What Is Video Production?
Video production is the process used to produce content for digital videos. There are typically three distinct phases of the process: pre-production, production, and post-production.
Today’s video production evolved from filmmaking, which first began in the late 1800s with the invention of the first video cameras. While early films could only capture black-and-white silent footage, “The Jazz Singer” — released in the 1920s — was the first film to include sound. In the 1930s, color film gained popularity, and the first television commercial was created around 1940. This event changed video production forever, shifting the focus from entertainment (in the form of television and movies) to also include advertising.
Since then, video production has continued to change. After YouTube was created in 2005, video became even more prevalent as it began being used for streaming from computers and smartphones. The introduction and rapid growth of video-based social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok have continued to make video a priority for both personal use and brand marketing.
As social media has become increasingly commonplace, video production has become more important than ever for companies looking to establish an effective marketing strategy. More than 250 million hours of video are watched every day on YouTube, and users spend 88% more time on a website with video, showcasing unbeatable engagement from well-crafted video content.
To stay relevant in the current landscape, marketers must include video content in their overarching strategy to see results. Fifty-two percent% of marketers say that video content provides the highest ROI, and 73% of B2B companies say video content has a positive impact on their marketing efforts. While video marketing used to be only a small part of a larger brand marketing strategy, it has grown to be an integral part of promoting brands and products across channels. From stand-alone video posts on TikTok to videos embedded in website pages and marketing emails, it’s a must-have component of any holistic marketing strategy.
- Video production: Video production is the process used to produce video content. Typically, it consists of three phases: pre-production, production, and post-production.
- Marketing videos: Marketing videos are a specific type of video used to promote a service, product, or company. These videos are often used across many different digital marketing channels including email marketing, paid and organic social media, and websites.
- Video production company: Video production companies are organizations that specialize in the video production process. They are hired by other companies to create videos promoting their service, product, or company.
- Video production services: From pre-production planning to capturing footage to video editing, video production services vary across the production process. Video production companies often offer all of these services depending on their clients’ needs.
- Video production technology: Specialized equipment and software are required throughout the video production process. From camera gear to editing tools, video production technology is required at every stage of the production process.
- Video production plan: A video production plan is a detailed set of steps and requirements for pre-production, production, and post-production. This plan ensures that the production stays on timeline, on budget, and meets all of the requirements.
- Types of video production: There are many different types of videos, which means there are also many types of video production. Promotional videos, corporate videos, animations, documentaries, and brand videos all require different approaches to production.
- Short video production: Short-form video requires a different strategy than longer-form videos. Short videos must be shot and edited to maximize the available time and convey the proper message.
- Video design: Video design is a specialty within the performing arts. Similar to production design, video designers use light, graphics, and sound to help tell a story.
- Videographer: Videographers work in video production, helping to produce, shoot, and edit video footage. They are also typically involved in the post-production process.
Steps of the Video Production Process
Now that you know the three phases of the video production process (pre-production, production, and post-production), let’s dive deeper into each.
Pre-Production
The pre-production phase builds the foundation for a successful video. It includes research, planning, and organizing everything that will be needed during the production phase. Not only does pre-production include project management steps like setting the strategy, aligning on goals, and establishing budgets and timelines, it also requires more creative pursuits like script writing, casting, and set design.
Production
The production phase is when the actual video footage is shot. During this phase, videographers capture the raw footage that will be used in post-production.
In addition to shooting footage, the production stage requires setting up the set, sound design, lighting, and video equipment — and breaking it down once the shoot has wrapped. If voiceovers are required, they are also recorded at this stage.
Post-Production
After the footage has been captured, the post-production phase begins. During this stage, the producer and editor work together to review all of the footage, organize it, and begin to cut it down to create the final video.
The video editor will plan and organize the footage, editing together all of the pieces that best tell the story to meet the original brief. They will also include sound, voiceovers, motion graphics, and any animation required.
Post-production is also when the video is reviewed by the client and any edits are made. Once the video has gone through any necessary rounds of revision, it’s delivered in the correct sizes and formats for use.
Following these three stages of the video production process is important to ensure the final video meets everyone’s standards and expectations. It helps to ensure that the video timeline is maintained, there are fewer revisions, and that the video can be used for the intended purpose upon delivery.
- Video production process: The video production process is the three-step system used by most videographers, producers, and video production companies. Consisting of pre-production, production, and post-production, it helps to ensure that video production is more streamlined from start to finish.
- Video production timeline: This timeline outlines all of the steps at each stage of the production process and how long they should take. This helps to keep productions on budget and allows them to deliver final videos on time.
- Pre-production: Pre-production is the first stage of the video production process, and it typically includes tasks like budget discussions, location scouting, and casting.
- Production: Production is the second stage of the video production process during which the video footage is captured, along with other elements like B-roll and voiceovers.
- Post-production: Post-production is the third and final stage of the video production process. During this phase, the footage is edited together, music is selected, and any animations, graphics, and other elements are added before the video is finalized.
- A-roll: A-roll is a type of video footage that’s used to create a video. It’s the main footage that features key characters, interviewees, and main moments in the plot that drive storytelling.
- B-roll: Like A-roll, B-roll is a type of video footage. B-roll, however, is additional footage that supplements and supports the main footage.
- Storyboard: Storyboards are a series of illustrations or photos that represent each shot of your video. They also include the script, showcasing what is being said in each shot.
- Color grading: Color grading is a step in the post-production process that allows the footage to be colored to create a certain tone or mood.
- Special effects (SFX): Special effects are techniques like prosthetics, makeup, and pyrotechnics used on-set while shooting a video production. They are meant to simulate the events of the film — like fantastical environments or creatures — but are done so using illusions.
How Video Production Impacts Your Marketing Success
While video production is often used purely for entertainment purposes, it’s also an important piece of any business’s marketing strategy. Video marketing is a proven tool that helps businesses across industries improve audience engagement, increase brand awareness, and drive revenue.
Nowadays, “marketing” goes beyond print ads and direct mail. To remain competitive, companies must include multimedia content in their marketing materials, from webpages to social media to email marketing.
In 2022, audiences spent an average of 19 hours a week watching videos online, and videos have quickly become the second most popular type of content on social media. Video helps improve SEO and customer acquisition and helps generate leads, making video production an effective and smart investment.
Before beginning any commercial video production, companies should create a holistic video marketing strategy that ladders up to the larger marketing strategy. First, you must determine all goals and objectives for your video content. From there, you can decide which platforms will help you achieve those goals, whether it be social media or other digital outlets.
Once you know where you will use the videos, you must select the type of videos you will create and plan the video production using the traditional three-step video production process.
After the videos have been created, you can start to leverage them throughout marketing assets. Once posted, be sure to regularly assess performance. Establish which KPIs, or key performance indicators, are relevant for your business and evaluate the analytics regularly to determine which videos resonate with your audience most.
Use statistics like dwell time, click-through rates, and conversion rates to understand which content is performing best. These metrics will help you best measure success, allowing you to determine which types of video content to continue creating in the future. This not only allows you to optimize your budget and increase ROI but also helps create a more engaged audience.
- Video marketing: Video marketing is the practice of using video content to market a product, business, or service. It is typically a smaller part of a larger marketing strategy.
- Video production marketing strategy: A video production marketing strategy is a detailed plan designed by marketing experts in order to promote a business, brand, or product using video.
- Video ROI: The ROI, or return on your investment, of your video content measures how much money is earned through video content versus the amount that was invested in making the content.
- Dwell time: Dwell time is a metric that measures how much time a user spends on a page or document after finding the link on a search engine results page, or SERP.
- Traffic: Web traffic measures how many users visit a particular webpage. Most analytics tools measure the number of new and returning visitors.
- Click-through rate (CTR): The click-through rate measures how many users click on a particular ad or link. To determine the CTR, you can divide the number of clicks by the total number of views.
- Video conversion rate: A video conversion rate is the number of conversions per video interaction, shown as a percentage. It’s usually calculated by dividing the video’s number of conversions by the number of total video interactions.
- Brand awareness: Brand awareness determines how familiar an audience is with your product, service, or business. Increasing brand awareness helps improve recognition and drive your audience into the sales funnel.
- Long-form video: Long-form video content is any video that is over 10 minutes in length. Long-form content can include things like films, interviews, and webinars.
- Short-form video: Short-form video content is any video content that’s under 10 minutes in length. Short-form content can include social media posts like Reels and TikToks, how-to videos, or promotional materials.
Types of Videos to Consider Producing
Depending on your company, industry, and audience, many different types of video content may help you achieve your marketing goals and grow your business.
Promotional Videos
Promotional videos, also known as promos, are designed to help increase awareness of a product, service, or event. They are commonly used to promote upcoming product launches, events like sales or holidays, and new and exciting offers.
Brand Videos
Unlike promo videos, brand videos drive brand awareness. These short videos communicate a company’s mission, vision, and values to the target audience in a compelling and interesting way. Not only do these videos help capture the attention of new potential customers, but they can also help increase brand loyalty among existing customers.
Product Videos & Demos
Product videos are designed to showcase a particular product. Whether a physical item or software product, the videos highlight the unique selling points and benefits. They show how it works, walk viewers through all of the features, and serve as an engaging and entertaining way to make a product really shine.
Explainer Videos
Explainer videos are designed to be educational. These short-form videos can help educate the audience on a particular topic, event, or product. While explainer videos are often used to market products, they can also be used in more tactical ways, like training videos.
For all video types, you can approach the production in a few different ways. Videos can be created using animation and graphics, or with live action, using actors, interviewees, or employees. Videos can also be any combination of the two.
No matter which approach you choose, be sure to keep your target audience and brand pillars in mind. This will help not only to ensure that the final video meets your marketing objectives, but that it looks and feels on-brand.
- Brand video: A brand video helps drive brand awareness among the target audience by showcasing a company’s vision, mission, and values.
- Corporate video production: Unlike film and movie production, corporate video production is a type of video production specifically conducted for corporations, businesses, and organizations.
- Event video production: Event video production captures video footage of live events. Often, the footage is live-streamed or used after the fact to promote the event.
- B2B video marketing: This type of video marketing is used to create video content promoting B2B businesses.
- Promotional video production: Promotional video production is the practice of capturing footage and editing video content designed to promote an event, product, or business.
- Creative video production: Creative video content requires a script, storyboard, and creative editing. Unlike documentary or live event footage, creative video production is an artistic blend of video, music, and storytelling.
- Marketing video production: This is the production of any video footage used for marketing purposes, including promo, brand, and product videos.
- Social media video production: Social media videos are typically much shorter than other formats. As a result, they require a specific approach to production to help businesses increase engagement on social media platforms.
- Training video production: This type of video production refers to the creation of videos for training purposes. These videos are often a mix of live-action footage, graphics, and animations.
- Product video production: Product video production is the practice of capturing video footage or creating animations that showcase a single product or service.
Expert-Level Video Production Tips & Tricks
Creating masterful videos requires a lot of time, effort, and planning. Be sure to set yourself up for success from day one with these expert tips and tricks that will help take your video production to the next level:
Always Plan Ahead
While the best films may look effortless, countless hours of planning were likely done before filming. Creating detailed scripts and storyboards and thinking through casting, wardrobe, and sound design in advance will all help to ensure that your video looks professional and polished when it comes time to edit.
Choose Your Location Wisely
When shooting, the location is just as important as the script, actors, and equipment. Before filming, scout the location to ensure that it visually meets your needs — but also check for things like excessive background noise and lighting that could pose problems on shoot day.
Prioritize Soft Light
The quality of light makes a huge difference in your video footage. While shooting, aim for soft, natural sunlight. Direct light can make your video feel harsh but diffused early morning or late afternoon light instead creates a more flattering look.
Don’t Forget About Sound
Music and sound design is an amazing way to enhance your videos. Your music selection will help set the tone for the film and is an easy way to enhance the footage you’ve captured.
Whimsical and cheeky sound design is also a creative way to make social media content more engaging. Consider leveraging trending sounds on platforms like TikTok to help increase engagement.
Capture Multiple Angles
During the production phase, don’t forget to capture your scenes from multiple angles. Whether you are using actors, interviewing an expert, or gathering testimonials, it’s important to have a variety of shots to choose from. This helps keep the final video visually interesting to make it look more professional, dynamic, and engaging.
Keep Your Editing Simple
Sometimes, less is more. When editing your film, remove any unnecessary shots, minimize noticeable transitions, and keep things simple overall. This improves your video production and lets the footage really shine.
Use the Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is a design principle that helps photographers with composition. It can also be used in videography to create balance. Break your screen into three rows and three columns. You can then use this grid as a guideline when shooting a video. Be sure that objects of interest, like actors or interviewees, are positioned in the middle row.
Consider adopting these techniques in your video production process to upgrade the quality of your video content to create more engaging, dynamic, and entertaining content.
- Test shoot: A test shoot is a practice shoot conducted before filming, often to assess the merits and downsides of a particular location.
- Location scouting: This is the practice of finding a place to shoot your video footage. Location scouting requires assessing the scenery, sound, lighting, and overall aesthetic.
- Soft lighting: This type of lighting is free of harsh shadows. Outside, this is usually found around sunrise and sunset. In studio settings, soft lighting can be achieved using a large, diffused light source.
- Backdrop: Backdrops are placed behind subjects to create a particular background in video footage. They are usually made using large pieces of cloth and can be plain or painted to create a specific scene.
- Rule of thirds: This composition technique uses a 3-by-3 grid, making it simple to capture interesting, well-composed video footage or photographs.
- Focal point: The focal point is the place in which the camera lens focuses. This is the area where the image will be the sharpest.
- Autofocus: This camera feature ensures that your lens adjusts automatically to focus clearly on the main subject in the frame. With most cameras, you can turn this setting on and off as needed.
- Manual focus: Manual focus allows the camera operator to adjust the depth of field of the lens. This brings the image into focus if auto-focus is turned off.
- Gimbal stabilizer: This piece of camera equipment is a handheld support that removes shaky camera movements. Typically, it has three axes—pan, tilt, and roll—so you can easily capture different types of footage.
- Motion graphics: This type of video content is made by animating graphic design elements like text, UI animation, or infographics and logos.
Hiring a Video Production Company
While creating a high-quality video in-house is possible, hiring an experienced video production company makes the entire process easier. These companies are typically filled with seasoned industry experts who have created dozens of different videos, from full-length films to 30-second social media clips. This makes them a powerful partner for your brand, allowing you to more effectively create high-quality video that engages your audience and helps you to achieve your marketing goals.
Besides their vast experience, there are a few specific reasons why hiring a video production company is the smart choice.
Access to Technology & Equipment
Professional-quality video production requires a lot of specialized cameras, lighting, audio, and editing equipment and software. While a company can purchase everything to produce a video in-house, it’s an incredibly expensive approach.
Instead, hiring a video production company allows you to not only have access to the experts themselves, but their entire arsenal of high-quality equipment that makes creating a high-definition, high-impact video much simpler.
Added Efficiency
Because video production companies have worked with clients to make hundreds or even thousands of videos, they have the art form down to a science. They have refined every stage of the production process to be as efficient as possible which will help to keep your project both on-time and on-budget.
Tap Into Their Freelance Network
Many video production companies work with a seasoned group of contractors and freelancers depending on their clients’ needs. From producers to photographers to editors, they can mix and match their team from this talented pool to curate the best possible group for any particular project.
While sourcing freelancers on your own is possible, it’s a time-consuming task that doesn’t always work out. Instead of wasting resources and time finding the right team, a video production company can have all of the right people assembled in a short period to get your project started as soon as possible.
The right video production team will bring this — and more — to the table to ensure that your final videos bring your vision to life and allow you to expand your video marketing efforts.
- In-house video production: This is the practice of shooting, editing, and producing video footage using an internal team (instead of hiring a third-party video production company).
- Production budget: This refers to the total amount of money set aside for the video production process. It includes all costs associated with pre-production, production, and post-production.
- Video marketing campaign: This is a type of advertising that uses video to promote a brand or product across different digital channels like social media, email marketing, and website landing pages.
- Marketing for nonprofits: This specialized type of marketing refers to the marketing tactics used to promote non-profit organizations. The goal of nonprofit marketing is similar to for-profit organizations; drive brand awareness, increase engagement, and drive contributions.
- Creative video agency: These businesses are those that specialize in creative video production. They handle all stages of the video production process and work with their clients to deliver video content that meets the outlined objectives.
- Videos with graphics: This refers to videos with motion graphics. These animated graphic elements, like text or logos, can help create more interesting and engaging content.
- Custom video production: Video production companies work with their clients to customize the production process, ensuring that every element is curated to meet the needs of their projects.
- Animated business video: Animated videos are made by making static objects and images move. Cartoons, CGI videos, and stop motion films, for example, are common animation techniques.
- Creative storytelling: Video production companies approach briefs from a creative perspective, telling the story in an unexpected and interesting way. This creative storytelling approach helps create a more visually interesting final video.
- Proof of concept: Proof of concept is the process of testing an idea to demonstrate its effectiveness. A pilot episode of a television series, for example, is a test to ensure that the audience enjoys the story before creating the entire season.
Simplify & Streamline Video Production with Charter & Co.
Video production is an important part of a successful marketing strategy. While video marketing can be time-consuming, expensive, and complicated to execute, it doesn’t have to be.
Bringing on the right video production company partner allows brands to outsource their needs — and receive professional, high-quality, engaging video content in return.
Charter & Co is a full-service video production company that helps bring brand stories to life through video. With a talented team and an extensive network of experienced freelancers, Charter & Co has partnered with over 60 brands across industries to help generate over $35 million in campaign revenue.
Learn more about the Charter & Co team today and get started on your next video marketing project today.
