Are you looking to make a video for your company but aren’t sure how to get started? Filming and producing a video is a multi-step process that requires a lot of skill and dedication.
What is video production? What does the video production process look like? Check out this guide to learn everything you need to know about video production.
What is Video Production?
Video production simply refers to everything that goes into making a video, from the ideation to the planning to the execution.
Video production involves a lot more than just hitting “record” on a camera. To produce a video, you need to be creative, organized, and technically savvy. Video production involves three phases: pre-production, production and post production.
Let’s look closer at what each of these phases involves.
Related: Why Video is Important for Business
Phase 1: Pre-Production
The pre-production phase involves setting the groundwork for your video. To set your video project up for success, you’ll need to do a lot of researching, organizing, and problem-solving.
During the pre-production phase, you’ll need to take care of the following:
Strategizing your video
Specifying your goals
Scouting talent/actors
Creating a budget
Creating a project timeline
Renting/purchasing equipment and props
Scouting a location
Creating a storyline/writing a script
How Do You Write a Video Script?
Of all of these tasks, writing a video script is perhaps the most difficult. Not only does it require a lot of creativity and ingenuity, but writing a video script is also quite different from other forms of writing. Here are some tips for writing a video script:
Identify Your Audience
First, you need to figure out who you’re creating this video for, as that will dictate the type of language you use in your script.
For example, if you’re creating a video for a drug rehabilitation center, you’ll want the tone and the language to be quite serious. However, if you’re creating a video for a restaurant, it can be a bit more lighthearted and fun.
Choose a Central Character
Most company videos are quite short- no longer than a few minutes. Because company videos are short, you don’t want to overcomplicate them.
Choosing a central character can help you simplify and focus your video. If possible, use the same character in all of your videos to create continuity and brand recognition. Flo from Progressive is an excellent example of a central character.
Identify Your Goal
Coming up with script dialogue can be tough, but it’s a lot easier once you’ve identified your goal. Why are you creating this video? For example, maybe you’re creating the video to sell a specific product or service. Or maybe you’re making the video to raise brand awareness.
Whatever your goal is, write it down and keep it in mind when creating your dialogue.
Keep it Simple
Generally speaking, you should aim for about 125 to 150 words of dialogue per minute. When you begin writing, focus on saying everything you want to say.
Then once you’ve written everything down, check your word count. If it’s over 150 words per minute, look for spots where you can trim down. Every word counts in a video script, so don’t waste any space with unnecessary dialogue.
Phase 2: Production
Once you’ve wrapped up the pre-production phase, it’s time to move onto the meat of the process: actually producing the video.
During the production phase, you’ll shoot all of your footage for your video. Here is what the production phase involves:
Conducting interviews
Setting up camera equipment
Recording voice overs
Creating audio and visual elements
Capturing B-roll
If you plan to use a video production company to help you shoot the video, we recommend having one person from your company on-location during shooting. This will help you ensure that your vision for the video comes to life.
Phase 3: Post-Production
Once you wrap up production, it’s time to move onto the post-production phase. During this phase, the video production team will plan, organize, and edit the video.
The producer will review all of the video footage and transcribe all of the interviews. Then, the team will assemble the story and bring all of the pieces together through editing. Here’s what’s all involved during this phase:
Transcribing the interviews
Editing the video
Reviewing the footage
Delivering the final product
The post-production phase takes some time, so don’t expect your video to come to life the day after you shoot it. Every video production company has different timelines, but generally speaking, the post-production phase takes 6 to 8 weeks. However, it can take longer depending on the length and the complexity of the video.
Once the video has been approved and finalized, you need to export it to its final format. If you’re working with a video production company, make sure you communicate what platform you plan to post the video on (i.e., Youtube, Vimeo, Facebook, etc.). Every platform has slightly different specifications for optimal video playback.
Lights, Camera, Action: Are You Ready to Produce a Video?
As you can see, the video production process is multi-layered. Because it’s such an involved process, we recommend hiring a video production company.
The great part about hiring a video production company is that they’ll have specialized equipment that allows you to shoot the highest quality video possible. Video production companies will also help you create a video at a faster speed than if you were to do it on your own.
A quality video production company will be able to work with you every step of the process to help your vision come to life.
Are you looking to hire a video production company? Contact us today!