Recce /ˈrɛki/ is a military term that has been borrowed by media production in the United Kingdom
and New Zealand, derived from "reconnaissance" in the noun sense and "reconnoitre" in the verb
sense. It refers to pre-filming visit to a location to work out its suitability for shooting, including access
to necessary facilities and assessment of any potential lighting or sound issues, and is closely related to
location scouting. The term 'recce' is also used in radio and television production. Other examples of
later media borrowing from film includes wildtrack which, in film production, was sound recorded
without pictures for use in post-production later. In the US the term "site survey" or "tech scout" is
commonly used with the same meaning.
In the film industry there will be a number of crew members working for "locations". A starting point for
someone in this department is a Location Scout. Their job is to travel around the required area searching
for appropriate locations. they take photographs of each possible place, arrange them on boards and then
present them to the Director for consultation. This also includes some technical detail on lighting, power
and where permission needs to be gained from.
You need to perform a scaled down version of this. You probably already have a location in mind and
there won't be many other options due to logistics; so although as a team you wont need to decide
between one location and another the photographs will help you decide if your shots will work, equipment
you will need and your technical recce in which you double check your camera positions.
Technical Recce
Once the location has been agreed the department heads will go on a technical recce to
decide how they might create the look the Director is after, and if shots that have been
storyboarded are possible given the restrictions of the location. Although in the industry this is
a physical activity you will need to do a diagram to demonstrate that you have thought
through any difficulties. This is also a good opportunity to check for unwanted Jump Cuts and
for you to plan the order in which you are going to shoot your shots.
Recce /ˈrɛkiː/ is a military term that has been borrowed by media production in the United
Kingdom, derived from "reconnaissance".