What Happens During the Pre-Production Stage in Video Production
Now that you’ve developed your video concept, how does a video production company prepare your project for shoot day?
Noble Bison Productions crew.
In today’s blog, we’re outlining everything that goes into the pre-production stage. This stage takes place once the video concept is developed, and you’ve signed the project contract. Signing the contract is an important part of moving forward because it’s when the company you hired can officially go to work on preparing your project for production.
Many moving pieces need to come together in order to have a smooth production and produce a stellar video. There is a whole lot of coordination and decisions to be made, but it’s why hiring a video production company makes the job of producing quality videos pretty painless for clients. We take care of the heavy lifting, so you don’t have to. Now, what exactly goes on during the pre-production stage? Let’s get into it below.
What Happens During the Pre-Production Stage:
Location Scouting
Casting Talent
Hiring a Production Crew
Production Gear
Editing, Animation, & Virtual Effects
Set, Props, & Costume
The Shoot Schedule
Final Notes
Location scouting
The location(s) of the production will be described in the proposal, but it’s during the pre-production stage that it will be secured. It’s a really important element to any video, so there’s some careful planning and work in this area to make sure the vision comes to life just right. Scheduling is a huge factor, as the video production company may need to rent or reserve the location to secure the spot.
Location(s) can vary greatly depending on the video concept, whether you’re using a production studio to create an entirely controlled set, renting an Airbnb, or heading to an outdoor setting to capture wide landscape shots and drone footage. It’s also not unlikely that there will even be multiple locations.
Hiring a location scout could be necessary, or the production team may need to hunt down the perfect space that fulfills their creative vision. A good example is what happened with the music video “Warpaint” we shot for the country/rock band Silo. After going through a handful of location managers that didn’t have what we were looking for, our in-house team took to the road. We were bestowed with some amazing luck and lovely people in Boulder, CO that brought this Western to life.
Frame from “Warpaint” music video
Casting Talent
If you read our benefits of hiring a video production company, you’ll have learned how they tend to be a part of many different networks. One of which includes connections with talent, like voice actors, actors, models, musicians, etc. In addition to personal connections, many production companies are also part of online groups and forums where they can find the perfect talent for each production. Quality talent is one of the essential elements of bringing a storyline to life.
Conversely, the client themselves may be the only ones featured in the production. Take for example the introductory video we shot for CIE-Solutions, where the main speaker is their very own VP of Engineering. The focus was on telling their story and featuring people from within their company. There are also instances when a combination of both the client and talent is necessary, like in the ad we shot for Wyndly Health. Again, the main speaker was one of the founders of Wyndly, but it also included a couple of actors who helped to show how their services work. In any case, a video production company is prepared to find the right talent for your production, regardless of how specific or obscure.
Are you considering video production? We’d love to answer any questions you have or give you a quick quote. Click the button below to get in touch:
Hiring a Production Crew
Noble Bison Productions crew on set.
Video production companies have a roster of professionals that they tend to work with, professionals who they trust and know do good work. In that sense, this makes choosing the production crew fairly simple. However, these people generally own their own business and are contracted to work for numerous people on various projects. With that, hiring a production crew comes with its own slice of coordination.
If any of these professions are hired to work for you on a project, then they could forego other opportunities elsewhere. That’s why the planning and organization of shoot days are of the utmost importance, specifically so no one’s time or money is squandered.
The number of crew members needed could grow or shrink depending on the scope of the production, but production crews can be sizable, and they usually include the following key roles:
Director
DP (Director of photography/cinematographer)
AD (Directors Assistant)
First AC (First assistant camera/focus puller)
Gaffers
Gripper
Hair & makeup artists
Special effects artist
Production Design
Production Assistant
Production Gear
Noble Bison Productions crew BTS on “Warpaint” music video.
The type of camera, gear, and equipment used for your shoot will make or break the video. As we’ve mentioned in previous blogs, video production companies have access to equipment that brings videos to a whole new level. Not only do these teams usually own top-notch video production gear of their own, but they also have production insurance that allows them to rent the crazy expensive cameras and gear they may need to produce a high-end commercial or film.
Video production companies also have the knowledge of what is necessary for each type of video. Depending on a few factors, like the brand, product, or intent of a video, the type of equipment needed could vary greatly. Having video production professionals make these decisions is crucial to successful video marketing.
The type of equipment being used for your video will be discussed and outlined in your project proposal, typically listed in the cost breakdown. During the pre-production stage, the video production company will need to secure this equipment. Depending on who or where the equipment is rented from, this could be another element thrown into scheduling and coordination.
Editing, Animation, & Virtual Effects
Each of these elements, editing, animation, and special effects, can be an especially important component in bringing the storyline of a video together. So regardless of whether these jobs are completed in-house or outsourced, the production team will ensure this work is done by experts who know how to handle the specific project.
If a video production company doesn’t edit their videos in-house, they often have a roster of editors that they work with. Editors have different styles, so based on your video concept or brand, who the video production company will hire is generally a no-brainer.
Animation is a great tool to illustrate how a product, service, or organization works. If your video incorporates an animated segment, the production company will scout out an animation artist or studio that can best represent your brand. Similarly, a virtual effects artist (VFX) is chosen based on the content of the video and will be hired to incorporate digital effects into your video as needed.
Check out this animated segment featured in the ad we shot for Wyndly Health
The process of outsourcing these particular positions usually consists of reviewing portfolios and obtaining samples to make sure they’re the right for the job. While editing, animation, and virtual effects are completed in the post-production stage of video production, the professionals that will handle this work are scouted and hired during the pre-production stage.
Set, Props, & Costume
Set props and costume from “Glitter & Gold” music video shot by Noble Bison Productions.
The set, props, and costume needed for your video shoot will be outlined in the project proposal. The pre-production stage is when all of these elements will be carefully selected and prepared for shoot day. In the production crew above, we listed production designers. This department oversees the overall aesthetic of the shoot. They control the visual elements, ensuring the lighting, costumes, and props of the shoot come together in one cohesive visual concept. Sometimes props and costumes are simple pieces that you have on hand or can be easily purchased, but depending on how creative or extravagant the storyline is, they may need to be specially designed and constructed.
The Shoot Schedule
Once every detail of the production has been orchestrated, the video production company will put together a call sheet and shot list for each production day. The call sheet outlines shoot day details, like the weather, location info, crew info/contacts, notes for parking, the closest hospital, and other important notes. The shot list is a complete schedule for the shoot day. It details the day from start to finish by breaking down the length of time for each shot, its preparations, as well as breaks.
With so many moving pieces, creating these schedules are super important for the shoot day(s) to run smoothly. Finally, a detailed email with the call sheet and the shot list will be sent to the crew, talent, and client about a week from the scheduled shoot day(s). This brings us to the end of the pre-production stage. It’s time to shoot your video!
Final Notes
Once the contract is signed, the client is often responsible for paying an agreed percentage of the overall project, usually 50%. In part, this is because of all the above resources it takes to prepare for the actual production. Another important note is that clients are generally responsible for kill fees if they decide to pull out of the project close to the production date. Many professionals are being hired during this pre-production stage and their time is valuable. Blocking out their schedule for those scheduled production days could mean they lose out on other work. Therefore, they may charge half of their daily rate (or more) as a kill fee. To avoid this type of fiasco, take a careful look at your contract and make sure you’re ready to commit to the project prior to signing.
To conclude, it’s easy to see the value of hiring a video production company when you look at all the work that goes on behind the scenes of pre-production. Keep in mind also that this is just one step of the video production process. Production teams put everything into the videos they create because they want your final product to stand out. They take pride in their work because most of them are extremely passionate about the film industry.
If you’re looking for a quality Denver video production company to work with, we’d love to hear from you. Click the button below to get a free quote on your dream project:
NOBLE BISON PRODUCTIONS
A DENVER VIDEO PRODUCTION COMPANY
BROADCAST COMMERCIALS - MUSIC VIDEOS - FILMS - BRAND VIDEOS - PRODUCT/SERVICE DEMOS - CORPORATE VIDEOS - WEBSITE/SOCIAL VIDEOS
Jeff Riley, co-owner & DP of Noble Bison Productions
Noble Bison Productions Blog
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