CHAPTER 2
Preparing for Video Production
This is the second chapter of Client’s Guide to Video Production. This chapter “Preparing for Video Production” is designed to guide you through this intricate prelude, illuminating every facet from defining your video’s objective to budgeting with precision. Whether you’re a brand looking to voice its story or an individual seeking to capture an audience, these insights will arm you with the knowledge to navigate the labyrinth of video production.
CHAPTER 2.1
Identifying Your Video Audience
Video content holds a unique power in the digital age. With its ability to convey complex narratives, emotions, and messages in a short span, it’s a marketer’s dream. However, its impact is magnified when it’s tailored to a well-defined audience. Here’s a deep dive into identifying and understanding that crucial audience:
Why Audience Matters?
Every frame, every soundbite, and every visual effect in a video bears significance. To weave these elements seamlessly, understanding the viewer becomes pivotal. A well-defined audience acts as a guiding light, providing direction to the storytelling, aesthetic choices, and the overall feel of the video.
Now, here are 5 things that you need to consider when you’re identifying and try to understand your target audience:
1. Demographics 📊
The age, gender, geographical location, and educational background of your audience are more than just statistics. They shape the tone, style, and pacing of your video. For example, content for millennials might be infused with pop culture references, while content for an older audience may adopt a more traditional, straightforward approach.
2. Psychographics 🧠
While demographics set the stage, psychographics bring the character to life. Delving into the values, aspirations, and fears of your audience can craft a narrative that’s deeply personal and resonant. Does your audience value sustainability? Are they driven by technological advancements? These insights can be the difference between a forgettable video and a memorable one.
3. Digital Consumption Patterns 💻
The online spaces your audience frequents can offer profound insights. A generation that’s hooked to TikTok might appreciate snappy, fast-paced content, while LinkedIn users might gravitate towards more polished, professional videos. By identifying these spaces, you can tailor your content format, length, and style to best suit platform preferences.
4. Viewing Time & Habits 🕰
Understanding when, where, and how your audience consumes video content is invaluable. Do they watch videos during morning commutes or late-night browsing sessions? Do they prefer subtitles for silent viewing at work? Such insights can shape editing choices and even dictate the optimal release time for maximum engagement.
5. Cultural Context & Sensitivity 🌍
In our globalized world, cultural sensitivity isn’t just a good-to-have; it’s a necessity. Videos that respect cultural nuances, avoid stereotypes, and embrace diversity tend to have a broader appeal. This includes not only visual representation but also linguistic choices, ensuring inclusivity and respect.
Staying Agile: The Evolving Audience Landscape
Audiences aren’t static. As global events unfold, technology advances, and cultures merge, audience preferences and behaviors evolve. Regularly updating your audience profile, staying attuned to emerging trends, and being open to pivoting ensures that your video content remains relevant and impactful.
CHAPTER 2.2
Crafting Your Video Message
In today’s saturated digital landscape, video stands out as an unrivaled medium to convey a brand’s message. However, to truly captivate an audience, brands must craft a narrative where the viewer is at the heart of the story. Donald Miller’s “Building a StoryBrand” provides invaluable insights into this narrative strategy. Let’s embark on a comprehensive journey to understand and apply these principles to video production:
1. Customer as Hero 🦸
At the foundation of every compelling tale is a hero—the central character that audiences root for, relate to, and see themselves in. In the brand narrative, this hero isn’t your product or company. It’s your audience. Recognizing and centering their aspirations and challenges are the first steps to crafting a video that resonates deeply.
2. Define The Problems (Antagonist) 🌎
Every hero’s journey is spurred by a challenge—a dragon to slay, a mountain to climb. In your brand’s story, this challenge mirrors the problem your audience faces. Whether it’s a need unmet or a pain point unresolved, articulating this challenge captures attention and sets the stage for your brand to step in.
3. Brand as Guide 🧭
Contrary to traditional branding methods that position the brand as the protagonist, the StoryBrand method takes a different tack. Here, the brand emerges as a guide—a Yoda to Luke Skywalker, an Alfred to Batman. Your brand, laden with expertise, experience, and genuine empathy, offers the solution the hero seeks.
4. Provide a Plan and Direction 🛠
With the stage set and the characters in place, the hero needs a plan—a strategy to overcome their challenge. This is where your product or service shines. Detail the tangible benefits, showcase how it works, and demonstrate its value. This clear, actionable plan eliminates ambiguity and instills confidence, nudging the viewer closer to conversion.
5. A Compelling Call to Action 🏆
Every story reaches a crescendo—a pivotal moment that spurs the hero into action. In your video, this is crystallized by a compelling call to action (CTA). Beyond a mere “Buy Now” or “Learn More”, a well-crafted CTA resonates with the hero’s desires, urging them to take the next step in their journey.
6. Showing The Goal (The Success) 🎉
What does the world look like when the hero overcomes their challenge with your brand’s guidance? Painting this picture—be it through satisfied customer testimonials, demonstrations of the product in action, or envisaged scenarios—offers hope and solidifies the value proposition.
7. What’s At Stake? ⚠️
Every tale has stakes—the potential pitfalls or the cost of inaction. Subtly underscoring what’s at risk if the hero doesn’t act amplifies the allure of the solution offered. Whether it’s the continuation of a pain point or a missed opportunity, these stakes add depth to the narrative.
This framework can be applied to videos of any duration. Whether you’re creating a 15-second commercial or a 30-minute web series, this framework can help you refine your message and position both yourself and your customer.
CHAPTER 2.3
Defining Your Video Goal
In an age of digital storytelling, video stands as a beacon of effective communication. The fluid interplay of visuals and sound, wrapped around a core message, can captivate, educate, and inspire. However, as brands chart the waters of video production, understanding the ‘why’ behind each video becomes paramount. Here’s an in-depth look into the myriad goals videos can serve and the specific content that can bring those goals to fruition.
1. Brand Awareness
Example: Brand Manifesto Videos – Think of these as your brand’s ‘origin story’. A cinematic journey that navigates through the brand’s ethos, values, and vision. This isn’t about selling a product but rather about forging a connection, letting viewers know who you are and what you stand for.
2. Product or Service Showcasing
Example: Product Demos & Tutorials – These are the spotlight moments for your product or service. Detailed demonstrations, step-by-step guides, or comparisons can help the viewer understand the unique benefits and features, painting your offering as the solution they’ve been seeking.
3. Trust and Credibility
Example: Customer Testimonial Videos – Authenticity is key. Featuring real customers, sharing their unscripted experiences, challenges they faced, and how your brand provided a solution can create a ripple effect, influencing potential customers and bolstering brand credibility.
4. Driving Sales & Conversions
Example: Promotional & Offer Videos – A spotlight on limited-time offers, bundled packages, or exclusive discounts can create urgency. Pair this with compelling visuals, user reviews, and a clear call to action, and you’ve got a recipe for conversion.
5. Global Outreach
Example: Localized Content Videos – This isn’t merely about translation but true localization. Integrating local celebrities, using regional music, or even nuanced cultural references ensures the content resonates across borders.
CHAPTER 2.4
Creating a Video Brief for Production Company
When aiming to translate your vision into a compelling video, the brief you provide to a production company plays an indispensable role. An articulate, detailed video brief ensures that both you—the client—and the production team sail on the same wavelength, fostering a successful collaboration. Here’s a comprehensive guide:
1. Identify Your Objective 🧠
Every video begins with an intention. Whether you’re aiming to promote a product, educate your audience, or narrate your brand’s story, clarity is paramount. By succinctly sharing your primary goal, you not only set the direction for content but also allow the production team to make informed creative decisions that align with your aspirations.
2. Define Your Target Audience 🎯
Behind every effective video is a well-understood audience. Dive deep into the demographics, psychographics, and viewing behaviors of your intended viewers. Are they young tech enthusiasts or seasoned professionals? Do they prefer quick, punchy content or in-depth narratives? By conveying a vivid picture of your audience, you enable the production company to sculpt content that truly resonates, thereby amplifying engagement.
3. Set a Deadline 📆
In the world of video production, timing is everything. Share when you need the final product, but also communicate any intermediate milestones, be it for feedback or alignment with marketing campaigns, events, or product launches. A clear, feasible timeline not only ensures punctual delivery but also helps in resource allocation, making the process smooth and efficient.
4. Specify Desired Video Length 📏
Duration matters, especially in the fast-paced digital landscape. While some platforms and messages might demand longer, explorative content, others benefit from brevity. Share your preferences, but also be open to recommendations. A production company, with its expertise, can often guide you towards the optimal length that balances engagement and message delivery.
5. Visual Style & Tone 🎨
Visuals make or break a video. Do you envision a vibrant, dynamic tone or something minimalist and elegant? Perhaps you have brand guidelines that dictate certain aesthetic choices. Share these, along with mood boards, reference videos, or any other material that can provide a glimpse into your desired visual universe. The more the production team knows, the better they can recreate your vision.
6. List Main Points 📜
A video’s success often hinges on its narrative coherence. By providing a structured list of key messages, scenes, or points, you ensure the storyline flows logically and captivatingly. Think of it as the backbone—supporting and directing the entire production.
7. Brand Elements to Include 🧪
Branding isn’t just about logos. Colors, typography, voiceovers, music choices—all can echo your brand’s essence. Specify any non-negotiable elements and provide the production team with necessary assets. This fosters brand consistency and recognition, fortifying the video’s impact.
8. Choose Your Platform 📺
Every platform offers a unique canvas. A video for Instagram might differ vastly from one tailored for a corporate website or a TV commercial. Inform the production team of your primary and secondary release platforms. This ensures technical and creative optimization, from aspect ratios to content pacing.
9. Budget Constraints 💰
Transparency regarding finances can be a boon. When the production company is aware of your budget boundaries, they can craft solutions that extract maximum value without compromising on quality. It paves the way for innovation within constraints, leading to effective outcomes.
CHAPTER 2.5
Budgeting for Video Production
The creation of video content is an intricate dance of creativity and pragmatism. For clients looking to navigate this realm, understanding the nuances of budgeting is pivotal. This guide offers a deep dive into the critical phases of video production budgeting.
🎬 Pre-Production
The foundation of any video project lies in meticulous planning before shooting commences.
- Meeting Expenses: Initial discussions, brainstorming sessions, and strategy meetings all have associated costs.
- Scriptwriting & Pre-Visualization: Crafting the narrative and visualizing the storyline is essential. This could involve professional writers and visualization tools or software.
- Above the Line Team: This includes key personnel like the director, producer, and executive producer, who guide the project’s creative and logistical aspects.
- Main Actors/Talents: Securing top-tier talent can significantly impact the budget, especially if they have notable industry standing.
- Location Scout & Visits: Finding the perfect location can involve travel, permit acquisitions, and potential rental fees.
📽️ Production
The heart of the project, where ideas become tangible and scenes are shot.
- Equipment: Cameras, lighting, sound gear, and specialized equipment, depending on the project’s scope.
- Below the Line Crews: These are the technical experts—camerapersons, sound technicians, lighting crews, and more—who ensure the production phase runs smoothly.
- Supporting Actors/Talents: Apart from the main actors, a project might require secondary talents whose compensation needs to be factored in.
- Costumes, Set, & Makeups: Crafting the visual ambiance involves designing sets, procuring or designing costumes, and makeup for the cast.
- Logistics: This encompasses transportation, catering, accommodation, and other essential logistical aspects of the shoot.
🖥️ Post-Production
Once the raw footage is shot, it undergoes transformation into the final product.
- Editors: Skilled professionals who trim, arrange, and polish the raw footage into a coherent storyline.
- Post-Houses: Specialized facilities equipped to handle post-production tasks, from editing to color correction.
- Sound Facilities: Sound design, background scores, and audio enhancements are pivotal to a video’s ambiance.
- VFX Studios: For projects demanding special effects, CGI, or advanced visual treatments.
- Licenses (Music/Footage): Using copyrighted tracks or stock footage brings licensing fees and permissions into the picture.
CONCLUSION
The Power of Thorough Preparation
As we draw the curtain on this chapter, it becomes evident that the brilliance of a video isn’t a stroke of serendipity—it’s the culmination of thorough preparation, clear vision, and meticulous planning. From understanding your audience to budgeting judiciously, each step in preparing for video production is a brick in the foundation of a compelling narrative.
Whether you’re collaborating with a production company or embarking independently, these insights and guidelines aim to empower you, ensuring you approach your video project with clarity, confidence, and a keen sense of purpose. Remember, in the world of video production, it’s not just about capturing frames but framing dreams, emotions, and messages. As you step forward to bring your video to life, may the preparation you’ve invested in guide you towards creating content that resonates, captivates, and leaves a lasting impact.
Embarking on Your Video Production Journey?
Navigating the intricacies of video production can be a daunting endeavor, but you don’t have to tread this path alone. At Studio Antelope, we’re more than just a production company—we’re collaborators and storytellers at heart. From conceptualization to the final cut, our team is dedicated to bringing your vision to life with precision, passion, and unmatched expertise.
Ready to craft compelling narratives together? Let Studio Antelope be your trusted guide in this cinematic journey. Reach out today, and let’s create magic on screen. Connect with Studio Antelope and start your project with confidence: studioantelope.com/quote.
