Creating a video can be as simple as turning on your webcam or smartphone camera and recording yourself talk for 30 seconds. In some cases, simple videos such as these can yield results. But if you’re looking to create a video for your business, you probably want to present your brand is the most professional and authoritative manner possible, which is why it’s a good idea to invest in professional video creation services.
Assuming this is your first time investing in professional video creation services, though, you might be wondering what the process entails. Well, being that no two clients have the exact same needs, the process varies. With that said, most videos are creating using the following steps.
#1) Setting Your Goals
The first step in the video production process is setting your goals and objectives. In other words, what do you hope to accomplish with your video? Introduce or promote a product or service, build brand awareness, etc.
According to a survey conducted by BrightRoll, 91% of advertising executives believe video is equally or more effective that display advertising, and 75% believe it’s equally or more effective than TV advertising. Whether you’re looking to attract leads, generate sales, increase walk-in traffic to your business, establish goals first then you can begin proceed with the steps of actually creating the video.
#2) Resource Assessment
Next comes resource assessment. During this step, you will need to assess your budget allocated for the video. Keep in mind that producing a high-quality video requires a monetary investment. You can’t expect to captivate your audience with a cheap, poorly made amateur video; you need a high-quality professional video — and that requires an investment of your business’s money and resources.
When setting a budget for your video, consider the return that video will offer. Regardless of budge,t a professionally made video may deliver a 200% return on investment (or more). While there’s no way to accurately predict exactly how a video will perform, you can estimate by factoring in your goals and objectives. The bottom line is that you need to consider the lifetime ROI of the video when setting your budget.
#3) Script
The third step in the video production process is the script. Basically, the script is your video’s blueprint. It provides an overview of the scenes and dialogue in chronological order. It’s not uncommon for video scripts to contain multiple pages.
As you can expect, creating a script is a time-consuming process. It must orchestrate the video in a fluid and effective manner while maintaining alignment with your goals and objectives. If there’s a part of the script that doesn’t make sense, it must be revised — and revisions may continue until the script is perfected. Only then can filming begin.
#4) Preproduction
The preproduction phase consists of multiple processes that are performed before filming and producing the video. Some video companies, for instance, may create a visual representation of the video prior to filming in the form of a “storyboard.” Other preproduction may also include shot lists, acquisitions of props and wardrobe, etc.
#5) Talent
Next comes the talent. Conventional wisdom should tell you that actors and actresses are the key talent of a successful video — and that’s mostly accurate. Without talented actors and actresses, the video is destined to fail before it’s ever recorded.
However, talent goes beyond the video’s actors and actresses. The term “talent” refers to anyone who’s recorded in the video such as a narrator or interviewers. If you’re creating a video that showcases a beach resort, for instance, you may use both professional and non-professional actors on screen to create a more genuine and authentic environment.
#6) Locations
After talent has been selected for the video, it’s time to find the right filming locations. Known as location scouting, this involves scouring possible locations to see if they are a good fit for the video. When scouting possible locations, you should consider things like lighting, sound, angle of daylight, weather, accessibility and feasibility.
#7) Shooting
Now comes the process of shooting the video. With the script in hand and location selected, the filming crew and talent will head out to shoot the video.
Keep in mind that shooting a video can be a lengthy process. Even if the video itself is only two to three minutes, filming could take an entire day or more, after accounting for multiple takes, scene changes and more.
#8) Editing
The final step in the video production process is editing. This is a technical and meticulous process that involves cutting together the best scenes, adding sound and graphics, and ultimately perfecting the quality. The editing team will work closely with you during this process to ensure the final video is exactly what you are hoping for.
