producing a video for the first time - 522 productions · this ebook is designed for busy small...

522PRODUCINGA VIDEO FOR THE FIRST TIME

TABLE OFCONTENTSWhat To Expect With Video Production 3

Who is this Ebook For? 4

Selecting The Right Production Company 10

The Process 15

Chapter 1: Pre-Production 16

Chapter 2: Production 28

Chapter 3: Post-Production 33

Distribution 43

Conclusion 48

3WWW.522PRODUCTIONS.COM

What To Expect With Video Production

A 1st Timer’s Guide to Producing VideosMany organizations are new to video. Often times they come in with very little knowledge with regards to how long it takes; the level of effort involved; what it costs; what makes video effective; and simply what to expect throughout the process.

Making an effective video presentation is a bit more complex than simply turning on a camera and letting it run. A video project is a lot of work. But they can be extremely reward-ing and beneficial.

This eBook is designed for busy small business professionals, internal marketing directors expected to answer client’s questions about the video production process, and anyone else looking to educate themselves on the production process.

http://WWW.522PRODUCTIONS.COM


We created this eBook to help business owners, internal marketing directors, account directors, or anyone new to the video production experience.

Producing videos can prove quite challenging. Unlike other types of content, many avenues exist to consider when monitoring the success of a video. Throughout this eBook, we’ll review each step of the video production process to help you understand what to expect when embarking on a video project.

After reading through this guide, you’ll understand about the vast array of chal-lenges that lay before you, what’s expected of you and your video vendor, and what to expect at each stage along the way.

Who is this Ebook For?



Featured Clients:

In 2004, Tristan Pelligrino and I decided we were done with the traditional 9 to 5 lifestyle. We took a risk and established a small studio in Old Town, Alexandria. Since then, the risk has paid off, and 522 Productions has grown to be one of the leading production companies in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

Unlike many video production companies, 522 Productions does more than just post-production. We relish the process of developing a concept and bringing it to fruition. Since our concept development, filming, and editing are done in-house, we have the opportunity to maintain incredible control over the quality of videos that we produce.

Our team is dedicated to storytelling through video. We firmly believe that every business and organization has a story worth telling and that video is the best medium to showcase that story.

As we’ve grown in our industry, we’ve been shocked to learn that most don’t know how to calculate the ROI of a video. Even professional video production companies are uncertain of how to measure video success. At 522 Productions, we’re so passionate about helping tell your story to the world that we want to ensure you know how to measure its impact. We realize that your story and your resources are important, so we want to help you calculate

Who is 522?

Chad VossenCo-founder & Sr. Creative Director



After reading this eBook, first time video producers will understand:

How to approach launching a video

The production process

The crucial steps to take prior to

contacting a video production

company

How to select the video production

company

The essential steps to develop a

project schedule

Purpose



Getting Started

Every video project is unique and every video project needs a strategy. Even in the initial stages of recognizing the need for a video, there are a few key things to keep in mind:

Establish Your GoalsThis should be the very first thing any professional should consider when producing a video. The single most important aspect of a successful video production is that there be a clear message. Write out the goals for your project in one or two brief sentences.

For example: “Our recruitment video will attract the brightest minds to our company by showcasing the high level of creativity and challenging work we offer.” This topic sen-tence helps keep all team members on the same page and establishes a common frame of reference. Another example: “Our customer testimonials should convey the quality of our products and demonstrate their superiority over the competition.”



Determine Content Direction

Identify Your Target Audience

Determine Budget

Video productions have three central content goals: To persuade, to entertain and to in-form. Sometimes one of these is more prominent over the other. Effective productions have elements of all three, which motivates the viewer to take a desired action. Determin-ing the production “voice” streamlines content and focuses on the video’s goals.

Who is this video for? If you’re attracting bright minds, who are they? Are they recent grad-uates, or senior level strategists? Be specific. The more generic your audience, the less people you speak to. Describe your ideal applicant. Speak directly to them. How old are they? What’s their educational background? What interests them? What are they looking for out of their career? Knowing your Target Audience establishes the tone, pacing, and feel of your video.

What does a video cost? This is probably the single most asked question from clients. And the trickiest to answer. In order to determine a budget, examine all aspects of the video project from script to screen. A clear outline of goals helps production companies determine the cost and timeframe.

Every video project is unique, therefore every budget is unique. Don’t forget to not only include the cost of production, but distribution as well. If you are professional with a set budget, great. If you have a set budget, consider sharing this with potential production companies so that they can prepare Estimates accordingly. Video production is very flexi-ble and can be adjusted to meet essentially any content requirement and budget.



Timeframe & Deadlines

Shelf Life

Typically a standard marketing video about 3-5 minutes long will take 4 to 6 weeks from award of contract to final deliverables to complete. Need the video faster? No problem. Just make sure to convey exact expectations and deadlines to the production company so they can plan accordingly. It’s also essential to remember distribution when determin-ing launch dates. Are there any events that might be good to debut your video? Perhaps a website launch date?

Determine how long you want the video to stay relevant. Decide whether or not it matters if employees that no longer work for your organization appear in the video. Consider if there are any changes in your company’s branding material that might change - like a logo, or a tagline. If there are any screenshots of a website or web platform, think about when the interface might change.

DistributionA video is only effective if people see it. Sure, you can put it on Youtube. But it doesn’t matter if your target audience has no clue that it’s been uploaded. Develop a strategic plan for getting it out there. Coordinate a Social Media campaign. Broadcast it on your website - prominently. Create a landing page. Write corresponding Press Releases. Find content partners. Look for events that correlate with your message. Write a comple-mentary blog. Post that blog on relevant websites. Tweet a link. Encourage re- tweets. Encourage guest bloggers to reference your video. Anything you can do to help make people aware of your video, do it.



Selecting The Right Production Company

Once you have your internal team and goals established, it’s time to reach out to potential video production companies for references and cost estimates. The below scenarios can help in the evaluation process.

Do Your ResearchYou’ll know pretty quickly looking at a production company’s website if they are profes-sional and qualified. Review the whole website and watch project samples. Reviewing past work is essential. Sample videos will show you the level of quality, storytelling abil-ities and diversity the organization has within a variety of industries. Look for sample videos similar to your organization goals. If you can’t find something exactly like your project, that’s not necessarily a bad thing either - they simply may not have worked within your industry before.



Check Your References

Monitor Current Industry Activity

Reach Out

Does the organization have references or testimonials available on their website? Written testimonials are acceptable, but video testimonials are a much deeper commitment on behalf of their client. How did their video perform? Did the videos achieve their client’s expectations?

Pay attention to potential video partner’s website activity. How current are the demo reels and client sample video? How long ago did they write their last blog? How often do they Tweet? Update their Facebook page? How recent is their “Recent News?” These elements don’t tie directly into whether or not they can make a video, but it’s a clear indication of where they stand in terms of understanding your video’s digital presence.

Once you’ve determined which companies feel right for your project, reach out to the pro-duction companies for further discussions and a cost estimate. While in review keep these questions in mind: How quickly do they respond to your request? Do they answer your questions? Do they ask you the right questions? Do you like the tone of their response? Was the proposal straight forward? How detailed are their responses?



Here are a few helpful questions that help paint a picture of poten-tial production partners:

Do you have experience working on this

type of project?

Does my project fit into your schedule?

Describe a difficult situation you’ve been

in, and how you overcame it.

How often do you go over budget?

Describe your production process for a

project like this.

Who would be working on my project?

What should I expect at each phase of

video production?

Ask Questions



Request An Estimate

Evaluate The Estimate

Ask the top companies that you research for an Estimate. Ask for an Estimate from someone you would not consider and treat it as a frame of reference. Pay attention to the production company’s response regarding the turnaround time for the Estimate. De-pending on the level of complexity of your project, make sure you allow enough time for an adequate response. But don’t give them too much time. A couple of days is standard. Anything over a week (for most projects) is pushing it.

We often use the analogy that producing a video is similar to buying a car. If you called a dealer and said, “I want a car.” they should respond with a round of follow-up questions. What type of car do you want? What is the car for? Do you want New or Used? Is gas milage your primary concern? Knowing the answers to these questions gives the dealer a good idea as to where to point you.

We use this analogy because video is much the same way. Certain resources or pieces of equipment add to the value of a production, but they are not always necessary. You may not need a rear-view camera, but it serves a purpose. This is where production compa-nies need to ask the right follow-up questions.

Don’t assume that all estimates will be “apple to apples” due to the drastic flexibility as to what goes into a video. Variables can make it difficult to do a direct comparison based on cost. To help mitigate this, share information with all vendors equally. If the last compa-ny’s questions uncover something the others may not be aware of - such as your shoot requires actors and not volunteers - share that information with the other companies putting together proposals.

Then, when reviewing an Estimate, consider the following: Did the organization supply a well-thought out proposal? Does the proposal clearly outline all requirements and expec-tations for the project?



Set Up An In-Person Meeting

A professionally developed proposal shows the production company not only invested time to understand your organization’s needs, but they clearly thought through the proj-ect and budgeted accordingly. If they invest time in developing the Estimate, there’s a good chance they’ll invest the time in your project.

Proposals should be evaluated based three criteria: professionalism, qualification, and budget. In most cases, budget plays the determining factor in selecting a production company. But with this investment, keep in mind that the most qualified production company may not be the lowest bidder. Deciding on price alone - i.e. selecting the lowest bidder - may ultimately wind up costing the most. They may mis-calculate the level of effort or produce a video below your standards that requires using another production company to do the job right. This why we suggest that if your organization has a budget in mind, relay that to the selected vendor. A well-rounded, professional production com-pany should be able to adjust accordingly for your organizational expectations.

If time permits, get get together with the video production companies you are consider-ing. A small investment of your time up front can save a ton of headaches down the road. Trust is essential when producing a video, an an in-person meeting goes a long way. If they show up late for the meeting, you’ll know what to expect moving forward.

Evaluate The Estimate (Cont.)



The Process

You’ve jumped through all the hoops and selected your favorite vendor. Hoo-

ray! But if you’re like a lot of the clients we’ve worked with, you might be think-

ing to yourself “OK... Now what?”

We typically begin by explaining how video projects follow a consistent path.

First, comes Pre-Production, where you do all the planning. Next is Produc-

tion, where the video is executed. Then comes Post-Production, or the editing

phase. Last, is Distribution. But please note that although Distribution is the

last phase, it needs to be planned out during Pre-production.



Chapter 1:Pre-Production

So... what is involved with Pre-production? This is when you sit down and dis-

cuss the overall approach towards executing the video. It provides the foun-

dation for the entire process. Much like when building a house - if the founda-

tion is weak, the process will have cracks.

The following elements should be established during pre-production:



Clearly Define Your Concept

TIP 1:It takes two to develop a concept. Get together and make sure everyone is on the same page.

TIP 2:Keep your content fo-cused.

Establish an understanding of what the concept is based on your discussions with potential video companies, but get together and make sure that everyone’s on the same page. Review the tone of the video - is it light-hearted or serious? Share your branding guidelines to incorporate into motion graphics. Send samples of videos that you like to the production company.

Ask your production company to develop this document, as you need to make sure they understand what you need more than vice versa.

Who’s Responsible: Both Client and Video Production Company

Here are a few other key things to try when developing your con-cept with them:

Hold a Brainstorming Session.

Write down the topic sentence in the brainstorming session. This keeps everyone on the same page, and ensures all of the content serves a common purpose. Too many times videos say too much, and as a result say nothing. Keep your content focused. For exam-ple, if you’re developing a recruitment video, choose 3 key points to drive home. Don’t say so much that the viewer can’t remember anything specific. If there are a lot of good ideas, perhaps you can split them over a series of videos.



Select the Best Approach.

Determine what format is best to convey your message. Is it best to use an on-camera host, or screen captures of your software in action? Maybe a documentary-style works best where you con-duct interviews with key personnel or utilize voiceover narration. Each approach provides distinct advantages towards telling your story.


Develop an Outline or Treatment.

Whatever form works best for you, develop a document that clear-ly defines the synopsis of the video and the approach it will take. Share it with your entire team. This keeps everyone on the same page. You don’t want surprise objections later.

Who’s Responsible: Video Production Company

Understand Who’s Involved.

Once the approach is defined, now is the time to start thinking about the Talent required to execute it. Are you using internal resources? Interviewing employees? Is someone serving as an on-camera Host, or would professional Talent be a better fit? Is any acting involved? Any dialogue exchanged between characters might be best left to professional Talent... unless the defined tone says otherwise. What about b-roll, or supplemental footage, used in the video? Do you need to stage volunteers, or show up at a working job site? Perhaps hiring Talent the best option?

Who’s Responsible: Client

TIP 3:Determine what format is best to convery your message.

TIP 4:Develop a Treatment and/or Outline to share with your team.

TIP 5:Weigh the differencesbetween professional Talent vs. Employees.



Determine Locations Involved.

It’s important to keep a grounded approach when incorporating lo-cations into the concept. Simply put, the more locations involved means more time spent coordinating, shooting, etc. If you’re us-ing your company’s or client’s locations, think about travel times between sites. Consider access to each location. Some facilities have shooting restrictions, or may not even let you shoot there at all. Some shoots require you to find locations - such as staging an office environment, or creating a small business environment. The more you can consolidate locations, the better.


TIP 6:Think about where you’re shooting your video.



Scriptwriting

TIP 1:A script is the backbone of your video. Don’t rush it.

TIP 2:Ask as many questions as possible. Get as much information as you can... but don’t rush.

Once the Concept is approved, it’s time to develop the script. De-termine who might be the best fit for writing a script on your end. Or, perhaps you’ve asked the video production company to pro-vide this service. Either way, the Outline is instrumental here. If your video is trying to explain a complex subject that you are inti-mate with, collect all relevant information and share that with the scriptwriter.

Who’s Responsible: Client or Video Production Company

Every script has a unique approach. Here’s a few common script-writing approaches and a few key tips to keep in mind:

Interviews.

When interviewing employees or subject matter experts, develop the questions ahead of time. Think about what types of responses you want them to give. Review your outline, and base the ques-tions off those key points. Ask follow-up questions. Ask segue questions. Get personal. Don’t just ask someone how something happens. Ask them what it means to them, or how it makes them feel. Connect with your viewers. And think about the environment you want the interviews to take place. Try to incorporate the loca-tion corresponds to the subject matter.


Voiceover.

Voiceover scripts are typically informational in nature. The narra-tor reads the script off-camera, and supporting b-roll provides the visuals. A tight script is extremely beneficial prior to shooting or locating stock imagery. Read the script aloud to get a sense of how long the video will be. Notice how long certain sections are - if it takes 20 seconds to discuss a topic, you need 20 seconds of corresponding material. 20 seconds can be a long time.

Teleprompter.

If you’re using an on-camera host, a teleprompter is a great tool. Loading a script into a prompter ensures a consistent message, and makes it easier for the on-camera host. They’re great for tech-nical scripts - especially if the host is unfamiliar with the subject matter. But just because you can read the script doesn’t mean you can sell the performance. Make sure you use the right Talent that makes the information come across naturally.

Dialogue.

Writing dialogue can be the trickiest element of script writing. You want the dialogue to feel natural and not forced. Keep lines short. You don’t want anyone launching into a soliloquy - especially if they aren’t professional actors. Dialogue is often developed for Training videos where it is essential to covey a lot of technical information at a jobsite. Just be careful with how it’s written and who’s performing the lines. Hold a review session at the end of the writing process where the script is performed and read aloud. If anyone says “I wouldn’t say it this way.” that’s a pretty good in-dication that the dialogue feels forced. And change the script to how that person would say it.

TIP 3:Refine your script, make sure everything you want to say is being conveyed.

TIP 4:Keep your dialogue short, simple, and to the point.


Scheduling

TIP 1:Figure out when you need your project to be completed.

Scheduling is essential to the video process. You always want to keep things moving, but you don’t want to get too aggressive. A Project Schedule keeps everyone marching towards the same due-date.


Working backwards from an end-date is always a great approach. Follow these steps to determine your Project Schedule.

1. Determine the Due Date.

Figure out the realistic date you would like to have this project complete. These typically revolve around a website initiative, con-ference dates, recruiting kick-offs, or related milestone/holiday dates.

2. Calculate Final Deliverable Date.

Allow time to either ship a DVD or download files. If your confer-ence is across the country on a Monday, have that DVD in your hand when you get on the plane. Or at least ensure that you have a reliable Internet connection to download a high resolution file the night before. And it’s always best to plan for something to go wrong in the download at least once.

Typical Timeframes - 1 to 3 days


3. Schedule a Review Period.

Once you determine when you need to have the file in hand, cal-culate a comfortable review period on your end. Typically we like to have our review schedule include a Rough Cut, Fine Cut and Final Cut due date. Depending on the scope of the project and the amount of information within the video, determine appropriate review time. Give yourself at least a week for this process (if pos-sible) - and that’s for smaller projects.When you determine your review period schedule, be sure to con-sider ALL appropriate parties - upper-management, the legal team, the marketing team, etc. And find out if any key stakeholders are going to be on vacation or traveling. You may need to include elec-tronic proofing on their end. Get everyone involved early. One “sim-ple” change late in the game could have a major impact, such as the need to schedule a re-shoot or adding additional interviews.

Typical Timeframe - 1 to 2 weeks

4. Estimate Time for Post-Production.

Assess the amount of material gathered, and the complexity of the approach. If there’s hours of interview footage, heavy mo-tion-graphics, or color correction, you need to allow for more time in post-production. If there are tight turnarounds, this is where strong pre-production saves time on the backend. Tight scripts/outlines; developing a Storyboard; and pre-determining the look and feel streamlines post-production and prevents back-and-forth file writing.


TIP 2:Be sure to consider all appropriate parties when reviewing the project.

TIP 3:Understand what needs to be completed in post-production and plan accordingly.


TIP 4:Determine the level of effort for your shoot.

TIP 5:Determine the right amount of time for devel-oping concepts, writing scripts, finding locations, etc.

5. Evaluate Production Requirements.

This is where the actual filming takes place. Usually the most diffi-cult element here is coordinating everything to take place - sched-uling interviewees, talent, locations, crew availability, etc. For scheduling purposes, it generally helps to target preferred weeks. Keep key people’s availability in mind. If you’re going to interview the CEO, make sure he’s around that week, or find out what days work best and go from there. Keep in mind that canceling a shoot last minute may have cost implications. Changing locations may also throw off a Production Schedule.


6. Assess Pre-Production Needs.

This includes everything from concept development, to location scouting, to coordinating schedules. Project scope and your proj-ect’s stage of development are the biggest determining factors when developing a schedule. Typically, the more you rely on the production company for these elements, the longer and and more costly the project. For example, if you already drafted a script and know the location(s), the more quickly shooting can begin.




Pre-Production Elements

TIP 1:Know your project sched-ule and keep track of milestones and import-ant deadlines.

TIP 2:Auditions are key to cast-ing the talent for your video. The right people can make your video that much better.

Productions can be chaotic - but the key to a successful shoot is organizing the chaos. If Pre-Production is the foundation of a successful project, these elements are the bricks.

Project Schedule.

A Project Schedule maps out the entire process of the video pro-duction from script to screen. Keep tabs on all elements of each phase of your project, track milestones, and most importantly de-cide which resource is responsible for deliverables. Follow your schedule as closely as possible. A simple slip in missing a Rough Cut Feedback delivery can impact your final deliverable.


Talent Auditions.

If your video is heavily dependent on using Talent, it’s a great idea to audition them to make sure they look and feel the part. Your video production company should have access to talent pools, either through contacts or agencies. Collect headshots (with at-tached resumes) and call in the most appropriate talent. An audi-tion shouldn’t cost anything, and lets you meet the individuals in person - a big help because a headshot may not provide the best representation of someone. Get started on this process early. And make sure to get buy-in from all team members prior to shooting.



Location Scout.

A location scout allows the crew to see the shooting environment ahead of time. This helps the crew determine where to shoot the interview, understand what lighting equipment to bring, where to load the equipment in, and puts them in contact with the facility management. Other things to keep in mind is the amount of sun-light in the room, and when the crew can get into the location. Typically, ideal locations offer color, height, depth, minimal noise, and the ability to control of traffic.


Production Schedule.

This document provides a road map for the day’s events, and forc-es the crew to calculate times for all activities on the shoot day. It’s best to wait until after the Location Scout to develop your Pro-duction Schedule, because the Scout answers a ton of location questions, like room availability, and parking details. A detailed Production Schedule is more than knowing when to interview peo-ple, or shoot a scene. A production schedule should also provide:

All addresses, parking, and load-in information Preparation times for all activities

(include times for each set up) Contact information Call Times for all Talent

- It’s always best to stagger these throughout the day to prevent people from sitting around on set.

Don’t forget to include lunch


TIP 3:Scouting the shoot will help the production com-pany plan accordingly.

TIP 4:Wait to develop the production schedule until after the location scout.


TIP 5:Storyboards showcase the composition and look of the shots.

TIP 6:A shot list keeps your team focused by break-ing down all the neces-sary shots for the day.

Storyboards.

Storyboards are like comic strips of your video. They provide an excellent way to convey your thoughts about a shot to everyone to make sure they see what you envision. They also force you to think about what’s being seen over what’s being said in the script. If you have 20 seconds of dialogue, you need to make sure you have enough visuals to cover what’s being said.


Shot List.

A shot list is a great way to break down and organize all necessary shots for the day. It helps determine the production schedule, and forces the team to think about all necessary requirements for the shoot - such as locations, props, and talent required for each shot.




Chapter 2:Production

If I had a dollar every time I heard a client say “I never realized there would be

this much stuff involved!”... I’d have a lot of dollars. Clients always marvel at

the amount of equipment that arrives on set. They gawk at the carts, wonder

how they will arrive on set so early, and stare at the sandbags that collectively

weigh more than they do.

Here are a few things to expect on the day of the shoot... other than someone

using the quote above:



TIP 1:Every shoot is unique and requires a different crew structure and spe-cific equipment.

EquipmentVideo production is... well... a production. It takes time and equip-ment to capture the images correctly. More involved shoots re-quire a variety of equipment to make a shot work - a jib to add camera movement; a hot light with a soft-box attached to soften the light source; or a 50 millimeter prime lens to make a low-light environment pop.

But you don’t always need to throw the kitchen sink at every shoot. An 8-man crew isn’t always necessary to get great footage. Larger crews certainly have their advantages, but that certainly does not mean that small crews are ineffective. The quality of today’s cam-era and lighting equipment enables many production companies to capture beautiful images with limited amounts of equipment - providing the operators know what they are doing.



TIP 2:Be sure to inform your coworkers ahead of the shoot day, so they can prepare as well.

Interruptions& ImpositionsA video crew typically generates interest. Everyone wants to see what’s going on. That’s fine. Let them. But just make sure they don’t get in the way of shots, or yell over the person you’re inter-viewing.

But also keep in mind that although you’re working on a video, your coworkers also have work to do. Sometimes lights or sound re-strictions lock down a conference room, or disrupt a cubicle area. To avoid mid-shoot distractions, inform anyone that’s in the area of the shoot that you will be there that day. Clear a conference room with the Office Manager ahead of schedule - this allows your co-workers to schedule meetings away from your shoot. Let them know what time you’ll be in the area, so they can schedule meet-ings out of your way. And if someone still gets annoyed at your presence, apologize and send them a token of appreciation - such as a coffee gift card - the next day.



TIP 3:Use your production schedule as a frame of reference rather than an exact time frame. Things are bound to change.

Curveballs& DelaysI would never tell you that all shoots wrap on schedule. With so many moving parts, ending on time can prove tricky. All it takes is for there to be an issue with the loading dock, a rough morning commute, an unexpected construction noise, or a person arriving late to their interview to throw the day’s schedule off.

Use your production schedule as a frame of reference for the day. If someone is going to be late, see if there’s a later interview that can get bumped up. Find out ahead of schedule who’s schedule is flexible. If you know you need to get a shot at 1:00 because the only person that knows how to use a piece of equipment you need for b-roll leaves, than you need to make sure you give your crew enough time to prepare for the shot.



TIP 4:If you’re able to, ask questions that you didn’t plan to ask. You never know what could spark from improvising.

Future ProofWhen interviewing a person with a busy schedule, maximize your time with them. Ask them questions not only for the video your working on, but if time allows, ask questions for potential future videos. The same goes for all interviewees. If you wrap with them a few minutes ahead of schedule, be prepared to ask them a ques-tion or two for potential future use. For example, if you’re shooting a corporate overview video, think about asking a question or two that would benefit future recruitment efforts.



Chapter 3:Post-Production

Post Production is where everything comes together. All footage is analyzed.

Graphics created. Stock footage researched. Music selected. Files written.

You get the idea.

Determine what level of involvement you would like to have in the post pro-

duction process. Some people want to get heavily involved. Others prefer

to let “the professionals” handle everything. Talk with your video production

company about what works best for you and your schedule. Decide when you

feel the best time is to get involved. Do you want to review all interview foot-

age, review transcripts, or wait for the rough cut?

Post production workflows vary in terms of complexity. Here are some of the

steps that take place in the post production process:



Back-Up Media

Log & TransferFootage

TIP 1:The media is the most important element of your project. Be sure to back it up for yourself.

As soon as the shoot is over, the media is backed-up in two places. Or, at least it should be. It’s a good idea to ask production compa-nies what they plan to do with the material after it’s been backed-up. It might be a good idea to send them your own hard drive to back up all the material, so you have it for your records. This pro-tects you in case a company goes under in the future.

Once the footage is backed up, the Assistant Editor Logs and Transfers the raw footage. This is where the footage is convert-ed to a format for the editing software. Detailed notes during this process organizes the footage within the editing program. Well organized footage streamlines the post-production process and allows Editors to quickly locate a specific quote or take.


Transcriptions

Stock Footage

TIP 2:Transcriptions are an ex-cellent, small file way to familiarize yourself with the footage.

TIP 3:Sometimes stock foot-age is the best way to get the shot you need.

Depending on the amount of footage, and if your budget allows it, transcribing interview footage is a great way to send small files out to team members to review. Transcriptions also provide a great archival resource - something small to store and easily refer to in the future. They also provide a quick way to find a specific quote. Just keep in mind that they aren’t perfect - they may not in-dicate any background noises, and don’t mention if an interviewee is looking off camera, or stumbles through a line.

Stock footage can be a tricky subject. Start researching early - it may take a while. It basically boils down to the type of foot-age you’re looking for. An elderly couple walking through a park is relatively easy to find, and as such, relatively affordable. But if you’re looking for something specific like a game winning home run, that’s where pricing may become an issue. You also need to consider your distribution - rights-managed video scales out de-pending upon the audience size.


Editing

TIP 4:Get feedback from key stakeholders as early as possible during the Editing process.

This is the bulk of post-production for your video. Your Editor crafts a story out of all available media. The Editing process goes through a few key phases:

Rough Cut.

A Rough Cut should provide a clear understanding as to the tone, pacing, style, content, music, and graphical treatments in your vid-eo. But the primary purpose is to provide enough material for ini-tial feedback on the direction of the story. Remain focused on the big picture of the video. Don’t get caught up on small things, like a dislike of music or untreated footage. This is a great time collect all initial feedback from key stakeholders.

Fine Cut.

The Fine Cut should incorporate all feedback from the Rough Cut, and serve as a much more polished verison of the video. Motion Graphic treatments should be fully developed at this stage. Make sure to share this version with any stakeholder who hasn’t seen the video up to this point.

Picture Lock.

Once the Fine Cut is approved, you move onto Picture lock, where the story and content are complete, but the color correction, and audio sweetening occur.

Final Cut.

The Final Cut is for approval of all the elements of the video - story, audio, graphics, color correction, spelling, etc. Once all of these ele-ments are approved, it’s time to write your final file for distribution!


TIP 5:The right voiceover can really sell your video. Think hard about the feel that you want, and don’t just choose anyone to record your voiceover.

VoiceoverRecordingVoiceovers provide an excellent way to convey content quickly and easily. Here are a few elements to keep in mind for your VO:

Scratch Narration

Scratch Narration is a reading of the narration prior to the final VO artist recording the narration. It allows team members to get a sense of how narration sounds in a video and develop a sense of timing for the final read. The narration can be recorded by the Ed-itor, or anyone that is not the final VO artist. This allows for quick (and typically) free edits to the voiceover track during the editing process.

Voiceover Narration

Ask your video production company to provide a few options and samples of the final voiceover artist. Think about what type of voice you want representing your company. Consider a deep, gravely 60-year-old male voice to provide authority, or a peppy 30-year-old female voice show that you’re hip and with it.



TIP 6:Sound Design is essen-tial and can make or break a video.

Sound DesignYou probably don’t want people watching your video with the sound off. At least not intentionally. Sound Design is an import-ant element to any video, and goes a long way towards getting your video to achieve your desired affect. Here’s a brief descrip-tion of some of the elements to consider for your video’s audio:

Audio Mixing

Audio Mixing is the process of combining all the audio (voice, sound effects, music, etc.) into one final, equalized track. It’s important to balance all of these sources accordingly. You don’t want a music track to have too much base that drowns out a great quote.



Music

Music is an essential element of your video. It can flow seamless-ly into your video and add an extra layer of emotion, or stick out and distract the viewer. There are a couple directions your produc-tion company can take when selecting music.

Stock MusicStock, or needle drop music, is a pre-recorded track that you can use in your video. There are a ton of options out there. Think about the type of music you would want to hear. Provide examples for your editor, or let them take a stab.

Original CompositionOriginal composition, or scoring, is when you use a track specifi-cally written for your video. Aside from giving your video a distinct and original feel, you have more control over the music and how it’s distributed. The downside is that unless you have a good con-nection, this can be an expensive and time-consuming process.

Sound Effects

Often overlooked, sound effects add a nice, subtle dimension to your video. They provide punch to motion graphics, or drive home an action. They also enhance or replace poor audio recorded on set.

TIP 7:There are millions of songs you can use in your video, but one is going to be a perfect fit.


Motion Graphics

TIP 8:There are many differ-ent ways to incorporate graphics into your video. Motion Graphics are a great way to really take your video up a level.

Motion Graphics offer a great way to enhance the effectiveness of your video. A three-dimensional logo bump at the beginning of your video provides a professional touch to your video, while integrated motion graphics help illustrate key points or enhance stagnant footage.

Logo Bumps

A logo bump is a treatment of your company’s or project’s logo at the beginning of your video. These can be something simple such as your logo against a white backdrop, or more complex like an ani-mated 3D rendering of your logo to pique your viewer’s interest.

Lower Thirds

Lower thirds, or a title, identify the speaker on camera. These too can be as simple as a person’s name in white text over their quote, or an animation that incorporates your company’s branding.

Title Slides

If you have video with a lot of information, title slides are a great way to break up a video and keep the viewer on track. Often times it’s easy for the viewer to feel overloaded with information, so title slides give the viewer a chance to breathe and prepare for the next segment of information.

Integrated Motion Graphics

Integrated motion graphics combine video footage with motion graphics. Although they add a little more complexity to your project, they provide a great way to focus the viewer’s attention on a partic-ular part of the screen, or assist in retaining information.


Compositing

Color Correction

TIP 9:Green Screen interviews provide a great opportu-nity to brand your video with your company or project’s identity.

TIP 10:A well-colored video adds to the overall image quality of your video, and provides a nice finishing touch.

Green screens provide a variety of creative options for a your video. They provide flexibility and consistency when shooting over multi-ple days and in multiple locations. The portability of green screen allows crews to set up and break down a set in about an hour. And since all that’s required is a large room (at least 12’ x 18’) it stream-lines location considerations during pre-production.

Green Screen interviews provide a great opportunity to brand your video with your company or project’s identity. Shooting interviews against a green screen also makes it easier to revisit projects and update any future changes to your company’s branding. You can also shoot additional interviews in the future, and seamlessly incor-porate that footage into your video.

Color correction is the process of adjusting the color of your foot-age. This can either be to match cameras, or to evoke a feeling or emotion out of the footage. A well-colored video adds to the over-all image quality of your video, and provides a nice finishing touch. This should take place once the final edits have been made to avoid unnecessary work.


Closed Captioning

File Writing

TIP 11:Be sure to check if you need Closed Captioning done for you video.

TIP 12:It’s good to know what file format, codec, bit rate, and pixel dimen-sions you need for your final video, which will make the writing process faster and easier.

This is usually a requirement for all Government projects. If you work in the private sector, check with management or legal to see if your video needs Captioning. This occurs at the end of Post-Pro-duction, taking place after final approval of the video.

Such a simple process... but one that is often fraught with failure. Prevent excessive file writing and transfers and find out ahead of time the specs and bit rates for your video from those who know and send them to your production company. What is the pixel size of the player? The aspect ratio? What types of speakers will the end user most likely have? Longer videos take longer to compress and upload/download. Make sure you build in plenty of time on your schedules to adjust accordingly.


Distribution

The Final Cut is approved. Well done. Now just post it on your website and

Youtube and watch the viewer numbers soar.... right?

As we mentioned earlier, those numbers only soar if you have a plan of attack.

You need to develop a comprehensive strategy - initiated in Pre-production -

that focuses on making your target audience aware of your video.

There are a ton of avenues to explore, but here are a few elements to consider

up front:



On-Site

TIP 1:Think wisely about where you want your video to live.

This involves how to maximize the placement of your video on your own website.

Write Corresponding Blogs

Think about subjects that might be worth blogging about as you produce your video. Not everything has to relate to your particular industry. Even if you’re producing a video for a financial institution, think about writing a blog about your video experience. Or about your experience at the conference you filmed the interviews at. Look for websites where you can serve as a guest blogger.

Reach Out to Influential Bloggers

Look for prominent bloggers in your industry. If you’re trying to get the word out about your recruitment video in the financial industry, look for influential bloggers that your desired target audience would read. Be thoughtful about how you approach them. Take your time. Compose individual emails to each one - they will smell out a copy and paste approach. Propose a way that you might be able to help them. The value of being mentioned by one key influencer could be worth thousands of dollars.

Internal Promotion

Put the video on your website. No... feature it on your homepage. Don’t bury it so deep on your site that half the viewers find it by mis-take. Think about where you want the video to be placed. Feature it prominently... if you’re proud of it. Check with your web team about the player to post it with. And promote it.


Off-Site

TIP 2:Consider what marketing tools can you use to en-hance the viewing status of your video.

Off-site marketing pertains to your online marketing efforts that take place off of your website.

Facebook

The simple step is to upload the video to your Facebook page. But be careful. You don’t want to come across as a spammer. When posting a video to Facebook, there are a couple of key items to keep in mind:

Encourage viewers to comment. And more importantly, share. Entice them to “Like” your video.

Think about the length of the video. If you have a 5-minuterecruitment video, edit it down to a 30-second trailer and grab their attention.

Think about the Metadata - keep titles and tags relevant, catchy, and short.

Choose your thumbnail wisely. The picture goes a long way in determining whether or not someone clicks on it.

Tag participants - If you include customer testimonials, tag the interviewee in your video. Your video will show up on their Wall.

Public vs. Private - Offer people free videos, but entice them to want more. Give them a reason to subscribe to your news-feed.


TIP 3:Social Networks are a great place to acquire buzz for your video.

Twitter

Twitter isn’t a hosting site, but an excellent method to spread the word about your video. Make sure to embed your video in your Tweet. You may also want to incorporate custom videos specifical-ly for Tweeting. This is easy to do while you have everyone on set. If you create one, make sure they are quick, small, and relevant. Vines are great for this.

Video Seeding

Video seeding is a type of marketing made for the social atmo-sphere. Your videos are posted on blogs, social media websites and forums. Paid media, or advertising, isn’t necessarily the main goal here. Instead, the videos are designed to be compelling enough for people to watch so they share them through social channels.

These types of videos tend to be subtly branded. The focus of the content is about the consumer experience, or some other inter-esting aspect of a company. Unlike paid media, where people are forced to watch the video, viewers don’t have to watch seeded vid-eos if they don’t want to. Because of this, seeded videos must be engaging and include fresh content. The best videos stretch the envelope and posses a lot of personality.


Off-line

TIP 4:Explore different options of displaying your video in other places than your own website or event.

Your video better not only live for a single event, or get placed on your company’s website alone. A number of options exist for you to explore.

Sales Presentations

Videos offer a great medium for conveying a large amount of in-formation in a short amount of time. Tailor your video to fit the needs of the presentation. Often times, pictures are better than words in these situations, so let your video work for you.

In-person Meetings

Videos provide an excellent sales tool for in-person meetings. Some products are simply difficult to explain, but showing poten-tial customers what your product can do reduces the amount of time you need to spend explaining procedures, when you could be talking about future sales.

Event Partnerships

Think about places where large numbers of your target audience might attend. Perhaps it’s a conference or a job fair. Connect with the influencers of that particular event. Get on their radar and see how you can help each other out. Better yet, become the influenc-er of that event yourself. Get on the committee. Perhaps you can get your video on the event’s website.


Conclusion

Getting from script to screen can feel like a daunting task at first. The bottom

line - if you are new to video, find a video production company you feel com-

fortable with. A team that you know will deliver on time, and on budget. And

trust them. Lean on their expertise. Ask the right questions up front. Go with

the team you feel provides the best answers. But most importantly, trust your

gut.



http://www.522productions.com

Phone: 703-286-7696Fax: 866-612-9085

Email: [email protected]

711 King St.Alexandria, VA 22314

PRODUCTIONS522


http://www.522productions.com

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