What Are The Right Steps For Successful Video Production?

The how-to into the proper steps for video production.

Video production and the art of making amazing content can be challenging. It might seem easy enough, right? Have an idea, grab your camera, cut some shots together, and you’re good to go. However, it is far from this. What you will find is that there are steps to take in order to better achieve what you are looking to get out of video production.

Looking at video production objectively requires planning and the right approaches to this in a way that makes great content and content that people will want to watch. While this field requires a high level of creativity, which along with that comes subjectivity, you also have to think objectively to see the best results. Following the steps of video production that are universally accepted is a fast way to get caught up so you can tackle any of those producing goals you need help with.

Let’s take a look at video production and see what makes this so fun. For filmmakers, this is the bread and butter of creating great content. By following the right steps, you are well on your way to producing that amazing film and getting those ideas from your head onto the screen.

What Is Video Production?

Video production is the process of creating some sort of video, whether that be a feature film, short film, commercial, or some other informational or entertaining video. With video production comes three important phases to take note of being pre-production, the actual production, and post-production. All these phases are pivotal to the success of the overall video and any step missed may be detrimental to the final product.

While the process may depend on what you wish to see, or what the company you may be working for wants to see, sticking with the basics is the most important thing. You hear people say all the time the importance of the basics. While being creative involves risks and new approaches, sticking with these three core phases will allow you to see a fantastic end product.

Steps Of Video Production & What It Consists Of

Let’s take a look at these three steps below being pre-production, production, and post-production to see just how this will work so you can produce the best content possible.

Step 1: Pre-Production

This phase of the work requires a lot of diligence and preparation. Everything in the pre-production phase sets you up to produce a killer film. This includes everything from forming the idea, writing the script, choosing locations and cast, assembling a quality crew, and making sure the finer details like props are set to go. Here is also where you will look to navigate external challenges like potential permits, weather for those outdoor shoots, and that the equipment is all set and ready to roll.

Taking your time in this phase will eliminate any issues on the backend during the production and post-production phases that you may face. Your script is the foundation of your project. A high-quality script is imperative for this directs everything and everyone related to the project. Of course, actors know their lines, set designers know the look of locations, and a director will see how best to direct, but there is no understating how important an awesome script is to the pre-production phase of any good film.

Step 2: Production

Once your pre-production phase is handled and organized as best you can, now we enter our second step of the actual production. By now, everyone will know their part and your locations, cast and crew, and equipment will be ready to go.

This phase is fun because you start to see your work come to life. The hassle of organizing and planning is over and you can start to see real magic happen. While you may have storyboarded out your scenes and planned a shot list, here is where you can be creative and really open yourself up to the joy of creativity and collaboration.

You can also work to set yourself up here for post-production by keeping all your shots organized and having editing in mind. Marking down which scenes worked well and how you want to tackle this in post will make the next phase seem a bit easier, although nothing in video production is ever easy.

Step 3: Post-Production

Now that the filming is done and everyone has wrapped, it’s time to put it all together and see your vision come to life on screen. Working with the director and editor is very important in this phase and having a seamless collaboration requires that everyone is on the same page. Editing can be challenging, for this takes careful and deliberate choices to craft a great final product.

Editing may bring you joy at times and frustration at other times, but that is why you’ve chosen to undertake this project. The vision in your head will play out how you want, but looking to things like flawless scene transitions, audio and visual effects, and any other elements you wish to see on screen will be the majority of your post-production work. Constantly watching different scenes and the flow of many scenes will give you a better sense of how this will look once that final product is ready to be shown to any audience.

Conclusion

By following these steps of video production and knowing what to look for, you will better set yourself up for a really great final video. Video production can be challenging and at time frustrating, but once you see the final product and your vision on screen, it is incredibly rewarding. All of that time put into the process will show great work and something to be proud of. Once all is said and done, you can get this in front of the right people and show an audience your masterpiece. With a great reception, your work will stand on its own as a strong result of what video production is all about.