The Art Director’s Shoot Day Playbook

Rituals, real strategies, and how to lead with clarity and calm on set

BTS of a recent shoot I art directed

Hi everyone,

Today a bit more of a personal post on how I approach a shoot day. I absolutely love being on shoots and it’s something I always look forward to. From each shoot I learned something new to make the next one better. So in this post you can find some personal anecdotes, my shoot day rituals and tips and tricks to be organised and confident.

Shoot days are the moment where everything comes together, and the moment you work towards. All the pre-production, all the ideas, all the tiny details you imagined in your head finally meet reality. It’s where a selection of references become the actual product. It is also where things can fall apart fast if you are not prepared.

Whether you are a beginner stepping onto set for the first time or someone who wants to refine their instincts and run a stronger shoot, there are certain strategies that make all the difference. You are there to lead as an art director. You are there to hold the vision. And you are there to guide the team towards it without freezing up when something goes off plan. Everyone is executing under ‘your vision’ to say it boldly.

In this post, I will run through the real strategies I use before and during a shoot. How I prepare images to sit in layouts before a single shot is taken. How I make sure I know where the logos, graphic overlays, and product angles will live. How I create shotlists that leave space for instinct and movement without losing the essentials. But it’s also about how I make quick decisions and prepare for that, show confidence even though you might not always have the answer either and know exactly how to navigate a shoot day.

BTS of a shoot I art directed

This is not about micro-managing every moment. It is about the framework that lets you stay calm and creative while protecting the final result. Being the art director your team loves to work with and trusts.

Let’s get into it.

In this post I am sharing personal anecdotes, my self-care rituals and specific strategies to navigate a shoot day as an art director. From big multiple day shoots or personal projects, it’s all about knowing how to communicate your vision and have people trust you (and you trust them!) to bring something beautiful to life together.

This article is for paid subscribers as I’m sharing personal tips, tricks and stories. It’s supposed to make going to a big shoot less intimidating and more exciting on having the clarity how to get the most out of it. It’s useful for art directors, photographers or even producers of all levels.

As a paid subscriber you also get access to all Sunday’s posts and the entire archive full of guides, inspiration and tips, tricks and insights.