What is Video Production?
So you like to get into the business, but what is video production all about?
All you’ve heard is that the video production industry is cool, interesting, adventurous, gets you travelling around and it pays pretty well. Well, they are not bluffing, you’ve heard it right. It is all of the above, but you really need to be an ace in the industry. How to get there? Well, knowing the basics will be a fantastic start.
Video production process that is required for full production.
- Pre-production
- Production
- Post-production
Pre-Production
In simple terms, pre-production is actually the work that is done before video filming begins. It can be anything and everything from concept planning, budgeting, scripting, story board creation, hiring of crew, casting, location recce, permits and so on. It is usually carried out by a team of professionals. If you miss anything out during this process, you can expect major hiccups during filming.
Production
The production stage is when the shooting begins. We will only paint you a scenario for a medium scale corporate video shoot and not a big-budget film. It is during this short timeframe that you will see DOP (Director of Photography), a producer who in most cases will double up as a script supervisor(to assist the DOP in making sure there is script continuity), the guy in charge of set lighting and between 2-3 assistant videographers and crew. Whenever audio recording is involved, you will see a guy with a battery-operated sound mixer around his neck.
Shooting begins, and the key personnel will keep going through script and storyboards throughout the whole shooting process usually shouting out directions to the rest of the personnel involved right till the moment the camera record button is pressed.
For a minimal scale production, usually, it’s just the videographer and his assistant going around getting shots based on the shot list given. We personally have seen a news presenter running around with only a video man who doubles up as a sound guy for a news feature for one of the news networks in Asia.
Post-Production
Once filming is complete and you hear someone yell out “it’s a wrap!”, you can finally go to bed! Just kidding. It’s Post-Production time. This is the time when either the director or producer will sit-in with the video editor for the last few stages of the project although we have worked with a couple of editors who work best independently. Still, within the post-production process, there are still a few stages to get into.
One of the most important part of this step is data storage. Is it reliable?, is it fast enough? We make it a habit of not reusing SD cards as having the footage intact in the cards simply means you have a fantastic backup. Just in case something untoward happens to the storage unit.
Assembling footage or video editing takes time — it all really depends on the targetted duration of the final video, the amount of video footage the editor needs to go through and the clarity in the script and the shot list. It could take anywhere from a day to weeks to complete an edit for a corporate video.
The first cut is usually called a Rough Cut, and the finished video will be called the Answer Print. When the director or producer is happy with the visuals, they’ll “lock the picture,” and the sound editing can begin. Editing software we recommend is Final Cut Pro X although some would prefer Premier Pro. There is a great article comparing the 2. Final Cut Pro vs. Premier Pro
Next up: Sound and Music Edit
Sound and Music Edit
Once the visuals are locked, it’s time for sound and music editing. It would be best if you really had excellent sound editors because a ton of work is involved. They’re responsible for assembling the audio tracks of your video, cutting dialogue tracks, removing unwanted noise, and even enhancing the video with sound effects. The specific sound needs for that particular project will dictate who to hire. Sound editing software we recommend is Adobe Audition. Next up: Colour Grading
Colour Grading
It won’t be easy during production to try to achieve everything, including matching tones and colours of the video. Most production houses will film in Log format so that it will be easy for colour graders to do their work. To sit and watch colour graders do their work is like watching magic happens right in front of your eyes. A good colourist can really set the tone and mood for any picture. Colour grading software we recommend is Davinci Resolve. Best part is, there is a free version.
Here are a few video tutorials from YouTube.
Pre-Production Guide
Crash Course Film Production
16 Videos
Video Editing - Final Cut Pro X
Sound Editing - Adobe Audition
Colour Grading - Davinci Resolve
We really hope this page helps answer the question: what is video production? We, as a video production company, has had a lot of fun creating video content.
You are more than welcome to view them on our portfolio page. If you are into video marketing, do check out the rest of our blogs.
OUR SERVICES
VIDEO PRODUCTION
CORPORATE VIDEOS
PRODUCT VIDEOS
EXPLAINER VIDEOS
2D and 3D ANIMATIONS
TELEVISION COMMERCIALS
SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT
