We've all seen online videos. However, not all of us know how video production differs from traditional movie and TV show production. Here is a simple explanation of the video production process.
Pre-Production
TV shows and movies have scripts. It is advisable to have a script before you start recording a video for your social media marketing campaign, but it isn't as important. Unboxing videos and recording unscripted testimonials are examples of where you don't want a script. But you must know the goal of the video before you buy the product and set up the camera to show the item being used.
Every video requires pre-production or detailed planning before you begin capturing the video. You're choosing a topic for the video and deciding whether your topic is best handled as one long-form video or a series of focused video segments. You're choosing the people to be in the video, even if it is two people sitting in a room while one opens said box. You determine who is going to produce the video, whether that is you or a group you hire to create it for you. You'll decide how long the video will be and when you want it to be released. If you want to have a five-minute video clip, the script and list of topics covered will be much shorter than if you had an hour. You're creating a budget for the video and the project timeline. All of this impacts the production.
Production
Production is the part of the project that most people think of when you say you're creating a video, movie, or cartoon. Production informally starts with setting up the light and sound as well as the rest of the set. You're getting ready to film or conduct interviews.
Production is when you capture all of the elements that will be in the video. It isn't uncommon to have several takes or record much more video than the core events you wanted to document. This will be edited down to the final published version in post-production.
What if you're creating an animated video? Then production is when the explainer video production company animates the scenes you outlined in your script based on the style you selected from various storyboards.
Post-Production
Post-production used to be called the cutting room floor. They literally cut out the bad segments to get the final roll of film. In modern post-production, it is much easier to cut out several seconds or minutes of video. You can add title slides, end slides, sound effects, and special effects. Professional groups may add existing introduction segments to their videos. Post-production can include adding clips to other episodes or clips from the movie that you're reviewing. Or you may add background music to the video.
Publication / Release
It isn't enough to create a video. The final step is getting the content in front of an audience. If you were shooting a movie, then you're working with distributors to get it in theaters or shown on television. If you're creating marketing videos, then you're publishing the videos online, whether it is on your website or social media. If you've created explainer videos or training videos, then you're adding it to your learning management system or content management system and informing employees that it is available.
