The Video Production Process: Everything You Need to Know

Today, recording videos is easier than ever thanks to the high-quality video cameras built into most mobile phones, the availability of excellent microphones that plug right into these phones, and the availability of simple-to-use lighting that you can buy online and have delivered right to your door. However, creating a great video still requires a considerable amount of planning and understanding of the video production process from start to finish.

If you're new to video creation and interested in the process of video production, this guide will walk you through the steps involved in producing high-quality videos. Let's dive in.

What Is Video Production Process?

Before we start, let's define exactly what we mean by "what is the video production process?" When you think of video production, you might imagine a Hollywood movie studio with lots of lights and people in makeup. While this plays a role in making a film, it doesn't represent the full scope of video production. And 9 times out of 10 it’s not as glamorous as you may think.

Video production includes a series of phases that are necessary to create any video:

Phase One: Pre-production

Pre-production involves researching, writing, and brainstorming ideas before filming begins. Pre-production may sometimes include hiring actors or more crew, depending on the project's complexity and length. The steps involved in pre-production vary based on the project but typically include the following:

1. Write A Video Production Brief

A video production brief is a document that defines the video's goals and explains how you’d like it to be produced. Identifying the goals is key so you know exactly what to include in the video in order to achieve the desired outcomes. In the video production brief, think of things like what is the ideal outcome? How are you going to persuade your audience? How are you going to grow your engagement? These are all key points to include in order to begin your video production. This will also be extremely useful for your video production team as this will give them an outline of what you want to achieve from the video and what they would need to produce for you.

2. Decide Who the Video Is For

To produce a high-quality video, you must know who you're targeting. For example, if you're producing a video to persuade customers to buy your product, it should appeal to that specific audience. If you're trying to reach a broader audience, your video needs to be designed to appeal to everyone in that market. Your brand will likely already have a target audience and you will know who your customers are, communicating this with your team will help them produce the best video for your brand and audience. If you need help with defining your target audience head over to our blog all about determining your target audience for your business.

3. Build A Video Strategy

A video strategy is a document that outlines how you'll execute the video. It will usually include the following information:

• Brief description of the video

• Target audience

• Objectives

• Concepts

• Costs

• Timeline

In short, this will outline what your production team will be doing, how long it will take and at what cost, this is usually included in your contract.

4. Create Your Storyboard

A storyboard is a visual representation of the video that shows how it will play out. A storyboard can include a script, character sketches, and other elements that help give your video life. A storyboard allows trial and error before beginning to film, this will save a lot of time in the long run. Allowing you and your production team to align on video expectations and what it is you want your team to create. Your production team can produce this storyboard for you to show you what they had in mind after looking over your brief and doing their research.

5. Write Your Script

Your script is the written version of your storyboard. It should contain the text that appears in the video, as well as the visual elements you'll use. Scripts are a great way for you and the team to test to see if everything goes how you’ve visualised.

6. Scout Locations to Film In

Scouting helps you find a location where you can film the video. You may need to rent a space or get permission to film in certain locations. Your production team will have the knowledge of where it could be best to film your video and will check out the space before filming to ensure they have the correct space to film the best video for you.

7. Cast Talent

You may need to source actors/actresses for your video. When casting talent for your video, you want to hire actors who can deliver a convincing performance and are excited about the role and your brand. Casting is a highly specialised skill. If you don't know how to cast a video properly, you could end up with an amateur actor who performs poorly.

8. Choose Your Creative Approach

Creative approaches are the tools you use to communicate your message. They include things like scripts, music, graphics, and animation. As you plan your video, consider the best way to convey the message. Also, remember to stick to elements that complement your brand. This means using your brand's tone of voice, colours and other elements that represent your brand.

9. What Video Equipment Do You Need?

You'll need a wide variety of video equipment to shoot high-quality footage. Video production companies will have access to all the equipment you need, so having them on board will save you a lot of time and money in sourcing the correct tools to film. They will plan which equipment they need, and with their knowledge of video production, they will know what piece of equipment they need for different types of video outcomes.

10. Schedule The Shoot

The final piece to the puzzle is getting the video footage. Once you've developed a storyboard, cast your talent and got everything organised and ready to film, it's time to schedule the best day/time to shoot with your team. This takes a lot of coordination between multiple parties, so ensure you leave enough lead time to ensure everyone is available on the shoot date.

Phase Two: Production

During the production process, your video is shot. The shooting and editing process can take several days to create a quality video, especially if you're creating something complex or elaborate. Keep in mind that there are many steps involved.

1. Set Up the Cameras

Setting up the camera(s) is the first step in producing a video. You'll need to adjust the settings so that the resulting footage looks good. You'll also need to position the camera correctly to capture what you need to film. You want to make sure that the cameras are placed in the correct places so this will avoid getting any of the wrong shots.

2. Set Up the Lights

We have many types of lighting equipment to use whilst filming and depending on the type of shot, will determine how the lighting is set up. Here are just a couple of light examples we may use:

• Key light: The key light is used to illuminate the face of the talent. It's usually placed above their head to prevent shadows from appearing on their face.

• Fill light: The fill light softens shadows on the talent's face. It's usually positioned directly behind the talent.

• Bounce light: The bounce light brightens a dark area. It helps make the overall image brighter.

Having the right lighting is what will make your video the best it can be, too bright and your people and objects will be washed out. Too dark and it will make it difficult to see the video clearly.

3. Direct The Talent

Directing talent is a highly specialised skill. It means knowing which shots are most important to include in the final video and when to cut or pause to make the most impact. You need an eye for detail in order to complete this to the best of your ability, keep in mind that this video will be going live to the public so it needs to be perfect. This is why storyboarding and scripts help keep everyone aligned.

4. Action!

Once everything is set up and everyone is in place and ready it's time to start rolling. It's always good to capture B-roll, this is footage that shows the environment around your subject. It adds context to the scene, making it look more realistic and relatable.

Phase Three: Post-production

Post-production refers to everything that happens once you've filmed the video. It involves editing the footage into a finished product, adding sound effects to enhance the audio, ensuring the colour is right and the video runs smoothly. Here are some examples of what happens post-production:

1. Recording A Voiceover

If your video needs a voiceover this usually happens after the video has been shot. This audio file goes along with the visuals in the video, explaining what's happening in the scene. It's recorded separately, but it can sometimes be done during the same session as filming. However, depending on the type of video you may not be using voiceover instead you may just have your actor talking during filming, only have a backing track or no audio at all.

2. Colour Video Footage

Editing and adjusting the colour of the footage are done after a video has been filmed. Film colourists will alter the colour and film based on your video visuals, however, if your video is simple this isn’t always a necessary step. Head over to our socials to see a before and after colouring of one of our projects.

3. Combine Music and Special Effects

Music and special effects are added to videos during post-production. They provide emotional cues to the viewer and help set the mood of the entire video.

Post-production is where most of the work takes place. You'll need to spend significant time editing and tweaking the video until you're happy with the final result.

These three phases along with general video editing and cutting are crucial for producing a high-quality video.

Why Is Video Production Important?

Video is the most powerful form of content marketing because it captures viewers' attention faster than any other media. Video is the future of content marketing. If you don't start creating videos now, you'll fall behind your competitors.

Why is video production so significant? Because video content is more effective at generating conversions than text alone. Research shows that people retain 95% of the information when watching a video instead of 10% reading the same material. That's huge!

In short, video is essential for any modern business looking to generate leads, increase brand awareness and increase revenue, and you can only achieve this if you have high-quality video content.

In Summary

To succeed at online video marketing, you must master the art of video production. It's the single biggest factor that separates successful vloggers from everyone else.

Although it might seem overwhelming, hiring a video production company will take out all the stress of planning and creating a brilliant video. We will be alongside you every step of the way and give our expert advice on what video will work best for your brand.

What do you think? Are you ready to start making videos or level up your video content? If so, get in touch with us today!