Preparation is Key
Once you have a plan and a particular objective for your video, you need to carry on the creative phase of the process. Pre-production, the second aspect of video marketing is considered the preparation phase. What happens before the actual filming of the video is vital to the overall success of the shoot.
Video production is a lot of work. Before proceeding, you need to have figured out everything you will need and assemble it all. Remember, the best defense against unforeseen problems and delays is pre-planning. Pre-production delves on the logistics of video production and focuses on a range of work including scriptwriting, creating storyboards, production scheduling, determining your equipment needs, finding locations, lining up your talent including the cast and crew, getting supplies and props as well as wardrobe selection. Below are some tips on how to make the most of your preparation phase.
1. Get your script and storyboard prepared before anything else
In the planning phase, you have already conceptualized what your video wants to convey and how you want to do it. Make that the basis of writing your script and storyboard. Sometimes the script may have been written at this stage but will need revising. If you are not confident with your script, you may want to get professional input which will require extra cost but might be worth it since it will play a huge part on your production.
Meanwhile, creating your storyboard doesn’t require for you to be a talented artist. You can either use drawings or picture clippings to create the scenes in your script. A storyboard is crucial because it makes you visualize the scene by scene breakdown of the video, hence you have an invaluable guide on how the shoot will go, and can make the necessary adjustments beforehand.
2. Construct a Shot List
A shot list is simply a detailed shot-by-shot breakdown of each scene. It is usually done using Microsoft Excel and creating a table composed of three columns: scene Number, location and detailed description. Unlike the storyboard which only presents visuals, the shot list points out the specifics of each scene like what props should be used, how the camera lights should be placed and the amount of crew that needs to be present.
3. Come up with a production schedule
Creating a production schedule or a shooting schedule, as it is sometimes called, will determine the overall production workflow and steer the process in the right direction. It is necessary to include the following information in the schedule: Location, scene or shot, equipment needed, people in shot, contact information, and the date and time of the shoot. Having all these important details written on paper will help you track down the flow of the production, manage expectations, target concerns and involve all the people crucial to the success of your video product.
Planning ahead of time, and getting everything you need before the actual production will prepare you to handle unforeseen elements – whether they be scheduling conflicts, scene confusion, location unavailability or equipment shortage – and this will ultimately take you closer to achieving your goal.
Clearly, this is a lot more work than just having a virtual tour created, but remember, this video is far more than that. This is a video that you can use to “sell” yourself or your services. Put the work in, you’ll be glad that you did.
