This very quick overview of video production hopefully addresses some frequently asked questions about the process.
Whether you’re about to commission a series of 'talking head' interviews by senior board members, or a sales promotion video to highlight your company USP’s the process of any video production is very similar.
The process of pretty much any production can be split into three parts: pre production, production and post production.
Pre Production
As the name suggests this stage involves thinking about what actually needs to be produced. For example who is the audience for the video, what budget is available or required, when is the delivery date and in what format?
It’s at the pre production stage of a video production that practicalities (is our CEO available that week? Where can we find our brand guidelines?) will need to be woven together with creative elements (should the production company write the voice over script, or should we?).
Many, if not all, these issues can be easily resolved by a quick chat to a video production company. A creative producer will quickly understand your objectives, be able to refine your brief and suggest the best way of producing the video with you. To this end they will be able to supply examples of past productions for use as a reference and even a storyboard of the proposed video production.
Production
Ideally a production schedule would evolve from the pre production process. For example a voice over script would be written, this will dictate what needs to be recorded, and this ‘schedule’ resolved with the availability of the people and locations that are required to be in shot.
It’s at this point the crew and equipment are booked to record the video production.
The majority of the video productions we produce involve three people: a video director, a lighting cameraman and a sound engineer. They arrive with all the required equipment most of which is battery operated and PAT tested. Normally the client would also attend the shoot day (s).
Note: It’s very rare for a production company to work for less than a whole day. Most days require at least an hour to rig and to de rig the equipment so when a crew is available its best to maximise their presence by shooting as much as possible.
Post Production
It’s the post-production (or editing) stage of video production that has seen a revolution in the past decade. Using the latest computers it’s become possible to edit video quickly and creatively combine this with very high-end motion graphics and 3D models.
In terms of process the video is first digitised onto a hard drive and the best ‘takes’ extracted. These takes are then combined with all the other elements. For example a ‘guide track’ voice over is recorded for the editor to cut the video images to.
Motion graphics are created which lift any production to a broadcast quality standard. For example we’re usually asked to animate the company logo. To represent the key metrics via an animated graph and to demonstrate the USP’s of a product or service through the production of a rotating 3D model or an animated flow chart.
Any still photography or PPt slides can be adjusted then included and music selected and inserted.
When combined all these elements will provide a rough edit and be supplied to the client usually via a programme like www.yousendit.com. The client’s then asked for comments on all the elements and based upon these the amends are carried out. Finally the client can attend to make the very final tweaks before sign off (and a hearty lunch or dinner).
In terms of timings.
An approximation is that for every one day of shooting around three days of editing are required once the various rounds of amends are included.
The last element of post production is the compression of the video to the format of choice. Currently this usually Mpeg 2 for use on DVD or FLV (Flash) for use on a website or social media.
For any more information on the how best to produce your video please don’t hesitate to Contact Us.