A comprehensive guide to processes of  video making

Whether you’re filming a podcast or creating a promotional video, it is imperative to deliver a high-quality video, and the key to success is your video production process. Making a video from start to finish requires some thoughtful planning. However, If you follow the right steps, any hiccups that may arise along the way can be avoided. This article will walk you through the video production process, breaking it down into three phases.

Video Production Process

• The video production process is divided into three phases: pre-production, production, and post-production. These three phases are broken down into nine simple steps, making the tasks manageable and achievable. Let’s discuss each phase in detail.

1. Pre-Production

• This phase is all about planning and is split into six simple steps. Tick off each step for a successful video shoot.

Formulate Your Video Strategy

• Clearly define the objective of your video. Whether raising brand awareness or boosting engagement, every aspect of the video production process should actively convey this central message.
• Understand your target audience. Who will be watching your video? Gather insights into your viewers’ demographics, the challenges they seek to overcome, and their viewing preferences to create a video that resonates with them and aligns with your video objective.
• Set a realistic budget and timeline for your project. Avoid cutting corners on production costs; it’s better to delay than to release a low-quality video.

Map Out Your Content

• With the video objective in mind, determine your creative approach and outline the content to be featured in the video.
• Depending on the type of video, your script may vary in formality. For instance, when producing a video podcast, a simple list of discussion points or interview topics is enough for a natural conversation.
• Create a visual representation of your video through a storyboard. This tool will help you plan the shots required during the production phase.
• Establish a production schedule that outlines the individuals, locations, and equipment required to capture the planned shots. This schedule ensures you have everything in place for a successful production in the next phase.

Explore Your Filming Locations

• Identify and secure the necessary filming locations that align with your objective.
• When video involves a person speaking directly to the camera, find a well-lit room to ensure optimal audio and visual quality .
• Always have a backup plan in case of unexpected challenges. For instance, be prepared for unexpected weather changes for outdoor shoots.

Search Talent

• The approach to finding talent can vary depending on your video’s purpose. For a scripted story featuring actors, you need to cast the performers at this stage.
• For recording testimonials or how-to guides, reach out to happy customers or employees to share their experiences on camera.
• Video podcasts involve inviting guests for interviews.

Assemble Your Equipment

• The primary equipment in the video production process includes a quality camera, microphone, and lighting setup. In addition, rental services allow you to access higher-quality equipment that may otherwise be beyond your usual budget.

Plan Your Filming Session

• Coordinate the shooting of your video with your predetermined timeline. Consider the availability of your talent and chosen location. When setting up your virtual recording studio, you can select the desired recording date and send an invitation to your talent, ensuring they can join on the specified day.

2. Production

This is the second phase in the video production process and includes the following tasks:

• Setting up your filming equipment.
• Running rehearsals to ensure everyone and everything is well-prepared for shooting.
• Filming the video.

Create a preparation checklist to ensure you’ve covered all essential aspects. This phase may also involve conducting guest interviews, capturing footage (b-roll), creating animations, and recording voiceovers. Depending on your video project’s nature. Prioritize your video’s objectives, and refer back to the storyboard developed during pre-production as a guide during filming.

3. Post-Production

• The third and final phase in the video production process is post-production. This phase transforms the raw footage into a polished video ready for distribution.

Post-production involves the following steps:

Editing

• This step involves selecting the best shots, removing unnecessary moments, and arranging each clip to create the right length video with relevant content. If you’re uncomfortable with video editing, many companies offer post-production services . Ensure to include this expense in your budget during the pre-production phase.

Sound Enhancement

• Adding background music and complementary sound effects that align with the video’s mood and tone enhances viewer engagement.

Graphics

• Adding text and graphics to highlight important information within the video brings it to life. Adding frames and your logo can elevate the video’s professionalism.

Finalizing Your Video

• This is the final step of generating completed video files in the appropriate formats and quality settings tailored to your selected hosting and distribution platforms. Most platforms like YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter prefer mp4 files.

Your specific format will depend on the platform where you want to share the video. For instance, Instagram prefers vertical videos, so producing a landscape video that can be easily cropped or adjusted for sharing across various social platforms is advisable.

Distribution

• The final step in the video production process involves the distribution of your completed video. This involves the uploading of the video to your chosen hosting platform. While YouTube is known as the most popular free hosting option, it may not provide the same level of analytical insights as other paid video hosting platforms. Analytics play a crucial role in evaluating how effectively your video aligns with the objectives of step one of the video production process.

The next step is to promote your video across various channels, including your website, social media, newsletters, and other marketing campaigns. This strategic distribution aims to maximize the video’s reach engagement and ultimately meet the original video objectives outlined during the pre-production phase. It’s also essential to create shorter, appropriately formatted versions of the video for distribution on different platforms.

Key Takeaways

• Video is a powerful marketing tool that significantly impacts sales and product/service understanding. Careful planning during pre-production is essential for creating an engaging and effective video. Maintaining a clear core message throughout the video production also ensures focus and goal achievement.

Grey Sky Films is a Video Production Agency located in Northern New Jersey. We have over 20 years of experience producing branded, commercial, and corporate video content. We prioritize quality content that resonates with the audience over everything else. For more information, call us at (973) 625-6911 or email us at info@greyskyfilms.com.