Pre-production - Not Optional

Pre-production. What is that?

Whether you are producing a video for your business, making a short film or even just doing a video blog, there is a critical step that many people overlook or just ignore. The importance of pre-production cannot be understated. I am often amazed at how many people just think you need to have an idea then show up with a camera and shoot it. This rarely works.

Pre-production is essential if you are to produce anything of quality. Think of it as making sure you have all the ingredients for a cake before you mix and bake it. If you just started mixing before reading the recipe and having all the necessary items on hand you would likely run into problems very quickly. Oops, you may not have eggs... or... oops you forgot the sugar. Without all the ingredients in the proper proportions you might be able to bake something but it sure wouldn't be a good cake.

Here are some of the necessary ingredients in video pre-production.

The idea or concept.
     - Most people have this at least in mind but it should be written so it can be communicated with everyone involved in the project.

A Script
     - You need to have a script BEFORE you begin to shoot. Here I can relate some experiences that I have had with shooting without a script. I have had clients that have had the concept but no script when we started shooting a video to promote their business. What happens is you end up shooting a lot of footage because you don't know what you will need. Inevitably in post production (when you now have a script because you can't edit until you have the narration etc) you find that you are sifting through five times more footage than you need to. This takes time and adds to the cost of the edit and often you find that there are shots you don't have and you need to go back and shoot more. Of course this adds to the cost of the video as well.

Locations
     - You must know where you are going to be shooting and if it is practical to be shooting during the time that is planned. For example, I have shot videos for golf courses. That is an outdoor location. You need to prepare for alternate shoot days in case of bad weather, shoot at the time of day that provides the best light and not be a hinderance to golfers using the course.

Cast
     - If there is anyone to appear on camera or even just as an off camera voice over they should be cast ahead of time. If you have control over what the people in the video are doing it is always better than just trying to catch people that have not been cast on camera. Plus you really do need their permission to shoot them.

Storyboard or Shot List
     - While not every video will need an actual storyboard, all should at the least have a shot list. This is created by going through the script line by line. It ensures that you will get everything you need to complete the video. No wasted footage and no reshoots because you are lacking shots. Time saved is money saved. This will also help you determine what equipment is needed for the shoot.

Schedule
     - After the shot lists are done you can schedule the right amount of time to shoot. Don't try to pack too much into a day of shooting. If it looks like you will need to schedule two day, schedule two days. Don't try to push it all into one thinking it will save time and money. It likely won't and then you will be scrambling trying to get a second day scheduled and shot.


Again I can't emphasize the importance of pre-production enough. It doesn't matter if you are producing a corporate video or a student film, it applies equally. If you want you videos to look good and to say effectively what you want them to say then do the work that is needed before you grab a camera and shoot. In all cases proper pre-production will save you time during production and post production and this in turn will save you money. And you will end up with a better looking video.



By Ben Stacey