a guide to producing your video

Transcription

1 a guide to producing your video 2016 edition

2 01:01 01:02 01:03 01:04 01:05 01:06 01:07 01:08 Thinking about video? I m delighted that you are thinking about having a video professionally produced. A well made video can be a highly effective communication tool to help promote your products or services, inform or train your customers, or inspire your staff. Combining powerful images with flawless and concise presentation of the facts, a professionally produced video imparts an effective, persuasive message to your target audience. Having a video made for your company or organisation is an involved process, but when handled correctly by a skilled production team, you should find it an enjoyable experience and end up with an effective and engaging video. I hope that this guide will help explain what s involved in the production process and give you a clear strategy to help you plan your next video project. Peter Curtis Producer Where do we start? Seven questions for you to answer If you are thinking of having a video made, you need to provide us with a clear brief. Here are the seven most important things to think about first: Why do you need a video? It is likely that you want to make a video as you have some information that you d like to get across to a certain group of people. Knowing what you d like the video to achieve will help focus your ideas as you go forward. Who is the video aimed at? Understanding the target audience for your video is essential as this will influence the style and tone of the video. A video aimed at a group of six year olds will have a different tone to a video aimed at a board of directors. Or maybe not! What are the key messages you want to get across? Key messages are the messages you want your audience to remember and react to. They are at the core of the story which the narrative will be based around. Where will the audience view your video? On your website? On YouTube? Through a social media campaign? A television broadcast? On a DVD? It s important to know this, as it may affect the production costs and even the camera and editing equipment used to produce your video. When does it need to be ready? Knowing your timescales and deadlines will enable the production company to properly plan the production and ensure your video is delivered on time. Where does the filming of the video need to take place? If the video requires filmed content, it is important to know where any filming is likely to take place as early on in the production process as possible. Filming often takes longer than people think and is usually the most expensive component of having a video produced. How long would you like the video to be? The length of a video often has an influence on the cost. The longer the video the more filming and editing is usually required. 01:01 01:02 01:03 01:04 01:05 01:06 01:07 01:08

3 Choosing a production company Once you ve prepared the brief, you are in a position to obtain quotes from video production companies. You may want to obtain a few quotes, so you can compare prices, but just as important as price is the quality of a production company s work. A good production company should have plenty of samples of work either on their website or YouTube channel. They may even be able to send you a specific video example of something they have produced which is similar to what you require. When comparing quotes, try to compare like for like. A company, for example, that specialises in wedding videos may be less experienced in producing corporate videos and may not be able to offer important skills like directing or scriptwriting. They may be cheaper but do they provide the best value for what you require? You also need to ensure that the equipment the production company uses is professional enough for your requirements. You will probably want the footage to be filmed in High Definition. If your video is going to be broadcast on television then the video needs to filmed and edited in broadcast quality and will require a high level of professional equipment. It s important to choose a company that you are confident will make your video look and sound great! The four stages of production Once you ve chosen who you d like to work with to produce your video, the production process can then begin. If you choose to work with us, then we ll break a typical production down into four main stages: Stage 1: Pre-production The process will start with initial meetings to agree content, style and structure for your video. If you use us, we will assign a Producer to be your point of contact and supervise the entire project from start to finish. We will create a document called a Treatment, which will outline the creative approach on the style of the video. We will give thought to the narrative style whether a voice over narration, an on screen presenter, or on screen text will work best. Thought needs to be given to the visual style what will work most effectively - filmed footage, motion graphics or cartoon style animations? The editing style is also important should it be fast paced with music or slow and informative? The scripting of any text, narrations or presenter / actor pieces will then be undertaken. Our scriptwriter can handle this entire process for you. Alternatively, you may wish to undertake the scripting process yourself and we can help guide you through this. If you decide to write the script yourself, we think it s important to keep it as short as possible and concentrate on key messages. It s usually a good idea to use simple language you don t want to alienate viewers with technical terms they won t understand. It s also important to keep in mind the tone you want for your video. Most videos opt for a casual, conversational tone which will keep your audience engaged. Where applicable, it can be good to use a touch of humour videos with some subtle laughs tend to be more enjoyable! Stage 2: Production This stage is where the acquisition of media is undertaken. This usually involves filming, which can take place on location or in a studio. The size of the film crew will depend on the requirements for the shoot. We can provide a single cameraman for simple filming, but typically, we recommend a three man crew consisting of director, cameraman and sound technician. We can also supply extra crew as required such as a make-up artist or a stills photographer. You may already have some filmed footage or photographs that you will want included in your video. It s important to ensure at this stage that the quality of this existing material is acceptable and there is enough of it to cover what s required. Videos also often include a degree of graphics and animation, which can be used to get information across in a visually engaging way, as well as help brand your video in your corporate style.

4 Stage 3: Post-production This stage is where all the material is compiled and edited into the final video. At this stage, any voice-over narrations are recorded and music is sourced. There is usually a rough cut of the video produced first for client approval, before the final master version is then produced. A well edited video is a combination of creativity and a deep understanding of what makes a story work. Our editors work closely with clients to ensure each programme is cut together in a way that will truly engage the audience. Stage 4: Distribution The final edited video can be delivered in a number of ways. Usually, we will provide a digital version of the video which can be uploaded online to sites like YouTube or Vimeo. We can also produce versions that are optimised for playback on a laptop for presentations. Videos can also be distributed on DVD and Blu-ray. If your video is for broadcast television, we will ensure the final master is created to the high specs required. How much will it cost? Every video is different and each one has a combination of elements that make up the finished production. Our job is to listen to your requirements and fully understand your aims and objectives. This will enable us to produce a video that s right for you. Because of this, we do not offer an off the shelf solution and we cost our productions based on what you require. However, to give you an idea of costs, we have provided examples below of three promotional videos, each with different requirements. Costs are indicated as a guide to what a similar production would cost. Example 1 A 2min promotional video, filmed in one day, by a two man camera crew. The video is cut together with music and top and tailed with your logo. Our producer will oversee the production process from start to finish and the cost includes an initial consultation to discuss the brief and agree the most suitable approach for your video. Example 2 A 3-4min promotional video, filmed across two days, with a 3 man crew. This allows for more intricate sequences and variety than example 1 and includes the option to film interviews. The video is cut together with music and an animated version of your company logo. Basic title graphics are included. Example 3 A 4-6min promotional video, which is fully scripted by us. Filmed across three days, this allows for more intricate sequences, with multiple locations. The video is cut together with a professional voice over narration, music and an animated version of your company logo. Title graphics are included, together with up to one minutes worth of animated graphics. 1 day s filming, including director and cameraman Editing with music and logo Total: day s filming, including director, cameraman and sound assistant Editing with music, logo and title graphics Script writing of narration 3 day s filming, including director, cameraman and sound assistant Voice-over artist and recording Editing with music, logo and animated graphics Total: 2900 Total: 5000 We also offer most of our services on a daily rate basis. For example you may want to hire a camerman for a day to shoot some stock footage, or you may have some video footage that needs editing. If you wish to hire our servies on a daily basis, then please contact us for our rate card.

5 Why choose us? At Take 1 we recognise that customer service is important to you. We also know that it can be difficult selecting the right company to work with. We d like you to enjoy the experience of working with us, and hopefully return to us again in the future. So to reassure you, here are ten reasons why we think you should choose us: We ve been producing corporate videos for over 20 years and have worked with companies and organisations across a wide range of sectors, including Medical, Construction, Banking, Ports, Market Research, Utilities, High Court Enforcement, Health, Local Government, The Emergency Services and Schools. Our core production team director, cameraman, writer and editor have worked together, producing corporate videos since Our multi-award winning director is a full member of the Association for Project Management (APM) and brings these skills to bear on every production. Our lead cameraman is a member of The Guild of Television Cameramen. For us, filmmaking isn t just a job, it s a passion. That s why we ve always got other projects on the go too, from documentaries to short films and music videos. We will deliver your project on time and to the highest quality that your budget allows We never comprise on quality. The success of the project is as important to us as it is to you. We always keep to our agreed costing unless the project scope or brief should change significantly after commencement of work. We use up to date filming and editing equipment. Our latest camera shoots at up to 4K resolution and meets the requirements for broadcast television acquisition. Our crew have all been CRB checked This is important to many of our clients, including schools and councils that we ve worked with. We re fully insured and we re careful and considerate on location. We operate an effective health and safety policy and if required, we can produce risk assessments for filming.