“If a picture paints a thousand words” is not just a memorable line from a 1971 Bread song. It also speaks of a truth marketers deem timeless: You can say much more visually than you can ever do verbally.
However, videos are better than images. Ever wondered why Instagram seems determined to become the next TikTok? Video posts simply bring in more engagement.
They also help the bottom line. In the report The State of Video Marketing 2021, 78% of video marketers say video helped increase sales, while 87% say video gives good returns.
So call that video production services provider if you want to take advantage of these trends — especially since Cisco reports 82% of online traffic globally will come from video, and research indicates people consume an average of 84 minutes of video daily.
Start producing video content. Conceptualise your campaign and collaborate with a production house that can bring your message to life as a narrative on screen.
Video production is a complex activity requiring expertise and skills. The following are just some things professional video producers, creatives and filmmakers must check and get right to create attractive, effective and engaging videos.
- The Story
You need a storyboard and a script. The storyboard outlines the scenes that will be captured on video, while the script refers to the words you’ll use throughout, either through voiceovers, narrations or on-screen actors.
This is where you, as the business owner or marketing professional, must provide a lot of input. Your video production partner can assist with concept development. However, they must know what your campaign is about, your goal and the particular message you wish to relay through your video — and only you can provide this information.
Only after threshing this information out can you come up with a compelling story for your video content.
As a case in point, a popular hamburger chain has a new product: a flame-grilled burger made with Tabasco sauce and jalapenos. They needed a video commercial to convey the message that the new burger is seriously hot and spicy.
As such, the video narrative emphasised the menu item’s fiery nature.
In the video, the burger glows, wisps of smoke come out of it, the sprinkler system activates when the customer takes one bite, and firefighters arrive to put out the fire. To reinforce the visual imagery, the scene cuts to a powerful hook narrated through a voiceover and shown on screen: “This taste is fire.”
- The Cast
Whether you’re shooting a video commercial or a short video teaser, you require actors. You may need them to act on screen, narrate the story or do voice overs. It all depends on your storyline.
Casting the right actors is crucial to video production success. On-screen actors must act well to make the characters they play come to life and be relatable to your target market. Voice actors should speak well, convey the right emotion, and have the right kind of voice called for by the script.
You don’t need to cast famous actors, and you don’t even require award-level performances. However, you must have excellent cast members who act and deliver their lines well enough to ensure your audience can focus on your message rather than remain fixated on your actors’ subpar performance.
Note: Your video production partner will be able to accomplish this part easily as it should have a ready network of actors it can tap to fill roles.
- The Set
The set is the backdrop for your video, the shoot location. In the commercial discussed earlier (the one about the chilli burger for the hamburger chain), the set was a diner-type restaurant — one of the chain stores or some other place made to look like it.
Set requirements vary depending on the type of video you’re making.
If you’re producing an instructional piece to show how easy your new software is to use, you may not even need a set. You may show video screen captures synced with voiceover narration. However, if you’re shooting a beach scene, you may need to go to an actual beach. You may also be able to shoot everything in a studio setup with a green screen.
Your video production company will determine whether you need a set and, if you do, whether to go on a location shoot or do it all in a studio.
- Video Direction and Cinematography
You need professionals at the helm of your video production. The video director is responsible for artistic direction, envisioning the scenes that must be captured on film. Meanwhile, the cinematographer is responsible for translating the director’s vision into reality and taking charge of the technical details involved in capturing the video narrative.
Specifically, the cinematographer chooses suitable cameras, lenses, filters and other related hardware. The type of equipment depends on the storyboard or the shots the plan dictates.
The cinematographer is responsible for dictating scene composition, shot size, scene colour, and depth of field. Thus, they must decide on camera settings like the aperture, exposure, focus, frame rate, light sensitivity, shutter speed, and white balance.
The cinematographer is also responsible for setting up an appropriate lighting system and ensuring there are enough microphones to capture all necessary sounds. They must also decide on camera angles and movements.
This is where you will find the most value in a video production company. Video production companies have professional video directors for artistic vision and cinematographers with the technical skills to execute such a vision. In short, they have the expertise necessary to ensure professional results.
- Post Production
Finally, once the scenes have been shot, they must be put together and processed. In this phase, audio narrations and voiceovers (even on-screen dialogues) are recorded, added and synchronised with the videos. Video scenes are also spliced, transitions added, videos colour graded, and animations and special effects inserted.
This process transforms your raw video into something ready for airing and publication.
Video Content Production Made Easy
Making video content is not a simple matter of taking your camera out and starting to shoot. A lot of preparation goes into it. You need to:
- come up with the story
- hire an excellent cast
- decide on and prepare the set (or multiple sets)
- shoot (this involves a lot of technical expertise)
- process and put everything together
However, video production can be easy if you entrust it to video production professionals.
