When you’ve been in an industry for some time, there’s a risk that you start taking things for granted. It might be knowledge of a particular piece of software or a specific process that is industry standard. You may also start assuming that because a practice is second nature to you, everyone else knows about it too. That’s not always the case.
In the video production industry the given is often surrounding the actual process of video production and the time it takes to put a project together. To show the process I’m using when creating a video, here’s an overview of my three acts of production.
ACT ONE – PRE-PRODUCTION
Pre-production, as the name suggests, takes place before production. But what does that actually involve? Once the whole sales process is out the way, the price settled on and the parameters fixed, you can start planning for the shoot. This might involve elements like writing a script, finding a suitable location for filming, casting the talent and determining things like music selections and what graphics might be needed. This phase usually takes up about 30 % of the time of the entire project. Considering the costs involved in producing a video it’s important not to rush through this stage. Re-shoots are costly and should not be necessary if the shoot is planned well.
ACT TWO – PRODUCTION
Production is the actual filming of your video. It might take place over a couple of hours or a couple of days, depending on factors like how many scenes and locations are required. This is the Hollywood part of the process where everyone gets to joke about when their make-up artist is coming or simply enjoy the novelty of escaping their weekly routine for a few hours. It’s also the part of the project that takes the least time, around 25% or less in most cases. As a client this is important to remember. While this is the main face time you’ll have with your video producer it’s not where the majority of time is spent on your project.
ACT THREE – POST-PRODUCTION
The final phase of the video production process is post-production – and it’s more than just editing. A solid post-production process includes capturing all the recorded data, backing up that data, sorting the files and footage for editing, the editing itself, inserting graphics and music, and then the creation or rendering of video files to make them ready to be watched on the web. It also includes delivering that file either by hard drive or in most cases by uploading to a web service such as YouTube or Vimeo. Post-production makes up 45% of the project time – it’s fiddly, and at times also tedious work.
In summary, I can guarantee that the relationship between you and your video producer will be better the more aware you are of these stages. To keep the breakdown of time for each phase of the video production process in mind ensures that your expectations are in line with reality and that all parties are satisfied.