Video Production Companies: A Buyer's Guide
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When the Lumiere brothers held their first film screenings in the cafes of Paris in 1895 their audiences were astonished by the amazing realism of the illusions that moving pictures created. Sadly film no longer has the capacity to thrill us in quite the same way but nevertheless moving pictures maintain a strange hold over the human mind, making video the perfect medium for important messages and entertainment.
Video as a tool of commercial or corporate communications is a well established phenomenon and as such many video production companies exist to provide filming, scripting, storyboarding and post production services.
This Buyers’ Guide serves as an introduction to the world of professional video production and contains helpful advice on commissioning a video production company.
The Benefits of Video Production
Since the introduction of web 2.0 video has been easier to find, watch, share and promote than ever. As a result many firms are turning to video to spread their corporate message or provide entertaining or informative content to visitors of their website. The reasons video works so well are manifold:
- The internet is text-heavy – video content makes a refreshing change
- Using genuine members of your company in videos adds a personal touch, increasing user trust
- Complicated or dense information can be represented visually, making it easier to understand
- Music and images can be used to reinforce a message or brand identity
- Internet users share entertaining and informative videos spontaneously, spreading your message and promoting your brand
- Apart from posting online, video can also be distributed via DVD, TV or flash drives making it ideal for promotional activity
How Video Production Works
Commissioning a professional quality video involves several stages depending on the type and style of the video you’re looking to produce.
Concept
What kind of video are you producing? Commercials, product demonstrations, company profiles, appeal videos, virtual tours and customer testimonials are all quite different. The purpose of the video will also determine the running time which you’ll want to pin down early as it greatly affects the cost of production.
Storyboarding
This stage involves creating a series of images (usually drawings) which show key points in the video as it unfolds. This is useful for a video which requires several different shots in order to plan the shooting and make sure nothing essential is left out.
Scripting
If the video has any spoken word or on screen text this needs to be written. It also needs to be put together in a document that makes it clear to the director, actors/presenters etc where the text comes in the video.
Shooting
Live action footage needs to be filmed with the requisite camera and sound equipment. The quality of the equipment used will largely determine the quality of the finished footage – higher quality equipment costs more to hire and will push up the cost of the shoot. Crew and actors/presenters also need to be hired for the duration of the shoot. Filming locations need to be sourced and, where necessary, permission obtained for filming.
Post-Production
Editing, addition of a soundtrack or visual effects, sound mixing and formatting are the processes which make up ‘post’. This is precision work which requires expensive equipment and takes considerable time – usually longer than the shooting phase of production. An animated film will essentially skip the shooting phase – though recording of a soundtrack, dialogue or voiceover may still be necessary – and move straight to post.
DVD Production
If your video is going to be presented on DVD it will need to be mastered, duplicated and if necessary, covers, inlays and on-disc images will need to be designed and printed. If the video is for online use it will need to be converted into appropriate file types and sizes for use in different scenarios.
Choosing a Video Production Company
A video production project can be a significant undertaking so choosing the right company is essential for getting the right end product with the minimum of complications. Look for recommendations from professional acquaintances, find videos online of a similar style or scale and find out who made them (most will carry credits that are easy to find). Once you have a shortlist you can request quotes and compare the companies in more depth.
Try and put together a job specification that is as detailed as possible, taking into account the different stages of video production as outlined above. This will help the videographers to quote you accurately and point out any gaps between your expectation and reality.
There are a number of factors to take into account when deciding on a company to shoot your video (beside the obvious cost consideration):
- Experience – Look for a company with a long track record. This is a good indicator of solvency. You don’t want the company going out of business before your project is complete.
- Portfolio – Most companies will have an online gallery of videos they’ve produced. Look for companies who make films similar to the type of film you want made. This will also give you an idea of what you can afford before you request quotes: if you’re a small business there’s probably no point approaching companies who make videos for large multi-nationals.
- Approachability – Being able to communicate your needs accurately to the video production company is critical to getting a product you’re happy with. In order to form a good working relationship you should feel able to offer your opinion freely.
- Flexibility – You may not want to hand the entire project over the hired company but rather take care of elements like scripting, storyboarding etc in-house or you may want one of your own staff to present the video or provide a voiceover. Check that the video production company are happy to accommodate such an arrangement.
Whether you’re looking to add flair to your marketing material, produce a virtual tour of your premises or make a viral video that takes the internet by storm, professional video production can help you attain the impact and quality that makes people watch all the way to the end. Time spent finding the right company who can deliver the project on time, on budget and who can help you bring your personality into the video is time you won’t regret spending.
