As a professional photographer and artist, my productions usually consist of four main parts and typically span 2-4 weeks from start to finish. This process allows you to gain insights into the different project phases, understand the processes, and learn about the roles of the crew involved.
01. Pre-Production
Every project begins with the pre-production phase, where we start with a brief and define the creative vision and goals. In this modern world, every brand is unique with its own creative vision and production needs, and I believe in adjusting to meet those unique needs. If you don't have a production company or an art director to organize the campaign or production, you can expect to spend about 2-5 days in pre-production.
During the pre-production, the following steps are typically involved:
Production Meetings
Creative Direction
Casting
Scouting
Organizing Crew
Production Plans
Securing Location Permits/Renting
Creating Call Sheets
Organizing Production Equipment
Organizing Travel, Transport, F&B, etc.
These are typical components of pre-production, but they are highly adjustable to your specific needs. After discussing and planning the project, my studio will provide you with a marked-up list of all the items. All services are flexible and will be adjusted to meet your specific needs for all phases of the project.
02. Production
When it comes to production days, I believe that one size doesn't fit all. Modern brands often have unique visions and specific production needs. This is why I maintain a flexible approach and adjust to meet those needs.
The typical crew and line items for production days include:
My day rate as a Photographer
The day rate of the Digitech Operator
The day rate of Assistants
The Stylist
The Hair Stylist
The Makeup Artist
The Set Designer
Location or Studio Fees
Production Equipment
Other Production or Set Specific Expenses
Travel and Transport Expenses
Food & Beverage Expenses
This is a general list and it's very flexible. After discussing and planning the project with you, my studio will clearly itemize all of these elements. All services can be adjusted to meet your specific needs.
It's important to note that after a production day, I take the time to carefully curate and proof the selected images. While it's possible to do this on set, I often find that a few days of consideration post-production allows for a more thoughtful selection that caters to all marketing needs and applications.
03. Image Usage and Licensing
Standard Commercial usage rights are 6-12 months usage from delivery. The industry standard for image licensing is value and usage based. Commercial user license covers full usage for the images you will use for advertisement and on all your platforms, there are discounted licensing prices for editorial, lookbook and social, these are limited to specific usage.
IMAGE LICENSING OPTIONS
Commercial, per image (Ads and Full Commercial User Rights)
Editorial, per image (Editorial and Content usage)
Lookbook, per image (Lookbook Usage, Print, Web and Social)
Social, per image (Special Deal, Lowres files, Limited to Social usage)
Ecomm/Webbook, per image (Webshop Only usage)
The option for ‘Social Only’ is just added to adjust to the high content volume demand of most brands today. The structure covers the needs of ambitious fashion brands in a flexible way and offers great savings. The more images you order/license from the productions, the lower the total cost per image will be.
04. Post-Production
In my work, curating the final output comes after the initial excitement of days on set. The process of culling, selecting, and curating images is a crucial one, often taking several rounds over a few days. It's important that the images chosen for final selection and retouching form a cohesive body of work and meet all project and brand requirements. The right color grades, tones, and retouching are meticulously applied to each image, a phase that is often the most time consuming.
The types of post-production services I offer include:
Commercial, involving color grading and hi-end retouching
Editorial/Content, with color grading and minimal retouch
Basic Post Processing
Special Requests, which are charged by the hour
I handle post-production in my studio but also collaborate with several international post-production houses. Typically, the editing and post-production phase takes about 10 working days for regular productions. My services are tailored to meet the needs of demanding fashion brands communicating in both digital and print formats internationally.
Note.
I am committed to tailoring the production process to cater to your brand's specific needs, creative concepts, and desired production quality. I ensure that every phase of the project is scaled to match your budget and needs.
I provide a clear overview of the project by offering a fixed production cost and cost per image. This allows you to easily adjust the number of images according to your budget, campaign or content requirements.
Let’s talk
Whether you're planning a new campaign, developing a lookbook, creating a branded editorial story, or elevating your Ecomm experience, I'm here to help. I offer flexibility in my services, capable of managing the entire production process from beginning to end, or working in collaboration with your ad agency, production company or in-house marketing team.
Please don't hesitate to reach out.
Alexander Sylte
as@syltestudios.com
+47 913 55 097