In these modern times, video is king when it comes to content format.
You probably know this already. With the combination of auditory and visual appeal, it entices people to receive the message you are trying to convey more openly as you inform and entertain at the same time.
If you are used to making your video content, you may already know how to create one. Otherwise, you may hire people or pay for services that will do this for you. There are several steps in doing it, and the first of all is video pre-production.
What is pre-production?
Pre-production is one of the most, if not the most, crucial part of video production. It is where everything begins. It is where you give birth to ideas. It is the process of conceptualizing everything that will happen in the video. It starts when you are inspired to begin video content and ends when you are ready to carry out all your plans.
What is involved in pre-production work?
Even if you are going to outsource video creation or pre-production, you still need to have a clear idea of how to do it. This way, you can help the team you are assigning it to or hiring to do it. When you know the ins and outs, you can better see areas that need tweaking. You can also help out in the creative process.
So, what does pre-production mean to the team? What follows are the essential elements of video pre-production:
It starts with an idea
Whether it is a music video pre-production or a film production process, the steps needed to begin are the same-brainstorming. You know what you are offering; it may be a product, services, talents, anything. The thing is, you know the strong and weak points. You know what you want to emphasize. Write them all down.
It is best to do this with a team. It is hard to brainstorm alone. In a group, you can draw a lot of ideas and inputs. During this step, do not overwhelm yourself. Just keep the ideas flowing. Ask questions, be open to dissenting opinions. Make the environment engaging and light. Take this time to discover how to conceptualize your product. How do you see it getting into the market? What do you want to accomplish?
Bring all your creative talents to the room. Tackle all possibilities like where the videos will appear or where do you want to distribute it. How much are you willing to spend on it? Think of all the things you will need and talk about it. Once you have exhausted everything, you may begin to narrow down the list.
Doing this with professionals will make the task easier. These people are used to this kind of job. Just give them what you think will work, and they can help develop it from there. They will even give you several suggestions on how to go about it. All you need to do is choose.
Developing the script
After extensive brainstorming, the next step is to make the script. In doing so, you are preparing everyone on set about what will be needed, especially in terms of props, costumes, effects, location, and even the actors that will perform on the video.
As you do the pre-production script, you are slowly building a vision of the end product. This pre-production work may need extra effort on your part if you are doing it the first time. Without experience, you may jump up into the easiest way of doing it-straightforward narration. Although it is not unacceptable, it may not be as effective as you want it to be.
W hen making a script, you may pattern it on videos you saw that impacted you. What are the elements you saw in them that you could apply to your output? As you begin writing, let someone else critique your work. Ask your team for feedback. More heads are better than one. Make a draft; let someone edit it. Review together with the team. Find the good and bad points and keep developing scene by scene as you go.
Hiring an agency that does this type of job will be a great help. What is advantageous about that is that they can come up with scripts that work and incorporate whatever additions you might have without sacrificing the script's overall content.
Building the storyboard
Now that you finish doing the script, it is time to show what you are trying to tell. Storyboards show a concrete picture of what the plot is trying to convey. You cannot rely solely on what you can see in your mind as you listen to the script. There must be a general agreement among the team how each scene will look like because how you imagined it might not be the same as how the others did.
A storyboard shows how the scenes will flow. It offers a panel per panel of how the story progresses. It provides visuals of what your final output could be. This way, you will have an idea of where and what you can improve. It will help you be on track. It will help save a lot of time and money because it clarifies the next steps or shots you need to make.
It also helps you decide beforehand the kinds of shots you need to make when you finally begin filming. Will you need a wide-angle or a close-up? At which point do you have to cut the scene? You can plan all of these with a storyboard. You will have an initial feel of how your video will look like once finished. You can decide right then and there whether you need to remove or add something.
Agencies can do this for you too. With trained and creative staff, they can make your stories come to life with their picture boards. You do not have to squeeze your brains out anymore; sit back and enjoy as they do what they do best.
Preparation for production
Ideas are ready, the script is on, and the storyboards are out. You have almost everything set to start filming. However, before you cross that line, there are several hurdles that you still have to take. That includes tasks like booking locations, getting permits to shoot, gathering all visuals and props, hiring actors and extras, hiring hair and makeup services, securing all supplies and gadgets such as lighting and cameras, costumes, the works!
So, what can you do? You must make a list of all the things that need to be acquired and accomplished. Being organized is key to succeeding in the pre-production step. Write down every area, categorize them as you must, and ask someone to take charge for accountability purposes. This way, you know whom to approach for each department.
That works if you have several members of your team. You can split them up and have them handle a specific area. The problem arises if you do not have enough people to do this. It might burn you out if you do all of these alone. It becomes worse as you start shooting, and you have to do both the on screen and background works.
Again, for this part, hiring an agency will be a big help. You will relieve yourself of this burden by allowing trained people with the right connections to do this tasking job for you. Let them arrange everything, from the smallest to the most significant details. It does not mean that you will not monitor them anymore. Being the overall head of this project, you still have to participate. However, it will not be as hard as it would be when you do it independently.
Pre-production notes
Having to go through pre-production on your own is both an exciting and daunting task. Exciting because you are making your ideas come to life. You can be expectant of what the outcome will be. It is like watching your creation take shape right before your eyes. It is daunting because it might not have the same results as you imagine it to be. It might be like what others would tag as expectation versus reality.
You do not have to do it on your own. As terrifying as it may seem, pre-production is second nature for people who have been doing it for years.
You may hire the services of agencies with numerous outputs, skills, and experiences which can do all these for you. A simple search on the web will lead you to the best ones. Your reading this from one of them :)
Read reviews and feedback; ask for their portfolio. This way, you can begin to create video content with all the fun and expected results but less hassle.
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