Stages of Video Production
It shouldn’t be too surprising to find out that people watch 16 hours of videos online per week – think YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. This stat shows video popularity is growing tremendously, so there is a sure need for more videos, more creativity, and more video production. Influencers, brands, and companies are all reaching for new ways to entertain and inform their following and potential consumers. So, wherever you stand in your career or interest in video content, it’s important to be along for the video consumption ride and not to get left behind. Although we all see the trends of so many capturing video content on their handy dandy mobile devices, please note that many essential ingredients go into creating a captivating and professional-grade quality video.
The truth is videos are only as effective as their production value, and the great production value is a result of following a set of processes. Even the most creative concepts and ideas can fall flat without a good production process. Let’s delve into it…
Importance of video content
Video content continues to gain buzz in marketing because of its intrigue and diversity of storytelling. You can present your story or plot in so many different forms producing an endless determination of emotions; it just depends on your goals. Video provides versatility in the form of scripts, characters, and formats to appeal to different demographics. Proven to improve brand retention, videos can help solidify brand image and make a lasting impact on your audience, and we know this is your jam.
Stages of Video Production
Given the benefits of videos, production of it has immense value.
Moving parts that include technical assets and knowledgeable manpower are all essential components of video production to deliver a compelling final result. The final video produced is the culmination of the production stages where ideation, effort, and editing occur. This is a simplified explanation of what video production is. It all started with the rfp process and moved into the fun part of true video production. In reality, video production stages can be quite complex.
Here, we have broken down these often complex stages into digestible components:
1. Pre-Production
This phase is where you gather knowledge, technical assets, client requirements, ideas, strategies, audience requirements, budget, and goals.
- Finalize the budget and technical aspects: Without understanding the format, intention, and requirement of the video, setting a budget for the technical skills required and equipment needed could be difficult. The budget may have to be revised multiple times to fit a client’s expectations while ensuring all technical assets needed to deliver the brand messaging in the appropriate format will be accomplished.
- Collection/ Development: This stage encompasses collecting clients’ requirements, the demographic the video is intended for, and the base requirement of the video. Base requirements include but are not limited to the video’s main intention, whether it will be used to promote, advertise, educate or entertain an audience. In this phase, an appropriate format needs to be selected to build a relevant story.
- Video strategy/goals: Once the information is gathered and fact-checked, the production team sets a goal that is communicated to all members and the client. The goal could be related to a client’s immediate need for the project, like communicating the importance of a product or service. Based on the goal, strategies are laid out and discussed, and elements to be included are decided. Using this opportunity to research competitors and audience preferences is helpful. This stage is also where the project’s scope is identified so that the production stays in line with the intended goals, and tasks will be assigned accordingly.
- Storyboard the vision: This phase will require consulting with your creative team to brainstorm ideas that fit the story format and the intended demographics. This is where the knowledge of the team is highly appreciated. Processes like storyboarding create a visual representation of how the video will look. Each scene is broken down chronologically with accompanying notes to improve each aspect of the story.
- Logistics: This stage is where the operational planning occurs, and multi-level scheduling takes place to ensure everything runs smoothly on shoot day. Production requirements such as technical assets needed are listed out, locations are scouted, behind-the-scenes elements, like on-set insurance, will be determined, and the flow of production day will be coordinated with the talent, crew, and of course, client. Once everything is finalized, each individual from the production team will have a clear breakdown of their roles, and timings are set on the duration/timing of the shoot.
2. During Production
This is when the action happens, quite literally.
The main task in this phase is capturing the project assets. The production phase is time-sensitive. Usually, contingency plans are necessary to ensure this phase runs smoothly and the production does not run overtime or over budget. A shooting schedule developed in pre-production gives a blueprint to prioritize what is necessary.
Production requires a lot of organization and managerial expertise, especially during light and scene set-ups. Hence, shooting days have individuals with specific expertise involved. It is common to have directors, producers, writers (sometimes), set design specialists, lighting, makeup artists and hairstylists, continuity specialists, and of course, talent on-set at any given time. The complexities of the production phase and the number of people involved rely heavily on the initial production plan, the script, the actors, and the intention of the video.
Formats can also affect the complexity of production. Explainer videos could take mere hours, whereas mainstream commercials could take a lot longer because of the complexities and details needed.
Each and every story requires layers. Most require b-roll footage, extra footage to support the overall story and assist with smooth transitions.
3. Post-Production
The magic of post-production includes many ingredients. This step of video production involves utilizing editing software to color grade and add relevant music and animation. The finishing touches are made during post-production and can make or break the video. In this phase, the story is tightened to reflect the intended mission. Errors are recognized and adjusted. Sequences come together, b-roll footage is included, and the video production team, along with their client, will review, suggest edits or feedback and move to approval before the final delivery of the video.
4. Marketing and Distribution
Marketing and distribution are an understated but equally important part of video production. Stages of video production are incomplete without the video reaching the correct audience, right? At this stage, the project is handed over to the marketing team, who decides their preferred form of distribution. Social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram, are usually used to appeal to a younger demographic, whereas for older demographics, distribution usually occurs on a mass level in the form of commercialized TV ads or even via email to a larger audience base.
Keep in mind all production companies approach video making with different processes, but the overall objective of these processes is to ensure a sense of accountability, quality, and reassurance when a video is being produced. A quality video is a collective effort of a production team that has an easy-to-understand process that relies on simple execution to match the client’s needs.
You are primed to make magic happen when you find trust and talent in your video production team.
We are thrilled and especially honored to have hundreds of great reviews and be ranked highly on reputable sites: Clutch, UpCity, and Wimgo. Check us out and know we want you to make the most informed decision as you choose the team that fits your video production services needs. We are here for you when you are ready for your next video production project.