Video Production Process

Stages in the Video Production Process

The process of creating every Film/Video can be broken down into four distinct stages. Each stage is equally important if you are going to have a successful video marketing campaign. The first stage is Planning & Pre-Production, where the objectives of the video are identified and the best creative approach to achieve the stated objectives is decided on. The next stage is the Production phase, when the actual filming/recording of the video takes place. And the final phase in the production process is Post-Production where the footage attained during filming is edited and combined with relevant graphics, text, music etc. to produce the final resulting video. After the production process is completed comes an equally important stage, that involves the process of Distribution & Promotion of the completed video. Various strategies are implemented in order to ensure that the video is distributed to and seen by a large relevant target audience.

Implementing an effective Video Marketing Campaign involves the creation of one or more videos to achieve specific objectives.

We work closely with our clients through all the steps outlined above. During the pre-production phase we meet with our clients to develop the concept or theme of the video. The business objectives are identified and we agree on an approach that will produce the best possible results. Depending on the type of video we are creating, this part of the process can also involve the use of scripting and storyboarding for the upcoming production. When creating Promotional Videos and Commercials for example, we are always focused on highlighting the unique features of your business and its products and services, and how what your company offers can be of direct benefit to your customers. Various creative options are explored and decided on at this stage, including the possible use of narration through voice-over, as well as considering utilisation of graphics, text, logos, music and possibly using actors or inclusion of animation – to best represent your business. The decisions taken regarding these options depends on the concept for the video as well as on the available budget for the project. Practical considerations are worked out at this stage also, such as decisions regarding location for filming, as well as other creative decisions such as agreeing on the style and flow of the finished visual content.

We then proceed to the filming & production stage - which involves shooting the actual film. At this stage the filming options that were decided on during the pre-production meetings are implemented.

Once the filming is completed a lot of work goes into the post-production phase, which comprises of editing the footage and where required adding music tracks, voiceovers, text and graphics.

Once the production is completed and you have a finished film or video, we can also assist with the distribution and promotion of your video so as to reach a wide audience with particular emphasis on the target market for your company. Distributing and Promoting Your Video involves uploading the video to various video hosting sites on the internet such as YouTube and Vimeo, as well as potentially using your company website as a viewing platform for the video. We can also assist with promotion of the video online by using all the latest Digital Marketing Practices including Search Engine Optimisation (S.E.O.) and Keyword optimisation.

Key Stages in the Video Production Process...

Pre-Production: Consultation, Price Quotation, Concept Development, Planning the Shoot, Creative Choices & Decisions
Production: Filming of the content on location.
Post Production: Editing of the footage, graphics, music, colour grading & sound mixing.
Distribution & Promotion of the Video: Delivery of the movie file (in the pre-agreed format). Uploading of the videos online. SEO for optimising video for maximum reach to a relevant target audience.

Pre-Production & Planning Stage

This is where you decide how your video will look and sound. Depending on what themes you want to address, decisions are made here on what will be filmed, who will be featured in the video, location and the details of the story outlined. At ImageLink Film & Media, we can write a sample script and work with you to develop it to meet your company’s unique and individual requirements.

Allocating enough time (and effort) to the Planning & Pre-Production stage will save time and resources in the later stages producing the video(s). Clear creative decisions made early on will have positive effects on the later stages of the process.

Preproduction Process results in identifying …

The Message that the video will communicate
The intended Viewership of the video
The business Objectives of the video
The Concept & Style of video
Possible Creative Examples
The Budget for the video
Creative Choices - explored and finalised
The Schedule (includes dates for each step of the video production process)
The Timeline for technical requirements & deliverables at each step in the process

The most important considerations that we will discuss during the initial meeting(s) include defining the Marketing Objectives you wish to achieve for your business, as well as setting achievable Goals for the Promotional Video. For any business the process of attracting prospects and converting them into customers is usually an important objective.

When you have clearly set out the objectives, we then decide what part of the buying process is the target viewer at. Identifying the stage in what is often referred to as the sales or marketing funnel (aka the purchase funnel) that the potential target viewer is at will help with important decisions regarding the videos content, style and tone. For example, there is no point introducing your company if the video is aimed at existing clients. Demonstrating a new product (or promoting an upcoming event) however could be of great use to existing customers.

For more information on the Marketing Funnel/Purchase Funnel click here …

Setting ‘Objectives’ for your Promotional Video

Setting the objectives for the video involves asking some questions regarding what you hope to achieve as a result of the creation of your Online Commercial or Promotional Video.

There are a whole range of objectives that could be considered. Your video could try to ...

Raise Awareness
Drive traffic to your website
Increase sales of specific products or services
Influence key decision makers in your particular industry
Differentiate your company from competitors
Train customers (or staff) on specific products or procedures
Educate your audience on specific industry topics
Promote future events

The list of possible objectives is endless. Each business will have its own unique set of potential objectives. What is important is to give them due consideration and know what they are before you start. Once we have clearly articulated the objective we can then focus on the desired outcomes. This has to do with any action that you would like the viewer to take as a result of viewing your video. The desired action as a result of viewing an awareness video for example might be to click on a link to your company website, or share your video etc. Identifying the desired outcome will affect the makeup of the video and its content. For instance, it is important to make sure to include a link to your website in the video if this is one of the functions of the video. If it is not, then including a clickable link might not be as important to you.

S.M.A.R.T. Objectives

Marketing Professionals will be familiar with what are known as SMART Objectives. Objectives can however apply to any area of a business including Sales, Production Processes, Finance, Marketing and so on. Your video could relate to any of those areas. However most online promotional video has to do with sales and marketing objectives. Regardless of what the objectives relate to, they must be SMART.

SMART is an acronym for

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time scale related

Smart objectives are more likely to be achieved because they are clearly defined. You can monitor the progress and results because they are measurable. It makes sense to set objectives that are ambitious but definitely achievable! It also makes sense to set goals that take into consideration circumstances and related factors such as the available allocated resources, in order to make sure they are realistic in the allocated Time Scale available. Setting a time scale helps by aiming to achieve the Video Marketing Objectives within a specific period of time after the video is distributed and promoted online.

Possible objectives for your video

You will need to identify on who ideal target audience that you want to reach with your commercial or promotional video. The ideal target market will depend on the objectives you wish to achieve. One common objective for online promotional video is to create and increase Brand Awareness. In order to create Brand Awareness for your company and its products and services, your video will need to attract attention in a unique way that separates your company from the competition. Once you have the attention of the prospect you can then focus on Retaining their Attention, by piquing their interest and creating a desire to know more.

Once you have the viewer’s attention you can use this opportunity to Communicate your company manifesto. This is where you outline what your company does and outline your company’s mission statement. For example, your video might explain that your company is a provider of low-cost solutions and offers excellent value for money, while maintaining the highest standards of quality and customer support. It is also important to aim to make the customer feel affinity for your brand. This is where you try to create an emotional connection to your company and the products and services you offer.

Communicating an understanding of the challenges that your customer faces as well as demonstrating how your products and services can solve these problems for them is a very important function of any promotional video.

By emphasising the similarities between you and your customers, you can help create trust - which is vital. It is the first step in the creation of a long-term sustainable relationship with the prospect - with the further aim of generating repeat business and referrals from this customer in the long term. By being mindful of characteristics and requirements of your target market, you can increase engagement and create a higher rate of conversion.

Try to identify what exactly is it that you would like the viewer to do as a result of seeing your video. Possible examples include ‘sharing’ the video, seeking more information, going to a specific page on your company website, calling your company, scheduling a demo, proceeding to purchase products or services online or by contacting your company directly online. Knowing this helps you decide on what ‘Call to Action’ you wish to include. An example of an action that you would like the video viewer to take might be as simple as clicking on a link at the end of the video in order to place an order for the product demonstrated in the video. Once on your website there could be other opportunities to cross-sell (similar or related products) or to up-sell (additional or extra products or services) while they go through the ordering process.

The objectives you set for your video will help inform the appropriate style and tone of the video to be made. It can be funny, serious, informative, entertaining and so on. It all depends on the response you are trying to create in the viewer.

Developing the Video ‘Concept’

When developing the concept for the video, ie. what the content will be and how it will be delivered, it is important to be clear as to what exactly is the message that you are trying to communicate to the viewer. The video should ideally identify what specific problem will the product or service highlighted in the video solve for the viewer. Another way of looking at it can be to identify what need or requirement of the viewer will the product or service being promoted in the video fulfil for the viewer. It comes back to the key issue in any sales presentation, to identify the features of your product or service and more importantly to clearly demonstrate how these features will be of direct benefit to the viewer – if they proceed to procure these products or services. Benefits might include saving money, gaining quality products or services or even attaining increased social prestige or recognition for themselves or their business. The Benefits will vary depending on the industry sector that your company operates it. The key is to identify and communicate these benefits clearly to the viewer.

Ideally promotional videos should also include a clear ‘Call to Action’. This is a next step that you would like the viewer to take to further increase their level of engagement with your company and increase the likelihood of them becoming a customer. A call to action could be as simple as clicking a link to a relevant page on your company website to calling your company to take advantage of a time limited special offer. Having a clear call to action on your promotional video will also enable you to better measure the effectiveness of the video in terms of achieving the objectives set during the preproduction phase of the process.

The concept for the video is essentially the idea (or ideas) relating to how the objectives set out above will be achieved. It relates to the content of the video and the stylistic options that are best suited to the video being created. Options for the content ‘concept’ of the video vary from an interview with the managing director, a product demo or filming a trade show to creating a short film containing a story that highlights the mission. At ImageLink Film & Media, we specialise in the development of unique concepts that demonstrate creative flare and uniqueness while showcasing your business in the best possible light.

An example of a concept for a commercial or how-to tutorial video could include …

Show a typical problem that your customer faces
Show how your product or service alleviates the problem
End with the resolution of the problem
A Call to Action
Show contact details and links to your website

Your Promotional Video should demonstrate how the Features of your product or service can Benefit your customers. Any examples you can provide, relating to how your company is willing to ‘go the extra mile’ will help build this affinity that helps move the prospect to the next phase of the buying process.

If your aim is to create a video that is highly sharable, then it is usually one that will have an emotional impact. This could be happy, funny, heart-warming or sometimes even sad. What is important is that it stays within the principles associated with your brand. For larger productions a story is often created and only at the end of the footage is the brand introduced, when the emotional impact is likely to be at its highest.

There are a number of considerations to keep in mind when creating the outline relating to the video content. We can assist with creating content that will be perceived as valuable to your target audience. This is where correctly identifying the attributes and concerns of your target market will be highlighted. You need to consider what are their interests and ambitions and you will need to show how you can help them overcome their problems and achieve their goals. How-to videos are very popular online and because they are perceived as providing something of value to the viewer. When done properly they can help build trust in your company from potential clients as well as cementing trust from existing and recurring clients. Powerful and engaging content often helps the viewer by providing useful information, while at the same time promoting your company’s products and services.

The Concept Brief

Any props, logos or promotional materials that will be present or provided by the client will be itemised in the concept brief. We will also include the Time and Schedule for the shoot and post production process, as well as a target date for final delivery date. At Imagelink Film & Media, we always clearly identify and explicitly state what the deliverables will be at each stage of the Video Production Process – as well as identifying the target timeline for delivery.

With larger clients we are always very careful to ascertain exactly who’s input and perspective can bring value to the project and we are happy to liaise with a number of different individuals or departments that can bring value to the planning process. We also like to be very clear about who needs to give the final approval to the completed video and ideally get their input early on in the process so that we have all relevant contributions before we begin filming.

Creating an outline, script & storyboard for your video

The step outline for the video identifies the contents of the video in terms of the visual, auditory and graphics elements which the content will comprise of. It will also identify the length of the video and the requirements to realise this vision, including the amount of filming time required and who or what will be featured in the video.

We will create the outline for your video after the initial consultation(s) in which the business objectives of the video are clearly identified. The ‘outline’ or ‘treatment’ (& possibly ‘storyboard’ if required) for the shoot is a visual representation that we will utilise to manifest the agreed upon concept for the video. These documents also specify any use of voice-over, graphics, actors, music etc. as well as detailing the length and structure of the video.

THE HOOK. Because of the growth in online video content and the sophistication of the modern viewer it is important to grab attention in the first few seconds of the video because this is when the viewer is deciding to allocate their time to viewing your video content.

The storyboard can include …

The narration of the script (what is being said by whom onscreen - or in the voice-over)
What will be taking place (ie. shown on the screen) for each scene.
Describing other elements of the footage, Text, Logos, CGI, Music, Sound Effects – and any other aspects that affect the structure of the video.

Sharable content

At ImageLink Film & Media, we can help create concepts that represent your brand while also engaging emotionally. This will help maximise the ‘shareability’ of your content. The most simple structure for a story introduces a likable hero, who encounters a particular problem or challenge, overcomes it and achieves the desired positive results. Focusing on creating content that is at first engaging and not too obvious in the promotional side is a recipe for success.

Every time someone shares something online, they are making a statement about themselves. So, when developing the concept for the video, we are always mindful of this and aim to make your video a match for the personality of the person sharing the video.

Length of the video

The length of the video will very much depend on the required function and stated objectives of the video. For promotional videos - whose primary function is to increase awareness and to gain the attention of the viewer – it is imperative to create an interest and appetite to engage further with your company (and learn more about what your company offers). For this objective, we recommend a short / Commercial style video advert. For videos with a different function, such as a product demonstration for new or existing customers, then longer video formats are generally more appropriate. We can create any style or length of video the you require and that will assist with achieving your marketing or other business objectives.

Setting a Budget for your Video

It is important to identify how much of your marketing budget you can allocate to building your ‘Online Video’ Presence. All of the advantages of online video have been outlined earlier and it has been clearly shown that having engaging online video is vital to help with promoting your company online, which will assist you in enabling your company grow and prosper. The budget allocation is also a factor when considering the details of the video itself. Generally speaking, the more that you can allocate to video production the better the results will be in terms of producing a high-quality video, which will increase the impact you can expect the video to make online.

When we create a quote for a client, we create a list of line items and give a cost for each constituent item. This can give the client some flexibility in terms of tailoring the video to meet the available budget for the project.

For more information on variables that effect the budget required for video click here …

At ImageLink Film & Media, we work closely with our clients right from the planning phase through to the final stage of distributing and promoting your video online. We offer the best possible value for money, while producing professional broadcast quality results.

Technical Considerations

The tone of your video relates to the look and feel of the footage. During the initial consultation(s) we will be outlining (and story boarding - if required) the details for the video shoot. We will also be discussing the options relating to the use of Graphics, Animation, Text, Music, Special Effects etc. in the video. The style and tone of the video will be important considerations when making these decisions, as will be budget allocation and time allocated to the production of the video.

Research Tip: it can be useful to watch a lot of videos that are similar to what you want to achieve. Collate the material and imagery you like, as well as identifying what you don’t like. This can be useful to show us in terms of identifying the style of video you have in mind. This can also be useful in terms of estimating the required budget for the video you want to create.

Video File ‘Format’ Options

It is important to identify early on in the process how you intend to distribute the video content. For most clients this will involve using Video Hosting websites to host the video online and using various Social Media platforms to implement a strategy aimed at maximising the viewership with a relevant target audience. Usually this will be delivered in mp4 or mov file format. We can deliver it on a high capacity USB, (or even DVD) or we can use specialised ‘Large-file’ transfer software such as ‘We-Transfer’ to deliver the completed video file to the client.

For content that will be shown on cinema screens or that will be broadcast on television it is very important to identify these as intended mediums for distribution early on, as it will directly affect the choice of Cameras & Lighting options used during the shoot and it will also affect the editing choices and the format used to deliver the final completed video to the client. For example, a D.C.P (Digital Cinema Package) file is the correct format for large screen cinema productions.

The final video project file format and delivery method should always be made clear during the preproduction process. At ImageLink Film & Media, we go one step further than most video production companies in that we can actively assist with the distribution (including the uploading of the video online – if required) and promotion of your video online using appropriate Social Media platforms. For more details on the options that relate to the Distribution and Promotion of your completed video please click here …

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