Video production involves a lot of time, effort, and finesse. To produce a successful video, we've developed a step by step process. Twenty-five years of experience has perfected our method.
Follow These Steps During Your Video Production Process
First, come up with a concept. Before you can do anything, you'll need to decide on a concept for your video. What do you want to accomplish with the video? Who is your audience? What message do you want to get across? Without this crucial first step, you run the risk of making a video that fails to speak to your audience and advance your marketing goals.
Second, write a script. With the concept dialed in, it's time to sit down and write a script. Your script should be easy to understand, fit within your target video time, and include any changes in camera angle, wardrobe, or background.
Third, perform pre-production planning. At a minimum, pre-production planning consists of scouting a location, getting permits if required, procuring all of the equipment you need, reviewing your script, speaking with actors about their roles, deciding on a budget, and choosing a time and day for the shoot. As I said, the above list is very basic. There are seemingly endless other details—camera batteries, make-up, wardrobe, etc.—that need to be addressed before a shoot.
Fourth, shoot the video. The big day! Just like the pre-production planning, there are a million details to get right on the day of the shoot. If you've done the required work from the first three steps, things should go smoothly. If not, you're in for a day of frustration.
Fifth, edit the video. Editing software has gotten easier to use. However, for anything more than basic editing, it's wise to get professional help. A good editor has a critical eye and can help you produce an effective video.
Sixth, code the video. In order to be successful, your video should be coded properly. This will allow maximum distribution and watchability on a variety of devices, including smartphones, tablets, and desktops.
Seventh, distribute and optimize the video. For your web video to help your SEO efforts, it needs to be properly optimized and distributed through the right channels. This means adding the right content to the title and description, choosing the right category for the video, and using captions when appropriate.
Eighth, promote the video. The final step in video production is promoting the video. Depending on your goals for your video, this could mean sending a commercial to your local news station, getting shares and likes through social media, or adding the video to your next e-mail newsletter.
Need Help With Your Video Production?
Clearly, video production means more than picking up your smartphone and shooting video. If you're not quite ready to produce your own videos yet, call 703.962.1270 to speak to a member of our Fairfax, Va. video production team. We can take over the whole project or just help you with a few production elements.
