Producing impactful videos takes more than the right camera or creative vision; a successful project is ultimately determined by the process used to get there! Organised production processes will allow all members of a team to be in alignment, have deadlines met on time, and be within budget.
Whether you are producing branded content, corporate video production content, commercials, or social media campaigns, an efficient Video Production Workflow may be the most important element of a successful video project.
At Team Unity Media, we have successfully assisted many companies with streamlining their video production process from the conceptual phase of video creation to final delivery. Here are eight actionable suggestions that may be used to improve your Video Production Workflow in addition to providing you with high-quality videos on a recurring basis.
The Importance of Having a Structured Video Production Process
Many companies treat each video as a new project or challenge; vendors are often sought after at the last minute; creative direction is often revised mid-production; and post (video) timelines are often extended longer than anticipated.
The lack of a defined workflow results in projects ultimately experiencing:
- Increased delays
- Increased production costs
- Inconsistent levels of quality in the videos produced
- Lack of communication among all stakeholders of the video project
- Missed deadline for delivering video to market
Having a repeatable video production system will help reduce the above issues, and gives creative teams the ability to focus on telling a story instead of on solving logistical problems.
Step 1: Identify Explicit Objectives Prior To Production Work
All good video projects have a clear objective at their outset; this is the foundation for all subsequent work within a project.
Prior to scripting, storyboarding, and filming, you need to define:
- Your target audience
- The key message you want viewers to take away
- The various platforms on which your video will be displayed
- The action you want viewers to take once they have completed watching your video
With everyone working from the same page at the start of the project, production decisions will be made quickly and efficiently after commencement of the production.
Step 2: Create a Collaborative Pre-Production Strategy
Planning is critical for reducing surprises at the time of filming; as a general rule, the greater the time investment made during pre-production, the easier and fewer revisions will occur during filming.
Each production should include a roadmap that details the following:
- Successful creative concepts
- Approval of your script
- Documented storyboards
- Production timetable
- Location requirements
- Equipment requirements
- Coordinated talent
Step 3: Maintain Communication Centralized
Video productions typically involve multiple entities; your marketing team, your creative director, the client, the editor, and the production crew are examples of different entities that will need to communicate with one another throughout the production process.
By centralizing all communications (messages, emails, timelines, approvals, and product updates) in one location, the opportunity for miscommunication will be reduced and will allow decisions to be made quickly and easily during the entire duration of the project.
Step 4: Create Content To Support Multiple Campaigns
Instead of making just one video for one use, plan a shoot that will allow you to create content for different types of marketing channels. You can shoot all the following types of content during one shoot.
- Brand Videos
- Short-form social media video clips
- Customer testimonials
- Behind-the-scenes video footage
- Product demonstrations
- Vertical Videos for Mobile
If you maximize every day of production, the long-term value of your investment will be enhanced.
Step 5: Streamline Your Post Production Process
Post-Production is where the editing of your story begins, but it can take longer than expected if feedback isn’t organized properly. A structured review process can be created by:
- Defining revision timelines;
- Creating a central location for client feedback;
- Ensuring brand guideline consistency; and
- Beginning to organize media assets.
With an improved editing process, project turnaround times from rough cut to final cut will be much shorter.
Step 6: Review Performance Metrics and Enhance Future Productions
Post-release video production should continue past the date a finished video is delivered. Review how the video performed using analytics or metrics will help you to produce videos that create better results on your next video production.
You can assess performance by looking at the following key metrics:
- Viewer Engagement
- Watch Time
- Click-Through Rate
- Conversion Rate
- Audience Retention
Your brand identity should be continued and supported by every video you create. Using an easily identified image for all of your videos enables your target audience to build a level of trust in you based on how quickly they will begin to recognize your brand throughout all your online platforms and marketing campaigns.
Step 7: Maintain Strong Brand Consistency Across All Videos
Brand standards should include:
- Graphics and style
- Logo placement
- Brand font/colour
- Music/sound
- Voice/message
Consistent branding strengthens recognition and ensures every piece of content reinforces your identity across all marketing channels.
Step 8: Partner with a Professional Video Production Team
Use a quality production company to help with producing your most effective materials. If your only experience in the production stage is based on hiring out all of your services and doing everything yourself you may have trouble with managing your production process, particularly as complexity grows or you are under a deadline.
An experienced production partner will provide access to creative direction, professional quality equipment, skilled crews, and streamlined project management from one location. Instead of working with multiple vendors, you would have one team to manage all aspects of your production project to ensure quality and efficiency.
Apply Video Production as a Long-Term Strategy
Successful businesses do not consider video as a standalone initiative; they build sustainable processes which can be used for each campaign and help them achieve ongoing marketing objectives while maintaining their consistency in quality.
Businesses that set forth strong processes and planning, collaborate well with each other, produce versatile content and always optimize the performance of content should be able to produce higher-quality video content more cost effectively over time, leading to more successful marketing campaigns.
Collaborate with Team Unity Media
Team Unity Media takes your concept, develops it creatively into a solid finished product and handle all aspects of producing that product to create powerful videos for your business, but we do that without making the process complicated. Our professional team works directly with you through all phases of creating the video to ensure that each one meets your marketing goals and delivers a measurable result.
No matter what type of video you want to produce… corporation, charity, promotional, branded, or social media… Team Unity Media has the knowledge, experience and production support to make your vision a reality.
