Lights ... camera ... digital casting! 5 steps to successful digital capture workflow.

Casting--finding the right models and actors for still and video projects--is one of the most important parts of any commercial job. Castings are done for a range of projects, including catalogs, editorial work, and print advertising, and have traditionally been shot by photographers, photo assistants, talent agencies, or producers at the request of an ad agency or in-house corporate design department.

Digital casting offers many benefits compared with film, including speed, quality, and the ability to share results almost instantly via the Internet. Doing it effectively, however, can be a challenge, and there are a number of ways to streamline the process and get the job done well. As a shooter for more than 25 years, I decided to use my know-how to give castings a unique look--often focused on simulating the lighting of the final job.

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Following is a five-step workflow based on my experience as an independent digital technician. Two digital casting jobs--one for the Coca-Cola Company and the other for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, will be discussed throughout the article to better illustrate the process.

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Step 1 DETERMINE THE CLIENT'S NEEDS & ORGANIZE THE CASTING

Once you get the assignment, it is important to communicate with …