The Ultimate Guide to Filming in Art Galleries: Expert Tips from Shootlab

Roland dev

Apr 1, 202410 min read

Updated: Dec 31, 2024

A professional photography setup inside an art gallery. A man in a black shirt and trousers stands in the center, looking directly at the camera. The gallery has white walls adorned with framed artwork and modern, minimalist furniture. A high-end camera on a tripod is focused on the man, with the camera’s viewfinder image visible. Lighting equipment, including a large umbrella light, is positioned to the right, illuminating the scene. The gallery floor is a gray tile with a herringbone pattern — How to film in art galleries - Interview set up for Video shoot in Charleston art gallery @shootlab

Welcome to "The Ultimate Guide to Filming in Art Galleries: Expert Tips from Shootlab," where we share insider knowledge and professional advice on how to film in art galleries and museums. Whether you're looking to create compelling video content for an art gallery exhibition, capture insightful artist interviews in galleries, shoot high-quality B-roll footage in art museums, or film engaging art gallery tours, this comprehensive guide covers everything you need to master art gallery videography.

We’ve collaborated with top clients like Bloomberg, Dezeen, and the Obama Foundation, and have filmed interviews with notable artists and designers such as Tracey Emin and Jimmy Choo. Our years of experience navigating the intricacies of filming in gallery spaces—while respecting the art and the patrons—will guide you to success in your next art gallery video production project.

A focused woman with long hair tied up in a bun is operating a professional camera on a tripod in an art gallery. She wears a black leather jacket and is adjusting the camera settings. The gallery walls are painted in a dark hue, creating a contrast with the brightly lit artwork, which features vibrant, textured landscapes in various styles and sizes. The wooden floor adds warmth to the ambiance of the gallery, enhancing the visual appeal of the space — Setting up the camera making sure the colour balance is set and the shot is properly exposed @shootlab

1. Planning Your Art Gallery Video Shoot

Before you set up your video camera, a successful art gallery video shoot requires careful planning. From location scouting for art gallery videography to obtaining filming permissions in art galleries, here’s what you need to consider to ensure a smooth and professional production.

Scout the Location in Advance

Visit the gallery beforehand to assess the gallery lighting conditions for video, the layout, and the acoustics. Take note of any restrictions—some galleries prohibit tripods or flash, so be sure to clarify all regulations before the shoot. Understanding the venue's policies on equipment use in art galleries can save you time and prevent potential issues.

Get Permissions to Film in Galleries

Securing the necessary permissions to film in art galleries is critical when planning your shoot. We've learned that clear communication with gallery staff about your project is the key to navigating this process. Be sure to check with the gallery about any copyright restrictions when filming copyrighted artwork, especially regarding close-ups or featured pieces. Obtaining the proper filming permits in art galleries ensures you respect legal considerations and the artists' rights.

Schedule Your Filming Time Strategically

Choosing the right time to film is just as important. We recommend scheduling your shoot during quieter hours to minimise disruptions from visitors. Early mornings or late afternoons can offer softer, natural lighting for art gallery videos, making your shots look even better. Strategically planning your filming schedule in art galleries can enhance the quality of your footage and provide a more controlled environment.

A young woman with brown hair tied back with a clip closely examines artwork in a gallery. She is profiled against the gallery wall, which is adorned with framed paintings. She wears large hoop earrings, a striped blazer over a black top, and gazes intently at a piece of art, suggesting a moment of contemplation or study. The lighting in the gallery highlights the artwork on the walls, creating an inviting atmosphere for art appreciation — Katy Hessel admiring the art in Charleston art gallery @shootlab

2. Expert Lighting Tips for Filming in Art Galleries

One of the biggest challenges of videography in art galleries is managing lighting. With bright white walls, dark artwork, and changing natural light, achieving proper exposure is tough. Here’s how we handle art gallery lighting for video production.

Use High-Quality LED Lighting for Art Videography

At Shootlab, we’ve tested numerous lighting setups, and Aputure LED lights for video production have proven to be the best. LED lights are not only energy-efficient but also offer a high Colour Rendering Index (CRI), ensuring the colours of the artwork are accurately represented in your footage. When selecting lights, prioritise options with high CRI and adjustable colour temperatures to match the gallery’s natural lighting. Choosing the right LED lighting for art gallery videography is essential for capturing the true essence of the artwork.

Lighting Techniques for Filming Art

Wall Washing and Spotlights: Use these techniques to highlight specific pieces and guide the viewer’s attention without causing harsh shadows. Proper lighting techniques in art galleries help in emphasizing artwork features.
Manage Natural Sunlight: If direct sunlight is an issue, we recommend using scrims or silks to diffuse the light, preventing overexposed footage. Controlling natural light in art gallery videography ensures consistent exposure.
Avoid Glare on Artworks: Be mindful of glare, especially on glass-covered pieces. We adjust our light angles carefully to avoid reflections. Tips to avoid glare when filming art can make a significant difference in image quality.

Our Recommended Lighting Gear:

Aputure LS 300X Bi-Colour VM UK Kit
Aputure LS 600X Pro for versatile lighting setups

With these tools and techniques, your art gallery video lighting will enhance the artwork without overwhelming it. Effective lighting solutions for filming in art galleries are crucial for professional results.

A man stands confidently in an art-filled room, gesturing as if explaining something important. He has a bald head, and is dressed in a dark coat over a navy shirt. He is in an artists studio at Charleston in Sussex Behind him, the room is cluttered with artistic objects: a bust sculpture, bottles, and framed paintings, including a portrait and a landscape, that give the space an eclectic, bohemian vibe. — Video Interview in museum environment @shootlab

3. Capturing High-Quality Audio in Art Galleries

Good audio is essential for a successful art gallery video production, but galleries can present audio challenges due to echoes and ambient noise. Here’s how we achieve clear sound in these environments to ensure your art gallery videos have professional-quality audio.

Directional Microphones for Art Gallery Interviews

At Shootlab, we rely on shotgun microphones and lavalier mics to capture focused sound while reducing background noise. These are particularly useful when conducting interviews with artists in galleries or recording ambient sounds. Using directional microphones in art gallery settings helps isolate the subject's voice, providing clarity in spaces that might otherwise be acoustically challenging.

Minimise Echoes and Reverb

In large, echo-prone gallery spaces, we use sound-absorbing blankets to reduce reverb. Additionally, scheduling the shoot during quieter hours helps minimise unwanted noise from visitors. Techniques to reduce echoes in art galleries are crucial for maintaining audio quality in your video production.

Record Room Tone for Seamless Audio Editing

Recording a minute of gallery room tone is essential for post-production. This helps ensure smooth audio transitions when editing interviews or sound bites. Capturing room tone in art galleries for audio editing allows for a more cohesive sound experience in your final video.

With these techniques, you can ensure your audio is just as polished as your visuals, making your art gallery videos feel professional and immersive. High-quality audio solutions for filming in art galleries are key to engaging your audience fully.

Close-up of an artist's hand holding a flat brush against a canvas, adding vibrant red paint to an abstract painting. The canvas is filled with rich textures and a mix of warm colors, suggesting an intense and passionate artwork in progress. The blurred background hints at a studio environment, focusing the viewer's attention on the interaction between the brush and the canvas, capturing the creative act of painting — b'roll artist working on canvas in art gallery environment

4. Filming Techniques for Capturing Art Gallery Videos

Filming in a gallery requires thoughtful techniques to capture both the space and the artwork effectively. Here are some of our best practices for art gallery videography techniques to ensure you create engaging and visually stunning content.

Capture Wide Shots to Set the Scene

To showcase the gallery’s architecture and layout, we use wide-angle lenses for gallery videography. For a more dynamic shot, consider using a drone for filming art galleries or a crane to capture aerial views of the space, giving the viewer a sense of the environment. Wide shots in art gallery videos help establish the setting and immerse the audience in the space.

Zoom in for Close-ups of Art Details

Close-ups are crucial for highlighting the intricate details of artworks. At Shootlab, we always shoot in 4K resolution for art videos to ensure that we can zoom in during post-production without losing quality. Capturing close-up shots of artwork details allows viewers to appreciate the craftsmanship and nuances that might be missed otherwise.

Use Tracking Shots to Add Movement

Static environments like galleries can feel stiff without some movement. We use gimbals and sliders for smooth tracking shots to create motion, helping guide the viewer through the exhibition space. Adding movement to art gallery videos enhances the visual interest and keeps the audience engaged.

B-Roll for Gallery Videos: Essential Cutaways

Capturing B-roll footage in art galleries is crucial to making your video more engaging. Focus on details like visitors admiring the art, light filtering through windows, or the textures of the space itself. Incorporating B-roll in art gallery videography provides essential cutaways that enrich your storytelling and add depth to your video.

Using these filming techniques for art gallery videos will help you capture both the ambiance of the gallery and the essence of the artwork, resulting in a compelling and professional video.

A gallery staff member woman with glasses and shoulder-length brown hair stands in front of the camera being interviewed in an art gallery. She is wearing a casual black dress with a cream-colored knitted cardigan. Behind her, large abstract paintings add a splash of color to the scene, with vivid orange, yellow, and gray hues on white gallery walls. The artwork creates a backdrop that suggests an environment rich with modern art, enhancing the welcoming and scholarly atmosphere of the gallery — Conducting an interview in art gallery space - Hastings Contemporary @shootlab

5. Conducting Engaging Interviews in Art Galleries

At Shootlab, we take great care to capture compelling interviews with curators, artists, and patrons in art galleries for our art gallery videos. Interviews with artists and curators in art gallery settings offer a unique backdrop, but they also present challenges. Here’s how we approach filming interviews in art galleries to ensure they are engaging and professional.

Choosing the Right Location and Framing

Pick a visually interesting spot for your interview, ideally near relevant artworks, but make sure the background doesn’t overwhelm the subject. We frame our interviews to capture the subject and the art without making the shot feel cluttered. Selecting the optimal interview location in art galleries is crucial for balancing visual appeal with focus on the interviewee.

Get Clear Audio During Interviews

For interviews, we rely on lavalier mics for clear audio in art gallery interviews, paired with a three-point lighting setup for art gallery videography to ensure the subject is well-lit and evenly illuminated. Monitoring sound throughout the interview via headphones ensures consistent quality. Achieving high-quality audio in art gallery interviews enhances the overall professionalism of your video.

Engage the Interviewee

Interviews are all about creating a relaxed, conversational environment. We position the interviewer near the camera to maintain natural eye contact with the interviewee, asking open-ended questions for art gallery interviews that allow them to share more detailed insights. Techniques for engaging interviewees in art galleries help elicit authentic and insightful responses.

By implementing these strategies, you can conduct engaging interviews in art galleries that add depth and interest to your art gallery video production.

Katy Hessel is animatedly speaking in an art gallery, her hands raised expressively as she discusses art to a video camera which is out of shot. She has long brown hair and is dressed in a black top with a stylish striped blazer and a chunky gold necklace. Behind her, a series of framed blue and white abstract artworks are neatly displayed on a pristine white wall, creating a sophisticated and modern backdrop that suggests a curated exhibition space — Katy Hessel talking to the camera in Charleston Gallery space @shootlab

6. Post-Production Tips for Art Gallery Videos

Once filming is complete, the magic really happens in post-production. Here’s how we take our art gallery video editing to the next level to ensure your art gallery videos are polished and professional.

Editing Tips for Art Videography

Sequence for Storytelling: Arrange your clips purposefully, mixing wide shots, close-ups, and interviews to build a compelling narrative. Storytelling techniques in art gallery video editing help engage your audience and convey the essence of the exhibition.
Balance Pacing: Use B-roll cutaways to maintain smooth transitions between scenes and interviews, keeping the video engaging. Utilising B-roll footage in art gallery videos enhances pacing and adds visual interest.
Enhance Audio: In post-production, we refine audio by removing background noise, adjusting levels, and balancing the sound for clarity. Audio enhancement techniques for art gallery video editing are crucial for maintaining professional sound quality.

Colour Grading for Art Videos

Colour grading is essential to make the artwork pop without altering its true colours. We adjust the contrast and saturation to ensure the artwork appears vivid and authentic. Colour grading techniques for art gallery videos help maintain the integrity of the artwork while enhancing visual appeal. Professional colour correction in art videography ensures that the colours are true to life and consistent throughout your video.

By focusing on these post-production strategies, you can elevate your art gallery video production and create a final product that resonates with viewers and faithfully represents the artwork.

A close-up of a video editing colour grading software interface, with detailed color correction tools displayed. The focus is on the 'Shadow' adjustment wheel, which shows a spectrum of colors and is set to increase shadow detail. Surrounding this are other control wheels and sliders for adjusting exposure, saturation, and tones labeled 'Dark' and 'Exp', indicating the fine-tuning process of video post-production. The image captures the intricate aspects of video editing that are essential for achieving the desired visual effect in a film — DaVinci Resolve Video Editing Software for colour grading your gallery footage

7. Respecting Artist Copyrights When Filming in Galleries

Respecting artist copyrights is a critical part of filming in art galleries. Here’s how we navigate this sensitive area.

Obtain Usage Rights: Respecting artist copyrights is a critical part of filming in art galleries. Here’s how we navigate this sensitive area to ensure compliance with copyright laws when filming artwork.
Avoid Over-Emphasis: Use copyrighted pieces as part of a wider shot or B-roll footage in art galleries rather than making them the primary focus of the video. Minimising focus on copyrighted artworks when filming helps in staying within fair use guidelines and reduces the risk of infringing on artist rights. Incorporating copyrighted art ethically in videos allows you to create engaging content while respecting legal boundaries.

By being mindful of these practices, you can ensure your art gallery video production respects the rights of artists while still delivering compelling content.

Towner art gallery space interior showcasing an intriguing mix of art forms. On the left, a glass wall reflects a series of framed pieces, while the right features a large, dark abstract canvas. The focal point is a striking neon light installation on the far wall, showing a figure running forming a geometric shape that casts a soft glow on the polished wooden floor. The gallery's warm lighting and spacious design create a captivating atmosphere that emphasises the contemporary art displayed — Videography capturing the Art exhibits at Towner Gallery in Eastbourne @shootlab

Key Takeaways for Filming in Art Galleries

Filming in art galleries and museums requires thoughtful planning and execution. Here are some final takeaways to help you succeed in your art gallery video production projects.

Lighting and Audio: Use LED lights to highlight artworks, and directional mics to capture crisp, clean audio without background noise. Implementing effective lighting techniques for art gallery videography and capturing high-quality audio in gallery settings are essential for professional results.
Filming Techniques: Employ creative camera angles, wide shots, close-ups, and B-roll to tell the story of the gallery and its art. Utilising innovative filming techniques in art galleries, including the use of gimbals and sliders, can make your video more engaging and dynamic.
Post-Production: Focus on sequencing, colour grading, and audio editing to craft a polished, engaging video. Advanced post-production tips for art gallery videos, such as colour grading to enhance artwork without altering its true colours, will elevate your final product.
Permissions and Copyrights: Always secure the necessary permissions and respect copyright regulations when filming artwork. Navigating artist copyrights when filming in galleries is critical to ensure compliance with legal requirements and to respect the artists' rights.

By following these expert tips, you can produce professional-quality art gallery videos that truly capture the essence of the space and its artwork. If you need more personalised help, contact Shootlab—we’re ready to guide you through every step of your next video project.

A stunning sunset view of the Louvre Pyramid in Paris. The sky is a dramatic canvas of orange, yellow, and blue hues, providing a vivid backdrop to the iconic glass structure. The pyramid itself is illuminated from within, creating a warm glow that contrasts with the cool twilight. Visitors are scattered around the courtyard, some standing and others sitting, all dwarfed by the grandeur of the architecture and the expansive sky. The historic Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel can be seen in the distance, completing this picturesque scene. — The Louvre, Paris captured at Sunset in August @shootlab

Shootlab - What we do

SHOOTLAB are a Video Production Agency based in the UK. We specialise in Video Production, Photography, Videography, Social media Content Creation & Social Media Management. We have experience working with businesses of all sizes creating high-quality content for websites, blogs and social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Twitter. Elevate your brand or business with Shootlab's expertise in dynamic content creation and high-impact video production.

Video Production & Post-Production: Our video production team is equipped to handle every aspect of your project with expertise and creativity. From initial concept to final delivery, we offer a comprehensive suite of services, including full-service video production, advanced colour grading, and precise video editing. Whether you're looking to captivate audiences with a promo marketing video for your website, require the finesse of freelance cameraman services, or need expert video editing, SHOOTLAB has you covered.

Our Video Production Services Include:

Full-service video production and post-production in the UK
Advanced colour grading and precise video editing services
Freelance cameraman services for businesses in the UK
Creation of promo marketing videos for websites
Short-form content production for Instagram Reels
Engaging film production for Facebook marketing
Crafting of brand films to grow your business

We'd love to hear more about your company or business and how we can help you. Please reach out anytime – we look forward to hearing from you!

Learn more at www.shootlab.co.uk and see our latest work on Instagram @TheShootlab

"A unique and striking art installation in a gallery space. A large, round, organic-looking piece with a face design featuring green patterns hangs on the wall. From this central piece, several elongated gray tubes extend out onto the floor, branching out like tree roots or veins, covering a significant portion of the gallery's white floor. The contrast between the detailed, face-like centerpiece and the sprawling gray tubes creates a surreal, nature-inspired environment within the otherwise minimalist gallery — Art Installation Jonathan Baldock, 'Mother Flower at Charleston Art Gallery in Lewes