|
UNDERSTANDING VIDEO PRODUCTION
Every
business has its own mystique and video production is
no exception.
Let's
assume you and a chosen production company have agreed
your brief and are clear about the objectives.
Two
things are then immediately necessary (1) A clear conceptual
treatment from the director who will be shooting your
video and (2) A timetable for achieving it
The
concept is everything. It's what turns your brief into
something which, hopefully, people will want to watch.
This can be an outline, a detailed shooting script,
a storyboard - or all of these.
Ideally,
it should be as clear as possible what the production
company are trying to achieve for you. There should
be room for creativity, but not for uncertainty.
When productions go wrong (and they occasionally do)
it's usually because client and production companies
have different ideas in their heads. So take time over
this stage, it will pay you back.
Once
agreed on this, the production company should produce
a critical path detailing how the concept will be delivered.
It should timetable every step in the process from scriptwriting
to final delivery of your production in the format you
agreed.
If
the planning has been thorough, shooting should go smoothly.
Of course, there can be unforeseen problems (weather,
equipment failures etc - but they're surprisingly rare).
Make sure you attend the shoot - and don't be afraid
to speak up if you feel that it's deviating from what
was agreed. It's too late (or expensive) to raise concerns
once shooting has finished.
Once the video is shot, post-production begins. To begin
with, all material has to be captured into a computer
(digitising) for editing.
Then
director and editor will select the best takes for every
scene and produce a first edit. A music and guide voiceover,
if applicable, will be added. This first edit is then
submitted to you and your colleagues for comment. There
may be shots you'd like deleted, words you'd like changed
or scenes included that were dropped.
If planning has been good, if you have attended the
shoot, there shouldn't be any unwelcome surprises.
After this, the production company will produce a final
edit, incorporating any changes, adding any logos that
may have been left out. Once you've signed off on this,
they will process it to its final, intended format e.g.
DVD, streaming video for the web - and so on.
|
|
