A Peek Behind the Scenes: What Goes Into the Video Production Process?

It’s the era of video. Today, anyone with a smartphone can film a video, including the kid next door, and upload it on a platform where millions can view it. An incredible 300 hours of video gets uploaded on YouTube every minute. That’s right — EVERY MINUTE!

All of this has made video production seem deceptively simple. Well, it is — if all you want is to capture funny videos of your cat and share them with your friends. To be honest, such videos can even go viral on social media. But when it comes to producing videos that can give you professional or business leverage, it requires a good deal of planning and understanding of the video production process.

Different Stages of Video Production Process: The Main Stages

A production process will look different for every video project. A video commercial and a music video production will have different requirements. There can be different stages of the production process based on the content, style, budget, resources, and timeline. But more or less, any successful video production involves three stages.

• Pre-Production – This covers everything needed to plan the whole project, from ideation and budgeting to casting, and everything else in between.
• Production – This is where we shoot the actual video and capture key elements like B-rolls, voice-overs, and sound effects. 
• Post-Production – This is where the raw footage is edited and combined with other elements to give the final shape.

Stage One: Pre-Production

Pre-production is the first and, arguably, the most critical part of any video production process. There can be many steps in the pre-production stage. It isn’t just about planning, preparation, and laying the groundwork for the project. It’s also about anticipating any potential problem early on and setting up plan B in case something doesn’t go as intended.

However, don’t make the mistake of assuming pre-production is just putting things on paper. It couldn’t be further from the truth as a lot of stuff actually gets done during this stage.

Here’s what happens in the pre-production phase:

• Clear communication on things like vision/goal, branding, target audience, and the tone and feel for the final product.
• Setting the budget and timeline
• Identifying the type of video that’s about to be made
• Hiring the cast and crew
• Ideation, storyboarding, and scriptwriting
• Making decisions like finalizing the location, shoot schedule, logistics, lighting, equipment, etc.

If you are planning to hire a video production company, their team needs to closely work with yours to achieve the tasks outlined above. Additionally, this is where you would want to put everything down in a contract that both you and your video production partner should sign.

The goal of pre-production is to make sure everyone on the team is aligned on the broader strategy and direction of the entire project. The execution and schedule may shift as you go, but a solid pre-production will save your project from derailing and ensure it stays on budget.

Stage Two: Production

Time for the rubber to hit the road! With all the planning out of the way, the actual filming can begin.

The goal here is to capture the best footage possible and gather all ingredients required to bring to life the story that the video is supposed to tell.

Here’s what the production stage entails:

• Setting up the video, sound, and lighting equipment
• Getting interviews (if they are relevant to your project)
• Recording voice-overs if required
• Filming B-rolls

Stage Three: Post-Production

Post-production encompasses everything performed after the actual filming is over. In the hands of an expert video editor, the raw footage is sorted to select the best scenes, they are merged, audio and video is synced, music, voice-over, special effects are added, and colour correction and grading is done. In short, this is where everything comes together to weave a cohesive film that tells a captivating story.

This is essentially the last step in the video production process. With the initial version of the video ready, next comes the time for reviews and approvals. Once the required revisions are made and the video is finalized, your video production team will deliver it in a specific format depending on your choice of platform.

Why Do You Need a Video Production Process?

Video production involves many moving parts and it’s impossible to keep track of everything unless you have a process in place. Production process ensures the video project progresses in a systematic manner, at a predictable pace.

Serious video production can take up days, or even months in some cases. If you don’t set up a timeline, your video project can turn into a money pit with cameras rolling for much longer than you have the budget for. What would happen if you have no idea of when a shoot would begin and how long it would take to finish it? What about the editing time? The actors or crew members won’t be available for an indefinite period. Ditto for the location. For the lack of planning, your project could be stalled forever.

A proper video production process removes any room for guesses and saves you from cost overruns. But most importantly, it ensures your video project actually sees the light of the day.

Final Words

The unique needs of every video project dictate the process to be followed. Plus, processes might differ from one video production company to the next. The variables can be too many, but the fact remains: You need to be strategic about your video production if you want to reap any real benefits from it.

A high-quality professional video is the fruit of a well-planned production process and can bring the positive outcomes you desire. A poorly-made video, on the other hand, will have the exact opposite effect on your business — and bottom line. Whether you are working with your in-house video production team or a video production company, you should always make it a priority to set up a process to ensure aspects like quality, reliability, and accountability are not compromised.

If you wish to execute a successful video production, we are ready to assist you. At Cinimage, we follow a video production process that’s tried and tested to generate great results. To learn more about our professional video production services or to discuss your project, get in touch with us today!