Preparation plays a vital role in film making even more so if you film on location. The better the pre-production the smoother the actual production will be. Preparation in CG is often overlooked. CG offers the great ‘advantage’ that a lot of changes, even big ones, can be made easily until the last minute.
Half an hour preparation before lighting a shot in cg can safe a lot of time and headache further down the road. A check-list like the one below can be a good starting point before begin any lighting work. A potential preparation check-list could include the following item:

• Analyse the concept art, what are the key elements?
• Study the edit, whats the story of the sequences?
• listen to the audio of the shot
• Take a look at the keyshot lighting
• Ask keyshot lighter
• How to add depth, separation, clarity,…
• How to direct viewers eyes to what’s important
• What to light first?
• Any interesting details in the background that need special attention e.g. architectural lighting