Making a Video? You Just Point and Shoot, Right?
Sometimes in life we do things so often that they become second nature. Mirror, signal, manoeuvre. What once took agonizing concentration and co-ordination just seems to happen – the action flows independent of conscious thought. So, it still takes me by surprise sometimes when people, quite understandably really, don't know the many, often creative, processes involved in video production. But why would they? I chose to immerse myself for many years in the supposedly elitist game of television production, they didn't. I was lucky enough to travel around the world, work with celebs, pop stars, Joe Bloggs on the street, children and, yes, animals - they said don't do it, I did it, I loved it! I lived, worked and breathed television production – which, of course, includes video although television folks now call it “content”.
Whether you're producing your own video or hiring someone to do it for you, you might want to have a rough idea of what's involved. So, to start with, there's all the branding and marketing stuff. Every video for business must have a purpose – a function that makes all the time, effort and cost worthwhile. People in business shouldn't be parting with their hard earned cash without good reason! So who and what is the video for?
Once the function is established, you can work creatively on the visualisation side of things - you might want to enlist some professional help with this or have a look on my website at some of the videos I've produced for businesses. So, what is the best way to get your message and information across to your audience?
The next stage is to write a script and then set up the shoot which can be as complex or as straight forward as the concept requires. Recording footage brings it's own list of requirements in terms of location, equipment, lighting, and, of course, presentation.
But it doesn't end there! After the shoot comes the post production. Depending on the length and content of the shoot, it may be helpful to log all the shots and transcribe all the dialogue and to then produce a paper edit.
Whilst watching someone else edit can, for the uninitiated, be like watching paint dry, this is where the real magic often happens. Everything that came before comes together in the edit. The best takes, just the right shot, all in the best order to make the video flow and all cut to the rhythm of that specially researched music track (which isn't just added on as an afterthought!). Captions, titles, sound levels, copyright, duration – all things considered, this is where the video takes on it's final shape and form to be ready and fit for purpose.
Now your video can be put to work – once you put it somewhere! The final step is getting your video onto You Tube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, your website or some other social media platform where it can be presented to the world and fulfil it's purpose. Job done!
Whether you want to make your own video or have it produced for you,
Julie Neilson Media can help, so get in touch and start to visualise YOUR business!
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