

Avoid complicated patterns like herringbones, plaids, checks and stripes

We know you love your stripes and checks, but when it comes to video, they're a no-go. The same goes for plaids, especially large ones. Plus, large horizontal stripes can create wavy rivers across your screen while small vertical ones may appear to dance around making it impossible for viewers to focus on anything else.

Avoid wearing bright colours

Bright or hot colours like red, yellow, orange, pink and neon can be distracting and overbearing on screen. These colours can make it difficult for viewers to pay attention to what you are saying or doing in the video instead of focusing on the bright imagery, hence their frequent use in K-Pop videos ;)

Bright white tends to be difficult to see on camera and make exposing properly difficult since it’s very reflective, especially when filming outdoors in bright light.

If you have a specific piece of clothing that you really want to wear but aren't sure about the colour choice, ask the Creative Director from the production company or lead creative ahead of time if they think it will work well with the lighting used during filming.

Keep jewellery to a minimum

If you're wearing earrings and a necklace, that's fine. But if you want your production to be effective (and not detract from the story/message), don't wear something that will be too distracting. For example, if you’re shooting a close up where the hands will be in shot, a big watch can be jarring to the viewer.

Avoid noisy jewellery or any that might make noise when moving around the microphone (e.g. jangly bracelets or necklaces).

If possible, avoid flashy pieces with reflective surfaces; they'll reflect light off the lens and can cause glare or distortion in your footage.

Consider bringing multiple options to the shoot

When you're shooting a video, it's important to be comfortable and confident.

You want to look good on camera, but also feel good while you're shooting.

So what should you wear?

The best thing you can do is bring a few options. For example, if you're going to be standing in front of the camera for most of the shoot, make sure that your outfit is comfortable enough for standing around all day long (and maybe even moving around). On the other hand, if there's going to be some action shots where we'll need some movement from our subject(s), they should probably wear something they can move easily in.

Wear clothing that allow you to move freely during filming

If you're going to be running around and jumping, make sure your clothing allows for that, they should be easy to move in and well-fitting.

We hope this article has given you some tips on what to wear and what not to wear on your video and photo shoots. Contact us for a quotation!