As content creation explodes across the internet, video production is a vital element that marketers and social media influencers use to promote products and ideas. Users watch more than 5 billion videos on YouTube daily, and this figure doesn’t include billions of videos watched on other social media and digital advertising platforms. Video production is not always as easy as it looks to the viewer. Some content creators simply record their daily activities and upload those videos for the public, subscribers, or followers. Other videos are more complex, including graphics, animation, scripted dialogue, and special effects. Here are four steps to the video production process.
Treatment
A video treatment is the project’s foundation and often requires intense work to complete. By summarizing the video’s concept and story elements, the producer combines the creativity, pacing, and emotions of the video into a complete document. The treatment is standard to video production and serves as a guide for production members. If pitching the project for funding, the treatment provides a clear picture of the video for potential investors. Once an agreement is reached, it’s a good idea to gather everyone’s signatures using contract management software. This makes sure that everyone is clear on what has been agreed and that a paper trail is available in the event of any disputes. Once this step is complete, the investor funds the project, giving the producer the money to begin pre-production.
Pre-production
During pre-production, a video producer determines the overall concept of a video and all of the elements the video requires. He or she will develop a budget, which includes the cost of each element line by line. He’ll identify staff he wants to participate in the video production process, such as a cameraman, director, and graphic designer. Now, it’s time to book the talent, including actors, actresses, and extras. During the pre-production process, the producer may contract a variety of experienced companies or individuals to ensure the production runs smoothly.
Production
While producing the video, the crew may require agreements for a number of locations to shoot the video. There are also other elements to consider, such as lighting, production equipment, music, and food. The producer makes arrangements for all of these production requirements during pre-production. These contracts will detail specifics about the type of products and the time of delivery during production.
Post-production
During post-production, an editor brings all the creative elements of the video together to make a polished video production. In these final processes, the director will give the editor an editing script and all the best video, graphics, and sound to complete the production. Once the editor has all of the creative elements, they can builds the video using state of the art software and editing equipment.
Producing a professional video is an in-depth process, requiring experienced professionals to handle every aspect of the production. From the beginning, the producer brings a concept to life by putting ideas on paper to pitch the production to other stakeholders. Once the production team is in place, the producer and director work with the crew to turn the treatment into a creative video masterpiece.
