Video Process Guide | YouNeek Productions

With 87% of customers saying video quality impacts how much they trust a brand, it is important to understand a video process guide and the steps needed to produce top-notch content. Although each brief and story needs a different creative approach, some key stages of the production process are essential to an excellent final result. 

To make sure the production company you choose will plan, shoot and edit the content that fulfils your vision, this video process guide will outline the steps professional videographers should take. 

Pre-production 

If you’d already put time and effort into writing a detailed brief, you might wonder why any further planning is required. However, putting the hours in now will pay off in the quality of the final edit.

Creative briefing

To deliver your vision, video teams need to understand it. This doesn’t just mean getting to grips with your objectives for a project but gaining a thorough knowledge of your business, team and culture. A written brief is the starting point and a good basis for a face-to-face meeting. 

If you meet with our team, we’ll ask questions to get a full picture of the story you want to tell in your videos. Of course, we’ll also ask about the impact you want your content to make on your audience and how you want to measure this. From here, we can start building a plan that fits your budget.

Planning and prep

This stage involves thinking about all the practical factors for a shoot. As such, the exact steps will look different from one project to another. Depending on the type and size of production, a video team may need to: 

• Create a schedule to help coordinate different teams
• Book extra crew cast actors or find voiceover artists
• Write a script or build a storyboard that’s approved by all stakeholders
• Scope out, recce and book locations for the shoot day
• Rent out or source particular equipment, such as extra cameras or microphones

This is where the value of your production company comes into its own. With a contacts book full of professionals and lots of experience in video planning, they know how to bring the different elements together to create your vision. 

Production

Once all the prep is complete, it’s time to shoot your video content. Again, the skills of a video production team will help this day run smoothly and ensure all the required footage is captured at a high quality. 

Setting up

Whether in a studio or on location, production teams will arrive an hour or more ahead of the planned call time to set up their equipment. Cameras, microphones, lighting and any scenery (such as background or props) will be positioned and tested ready to capture high-quality film. 

Missing this step can increase the risk of errors in video or audio recordings. Mistakes could include shooting at the wrong angle, distracting shadows on a backdrop or conversation audio that’s too quiet to hear. So, particularly in tight production schedules, the crew must take their time to set up and double-check equipment.

Filming

After all that preparation and set-up, it’s time to start shooting. A production schedule will set out what footage will be captured and when. For example, one shoot day may involve filming different interviews in a studio, while the next day may see a team heading out to a location. 

Different call times will be given to the actors or individuals included in a video. That way, videographers, producers or directors can maximise their time on set, including capturing any B-roll, behind-the-scenes footage or running retakes. 

Extra time may also be built in for interviewees or individuals who are inexperienced in front of the camera. This gives space to help people feel more comfortable on set and capture a better, more natural final result. It also allows room for any re-recording. 

If any voiceovers or sound effects are required, time will be scheduled for these specific tasks.

Post-production

This is where all the elements of a film come together in a final edit. This should be straightforward if the previous stages have been completed well and a team has a single creative vision. However, to create a high-quality result, this stage may also take several weeks to complete. 

Editing

Many think this step just involves piecing the different scenes together. However, depending on the complexity of the film, it can involve: 

• Reviewing, cataloguing and transcribing all the raw footage
• Processing files, including editing audio and colour-grading film
• Adjusting the dimensions and format of an edit, e.g. for different social media platforms
• Adding in visual and audio effects such as graphics or intro and outro motifs
• Mixing music or other audio recordings

If a script or storyboard was created in the planning stage, this will be used as the basis for an edit. Any extra footage captured on the shoot day may be used for additional or unplanned edits, such as a behind-the-scene highlights reel. 

Amends and approvals

After the initial edit is created, it will be shared with any clients or stakeholders to begin a review and feedback process. Ideally, if there has been lots of planning before the shoot day, everyone should have a clear, consistent vision of the final edit, meaning minimal amends are required. 

Production teams will also encourage all clients and stakeholders to review and feedback simultaneously. This will minimise the time spent having to readjust and rerender an edit. If a video is required in multiple formats (for different social platforms, for example), these won’t be created until the edit is approved. Again, this helps to maximise time efficiency. 

However, a video being approved, formatted and published isn’t the end of the process. Particularly if edits are shared on social media or other online platforms, a production team should review each video’s performance. This helps teams see what attracts views and engagements and adjust their plan for future edits accordingly. 

With this combination of creativity and strategy, video production teams can help businesses or individuals create films that inspire, educate or inform their audience. By following the above production process, they can create quality video that helps tell a story more effectively.