On corporate video shoots involving outdoor filming, inclement weather is probably one of the biggest annoyances and sometimes cause for downright panic. When you want to showcase a beautiful exterior, but a hail storm happens to have other plans, you need to be able to adapt without ruining the shoot day or the budget. One of the best ideas to avoid issues with weather is planning outdoor shoots during appropriate months, whenever that may be in the area where you are filming. Of course, sometimes you need a video during the rainy season or winter and waiting just isn’t an option. Having a backup plan will put your mind at ease, though, and hopefully avoid any unexpected expenses and issues.

Because of videographer schedules and planning a successful shoot in general, you’re going to need to have a shoot date picked 2-3 weeks in advance of filming usually, which means you won’t know the weather for the day of the shoot until after everything is in motion. Hopefully, most of the shoot is indoors if weather is a big concern, in which case you can have several blocks on the schedule where outdoor filming can take place, weather permitting. Giving the videographer a few options that are interchangeable means a two-hour rain storm will not be a big issue for the day as a whole. A few rearrangements will allow the videographer to capture necessary outdoor footage.

In more extreme cases where rain falls all day, you may have to forego exterior shots because many videographers won’t risk their equipment in the rain, or they don’t feel they can get adequate quality footage. If weather is a significant concern, keep a few hundred dollars extra on your end of the budget to make sure you can afford to pay the production company a few hundred dollars to send the videographer back out for exteriors on a better day. Usually, a videographer will be open to such an arrangement where he can go back on a day of his choosing (based on schedule and weather) and grab the necessary shots. If not, an alternate videographer can be found.

The situation becomes more complicated if you have a bunch of activities scheduled outdoors and a significant percentage of the shoot day is based on outdoor activities. Even in the summer, after all, a fluke rainstorm can happen in most places, which means having a plan is necessary to stave off disaster. If you can, come up with alternate indoor activities or shot ideas that will work in case of inclement weather. They may not be as great as the outdoor events you had planned, but at least you will have the necessary footage to cut together a solid video. Planning a corporate shoot is much like planning any other event, like a wedding, where the date is set and it will happen regardless of weather.

In certain extreme circumstances, whether because of the nature of the shoot or because of extreme weather conditions like snow and ice, a shoot must be delayed completely. In many instances, a postponement fee will apply because a videographer has already booked his day and lost out on other potential jobs because of it. Extreme weather conditions can often lead to the videographer waiving his fee, though, because of course safety is a concern for everyone involved. A good production company will also do everything they can to accommodate a shoot delay, but sometimes fees are inevitable because of the extra time spent rearranging everything. Still, better to have a great video with a few extra costs than to have a lousy video because of weather ruining the shots. If you think weather will be a concern and have 3-4 days to delay the shoot, you’re better off pushing for a postponement earlier to avoid more costs and hassle.