Producing Cost-Effective Video for Your Business Website: Production
Mar 18, 2010 by Scott Stiefvater
This is the second part of a 3-part blog series focusing on producing dynamite video footage for your website while getting the most bang for your buck.
In the first installment, I offered a number of tips for the preproduction phase. In this installment, I address the production phase, i.e. the shoot. Remember, the tips I provide below are based on a conventional corporate-video formula intended to yield about 5 minutes of final, edited video footage. They are just guidelines so you should feel free to tweak them to fit your situation.
Production
Make a Schedule
For a 4 hour shoot, make a schedule with twelve 20 minute slots and work with your videographer to plan the order in which you are going to attack the shoot. Slots should be assigned for specific interviews or the shooting of B-roll. But, be prepared to adjust and improvise should the unexpected occur.
Keep Moving Locations to a Minimum
Valuable time is eaten up when your videographer and crew have to strike their equipment to move to and setup in a new location. When feasible, shoot interviews in one location, moving the equipment as necessary to get a variety of backgrounds among the interviews.
Be an “Assistant Director” and recruit a “2nd Assistant Director” too
Assistant Directors work with a Director to get people and resources into place on schedule. Work with your videographer as the primary coordinator of people and places, and bring an assistant for yourself. This will insure that, even if unexpected challenges crop up, there are plenty of hands on deck to keep the shoot running smoothly and on schedule.
Help your Interviewees Feel Comfortable
Most everybody experiences “camera anxiety”. Some will become so self-conscious about what they are saying and how they are saying it that they may find it difficult to get a complete sentence out. Everyone is different, but most interviewees will feel more secure if they know what you want from them. Having a copy of their “talking points” to hand to them and discuss a few minutes before they get in front of the camera usually helps.
Part 3 of this series focuses on what the editing phase.
[...] 2 of this series focuses on what to do on shooting day. Until then, start dreaming about what YOUR video would look like, who would be in it and what [...]
Good point about minimizing moving when filming on location. We spend way to much time packing and unpacking gear. Thanks for your planning guides.
Stu - Thanks for the validation on this. You know, as a video producer yourself, that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, i.e. a little planning goes a long way.