Preparing for Your Wharton Production Project

Prepare for your Wharton Production project thoroughly by following our best practice guidelines below.


A video production environment can be intimidating to many presenters, particularly those who lack experience. Pre-production planning and preparation are the key elements to creating a successful, high-value presentation.

Whether it’s being filmed in the studio or on-location, we highly recommend showing up with your content fully scripted and rehearsed. It is far easier to make adjustments to existing content than it is to write new copy on the spot. 

Tell the production team as much about your project as possible. Not only will this help you translate your content into the video medium, but it will also allow the production team to make technical adjustments to better serve the project.

Create a Script or Outline

A fully scripted and rehearsed presentation or outline is required to be submitted to Wharton Production prior to your filming date. This will help keep the presenter focused and on-message, and it will give the crew points of reference to ensure that all aspects of the presentation are included in the final product.

Writing content in the studio or improvising material is strongly discouraged, is generally more laborious and has a higher rate of failure.

It is not recommended that you show up to a session without a well-rehearsed presentation.

Prepare

We strongly discourage last minute projects. These are frequently the types of projects that have a high rate of failure, or lack the high quality that our team is experienced in achieving.

If you show up to a session unprepared, the crew may elect to cancel and reschedule the session at a future time. This will ultimately save you time, and the end result will be a higher value production. In the event that a session fails due to performance issues, any studio setup and time will be considered billable.

Attire Guidelines

Don’t wear clothing with tight patterns

Checks, hounds-tooth or pin stripes cause an optical illusion that looks bad on video.

Busy is bad

Don’t wear clothing with bold patterns or geometric shapes. The audience will watch your clothes instead of you.

Colors to Avoid

Avoid wearing black, white, deep purples, bright orange or bright reds. These colors can cause problems on video.

For dress shirts, avoid bright white if possible

Solid-color shirts are best: blue, beige, off-white, etc. If you wear a bright white shirt or blouse, make sure to wear a darker jacket over it.

Jewelry

Watch out for jewelry that reflects light or makes noise, like bangles.

Eyeglasses

Wear them if you need them to see or if that is how people will recognize you. If your lenses are very shiny, the crew may adjust their position to avoid unwanted reflections.

Makeup and Hair

Just like how actors wear makeup on screen or stage, you may want to touch up your appearance and reduce perspiration.  You may want to bring a handkerchief or tissues to dab perspiration during breaks. Avoid vivid red lipstick or lip gloss; stick to softer tones and dab lips with a little powder.

If you’ll be wearing a tie, simple is best

Bring several options. Avoid complex patterns, thin lines, or bright reds and oranges.

Dress for your Skin Tone

For those with darker skin-tones, avoid wearing white or very light colors. If they do, their shirts will glow when you set the camera to expose the face properly. 

Extremely light-skinned talent should avoid black or very dark clothing. A black shirt will become a formless hole in the video, because it will have to be very dark if you set the camera so that the skin tone is properly exposed. 

Shooting on Green Screen 

DO NOT WEAR GREEN.

Questions?

Contact: production@wharton.upenn.edu