A Beginner’s Guide to Video Production
Creating amateur videos these days is as easy as hitting record on your iPhone’s camera, but if you are interested in pursuing video production as a professional career, there’s a lot more to it. Let’s quickly walk through the steps involved in creating a video or film and see what you’ll need to know to make quality video productions and build rewarding career.
Pre-production
Whether you are making a 30-second social media video or a full-length feature film, there is a lot of planning involved in making a video. Here are the pre-production steps involved in most videos.
- Ideation – Determine the overall concept for the video, what story it should tell, and how.
- Scriptwriting – Write out a video script that conveys your messaging in a compelling and engaging way. Writing not your thing? Enlist a professional scriptwriter.
- Storyboarding – Create a visual storyboard that combines the script with the shots that you want to accompany the voiceover or dialogue.
- Creating a shot list – Once your storyboard is approved/complete, create a list of every single shot you’ll need to record to bring your video to life.
- Hiring talent – Whether you need a narrator for your script or are hiring actors, you’ll need to put a process in place for finding the right people.
- Scouting and securing locations – Figure out where you want to shoot your video – in a studio, in one location or several locations. You may need to travel around to find the right spot, and pay to rent out a venue or make arrangements to schedule your shoot.
- Planning a shooting schedule – Detail out a shooting schedule that plans what shots will take place on which day, at which time, at which location and who will need to be on set.
Production
The production process is when the actually videography takes place. Production includes:
- Setting up the shoot – Whether are in a studio or on-location, you’ll need to set up the appropriate lighting, microphones and other technical equipment, position your camera(s)/crew, and ensure the talent are in their places.
- Shooting video – Record your video with whatever camera equipment you’ve chosen for the project. Be sure to film much more footage than you think you’ll need and do multiple takes of each shot. You don’t want to find out you are missing a good shot when you are putting the final video together.
- Recording audio – Capture the audio you’ll need along with your video, recording sound effects, dialogue, voiceovers, etc. You also can record original music or purchase music to use in your video.
- Purchasing B-roll – You also may be able to purchase b-roll video clips, which are similar to stock photography and show commonly used shots/actions, and edit these into your overall video.
Post-production
Once you’ve produced all the components you need for your video, you can begin crafting those pieces into your final masterpiece. These are the main steps involved in post-production
- Video editing – You’ll need to have a solid understanding of video editing software so that you can organize, compile, sequence and enhance all of your raw video footage into high quality video. This is also where color correction, audio mixing and special effects come into play.
- Optimization – Your final video may need to be optimized regarding screen size, file size, and type of video file depending upon where it will be played. It’s important to get the technical specifications for posting your video on social media platforms, for example, which will likely be different than those if you are filming a TV commercial.
- Posting and promotion – Once your final video is complete, it’s time to share it with the world. Post it to the appropriate channels and be sure to put a promotional program in place to spread the word.
If you’re interested in turning your interest in video production into a career, the International College of Broadcasting (ICB) can help you get there with innovative programs in Audio and Video Recording, Broadcasting, and Multimedia Production & Broadcasting. To learn more, contact us or give us a call at 855-896-3733.