Our Production Process - in a nutshell
Our Video Production Process (in a nutshell!)
The process to get an idea from concept to final delivery is a balance of creativity, technical expertise and resource management. Production is split out into 3 main phases that are linear, so here’s an overview guide so you have a rough understanding of how the sausage is made!
Pre-Production
An hour in pre-prod saves 3 in post! This is the most “involved” session, the more preparation and planning we can do the smoother things will run. If everyone is on the same page on what we are creating and how we are going to do it, there should be no surprises in production and post-production.
Briefing and Idea Conceptualisation:
This is the first thing we need to get established. We go through the brief, pinpoint the purpose of the content we’re creating and ensure the idea is going to work - not only for the platforms where it will live, but that it will engage the correct audience. Lots of questions are asked here about what's non-negotiable, what can have some creative licence and what is realistically achievable in the timeline and budget.
The Creative Approach:
Once the brief and concept idea is set, we’ll create a deck that outlines all the creative decisions and the logistics on how we’ll achieve them - a couple of options of where the shoot will take place, the equipment we’ll use, the props and wardrobe items we’ll need and the type of talent we’re after. Once this is signed off we’re ready to make it all a reality!
Casting and Crewing:
Based on the creative approach, we’ll now go and find the people to make it happen. We cast for talent that will appear in the video, and put a bespoke crew that specialises in what is needed - a drone pilot, a steadicam operator, a director that works well with young children, whoever is needed, we’ll get ‘em on board!
The Documentation:
Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork! We’ll sort out all the necessary filming permits, insurances, shotlists, call sheets, shoot schedules, release forms and a production timeline so come the day of the shoot everything will be smooth sailing.
Production
The shoot day! A smaller scale shoot will have 4-5 crew, but this number gets bigger the more complex the shoot gets as each department needs more hands on deck.
Producer: The person running the logistics of the set, standing by to make sure everything is running as it should and to solve problems before or as they arise so that the creative team are not disturbed.
Director: Responsible for bringing the idea into life. The one interacting with the talent to get the best performance out of them and ensuring that we film everything that’s needed to achieve the content we set out to create.
DOP/Camera Operator: Collaborating closely with the director to ensure the vision is captured in the highest quality possible. They’re in charge of how things look on camera - the lighting, the set and the angle.
Camera Assistant: Helping the DOP with swapping between lenses and supports, pulling focus, wrangling memory cards and battery changes. On a bigger set, they may even jump onto a second camera for some shots where a second angle is needed.
Hair and Makeup: The artist will ensure that the talented hair and face are camera ready. This is slightly different to your day-to-day makeup, as they factor in the influence of film lights and how they can alter the appearance of the skin in the footage. Will usually standby during the shoot to do touch ups in between takes so there’s consistency for each take!
Sound Recordist: The person in charge of the audio - they’ll have headphones on and will be listening to make sure the sound being captured is clear. The microphones we use are quite sensitive, so they will pick up the sound of planes flying overhead or a truck rumbling that we may not be able to hear but will disrupt the take.
Data Wrangler: The data wrangler is the unsung hero of the shoot day. Their job is to take the footage from the camera cards and transfer them to hard drives to be transported back to the editors. Checksum verification software ensures that no files are damaged, corrupted or lost - which is great, because data loss is the worst!
Runner: An all rounder that’s there to help, mainly for the producer so they don’t need to leave set. It’s where the name comes from! They will ‘run’ to pickup the catering, dropoff harddrives or move the cast/crew/clients parked cars so they don’t get a parking fine!
Post-Production
Offline Editing:
The offline editor will go through all the footage from the shoot, pick out all the good bits (called ‘the selects’) then assemble them together into a draft edit. There is freedom at this stage to chop and change the order of the footage, add more shots, remove shots, and swap in different clips to see what works best. It’s piecing the footage puzzle together until it tells the right story.
Online Editing:
Once the order of clips (the ‘vision’) is locked in, we can then start refining things. Think of the footage as the background at this stage and now we’re adding the finishing touches on top of it - adding music and sound effects, adjusting the colour so it pops, adding in any visual effects and any graphic elements required.
At each stage, we offer two rounds of feedback - so our clients can see how things are progressing and make requests of what changes they want. This means we’re working collaboratively all the way through so the final delivery isn’t a surprise that suddenly appears in your inbox 6 weeks after the brief.
And that’s how it’s done!
