How can video collaboration improve your production?

Equipment management: When choosing the right tools, you have to think about equipment. If you are renting or if you have your own inventory of gear, you have to make sure the right equipment will be in the right hands at the right time. Having a good system for checking availability, status, booking equipment and automating reminders is key. Before leaving for a shoot on location, make sure the system can help you by simply scanning things and making sure you have everything you need for your shoot. A good system will make this collaboration very easy.

Global accessibility: Video collaboration allows you to work with team members, partners and VFX, video editors from around the world. This access to a diverse talent pool can bring fresh perspectives and ideas to your production.

It's easier than ever to collaborate online with digitised storyboarding, production documents and edit reviews. I personally use a suite of tools that are all accessible by myself, the rest of the crew and even the client such as: - Milanote (Storyboarding) - Shotdeck + Eyecandy (shot reference) - Frame.io (reviewing and annotating footage and edits) - Vimeo Pro has really similar features for reviewing also, that are worth checking out if you're already using the platform to securely store private / unlisted edits.

One of the things that has revolutionized production since COVID has been the wider adoption of video conferencing tools in pre-production. Whereas before, most meetings took place in person, now we have the ability to collaborate more easily with clients and agencies all over the world. Collaborative online platforms like Google Slides combined with online conference tools like Zoom or Microsoft Teams have given us the ability to work with anyone, from anywhere. I can adjust a shot list for a shoot in France while on a train in Italy in communication with an Agency in Mexico. Technology is incredible!

Candidly, I believe that video collaboration is a game-changer for production. It's like having your creative team right there with you, even if they're miles away. We can share ideas visually, provide instant feedback, and ensure the final product is top-notch. Especially for remote teams, it's a lifesaver, making coordination a breeze. Trust me, it adds a creative spark and improves production efficiency. I've seen the results firsthand – it's a game-changer!

Never discount what your clients and talent can bring to the table as collaborators throughout the whole production process. Do not just wait for them to sign off on your ideas when you are tasked with telling their stories. They too are consumers and producers of many types of stories, especially experts for their own.

I have 5 points to focus on 1-Make sure everyone is well-lit 2-streamline the video conferencing experience with third-party integration 3-Provide crisp, clear audio in any situation 4-keep video conferencing equipment at peak performance 5-Boost productivity for remote workers

Real time communication: video collaboration allows real time to streamline the production process and team members can discuss ideas, provide feedback and make decisions without the need for physical meetings for video work being edited.

Now more than every you're expected to be more flexible. Even the role of videographer is an amalgamation of several roles. I think roles and responsibilities should always be evaluated on a project-by-project basis to fully understand what's required (usually dictated by budget / scale). There's a reason why there are so many bodies on set when shooting a high-budget movie, everyone has their place in the ecosystem and they're there to do their part as efficiently as possible.

Clearly defined roles are a crucial component to any successful film shoot! There must be a clear chain of command to ensure communication and proper collaboration all the way from the bottom to the top of the chain. On-set, the roles have been defined for over 100 years by this necessity of expedient communication and clear decision making. At the end of the day, the Director and Producer need to communicate with the Creative Director, Agency, Brand Manager, and by proxy, the Client, to ensure that every aspect of production is accounted for, agreed to, and approved by the decision makers in a timely, clear, and accountable fashion so that every individual component of every frame seen on screen is properly vetted.

One platform I've used is Monday.com in my studies of Advanced Diploma Screen & Media, Monday.com is a powerful and versatile work management platform that offers a variety of benefits to teams of all sizes, including visual clarity, collaboration, flexibility, automation, integrations, reporting, templates, and a help center. Teams can use Monday.com to improve their work in a variety of ways, such as planning and executing marketing campaigns, managing product roadmaps, tracking sales pipelines, tracking tickets, and managing customer interactions.

I found platforms like ClickUp, Frame.io, and Pixieset very easy and effective to use. ClickUp I found incredible from an organisational perspective. Keep all the messages about a particular project all in one spot. Frame.io is a video editing a collaboration tool I use all the time. If you aren't using this you should start. It allows clients (anyone with the link) to review a video and make comments/changes requests on the exact part of the video they are referring to. No lost messages, no misunderstandings. Plus it integrates into my editing software to speed up my workflow. Pixieset is great for sharing photography as people can quickly select their favourite images. You can then use the list in Adobe Lightroom Classic for editing.

Try to automate most of the communication. Have a system that, once you put the project up with everyone involved, people are getting notified by email, sms and even push notifications. Cheqroom is an amazing solution for this.

Communication is key in life, business and yes, filmmaking. Notion has been a bit of a game changer for us as it's very open and collaborative and you tend to be able to do all the things you're looking for in monday.com / asana etc. The issue is it's so customisable you might want one of the other platforms as to not confuse things or overdo it. Slack is an absolute saviour for general chat and updates and you can create separate channels in a workspace to divvy up coms.

I can't recommend something like Shotdeck enough to communicate with an internal team or client on what kind of shot / cinematography style you're going for, if you don't already have something similar to call upon in your portfolio.

Creative types often enjoy tackling many aspects of a project just to see how it feels to accomplish them. As enjoyable as this may be for a season, it isn’t always possible if you plan on scaling your business. Collaborating with others who are skilled in a complementary area becomes essential at some stage for the health and growth small business creatives want to achieve.

I recommend giving a bit of breathing room around publishing. If you've been in the thick of producing and editing video, you get further and further away from seeing the video how anyone else is going to see it. You'll never be able to experience it with fresh eyes like everyone else, but if you take your eyes off it for a while, you might gain a little of that and spot potential improvements etc.

Video collaboration is the act of involving other creatives in the production. Engaging other video creators is very important for resources, diverse creatives, more capable hands and skill set for quality production.

Doing things alone, will never be the best way! - focus on remote access - organize your project so others can easily work with - always work with people that disagree with you - keep focused on bringing new ideas

What helps me lately in collaboration with other people - understanding that everyone is different and someone's picture of what is good and bad is not always the same as mine. Therefore, instead of arguing and debating I just try to find some spot where we can collaborate without imposing each other's views and tastes.