Three Steps

Every video, from a simple "video essay" of your flower garden to the next "Gone With The Wind" uses the same steps to plan and execute. There are three steps to each production.


Pre-Production

Pre-production begins with the idea: "Let's make a video where we will __________."

In pre-production, you'll plan the goals and objectives of your video, target audience, treatment, and budget in time and dollars. Then you will plan your script, in either written or storyboard form. The few minutes spent in pre-production will make every aspect of your project go much smoother.

Production

This is the actual shooting. With script in hand, you will get all of the video shots you need (and then some for insurance). You will gather any "flat copy", such as newspaper clippings or old photos that need to be transferred to video. You will find your music and sound effects. Now it's on to...

Post-Production

Once all the raw footage is "in the can," you'll convert the scenes into a polished, professional production. This is called "editing," or "post-production". While "the shoot" is the visible part of the job, professionals often spend more time editing than they do shooting! Sometimes the pros say "We'll fix it in post." Don't you believe it. The best time to fix a problem is before it happens, and that's in pre-production planning. In post, you will:

Transfer selected video clips or "scenes" to the editor
Transfer all music and sound effects to the editor
Transfer all flat copy (photos, artwork, etc)
Trim scenes to proper length and put them in order on a storyboard
Create all titles
Add any transitions or special effects
Add and mix music and audio
Render the video project and transfer to videotape, DVD or other delivery device such as a QuickTime movie.


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