The Stages of a Video Project & Avoiding the “Ripple Effect”

Video production projects typically pass through three phases: pre-production, production and post production. As a project progresses, certain creative decisions have bigger consequences than others. Having a well-defined scope of work at the beginning of a project is key for budgeting and for determining how long a project will take to produce. Part of my job as a producer is to let clients know as changes are suggested which will be easy to implement and which might result in a ripple effect that will change the scope of work. When it comes to budgets and timelines, no one likes surprises.

Pre-Production

Every great project starts with a great plan. During pre-production, I work with clients to discuss their goals, audience and budget expectations. We’ll also discuss where the video(s) will be shown and what deliverables will be needed. I’ll pitch creative ideas that are compatible with the client’s budget and timeline.

We’ll also determine the style of the project during this phase. For live-action filming, we’ll discuss exactly how interviews should be filmed (one camera vs. two, studio vs. on location) and how b-roll should be filmed (in slow motion vs. in real time). For animated projects, we’ll choose a style of animation. At the end of this phase, we’ll have a creative brief, a script and a production plan.

By the time we’re moving into production, we should have a really good idea of how many videos we’re producing and how long they’re going to be. We may end up getting such great footage during production that a client decides to make their video a bit longer or we may find that we have enough good stories to create short cut-downs for social media. Adding length to a video or adding deliverables can increase the versatility and value of the project, but it can also impact the time and budget needed for finishing. It’s smart to discuss what other uses there might be for the video(s) being created during pre-production.

You may have noticed that I listed “deliverables” as one of the first things I discuss with a client. Videos for events or broadcast television may have very strict guidelines to meet, and those guidelines might be quite different than what is required for the web. As one of my favorite editors always says, “Start from what you need to deliver and work backward.” How a piece will be used and what deliverables will be needed can impact an enormous number of creative decisions along the way, from what resolution and frame rate to work in to how stock footage is licensed.

Production

During production, skilled crew people and/or animators take center stage. Original footage is gathered by shooting video on location, in a studio or remotely. I work closely with clients to plan each day of filming with the goal of being as efficient as possible. Sometimes, a crucial interview subject will have a challenging schedule that we simply need to find a way to work with. As a producer, the more information I have while planning the more flexibility I can build into the schedule to deal with the unexpected and avoid overtime.

For animated video projects, style frames and/or storyboards are developed at this stage. Storyboards serve as a detailed plan of what’s going to happen in an animation from moment to moment. While creating storyboards, the designer is also creating the elements they’ll use to animate. Talk through any questions that arise during storyboarding and clarify the action you’ll want to see on screen to help prevent costly re-work during post-production.

Post-Production

As the story takes shape, clients receive “work-in-progress” cuts to review at regular intervals. Creative decisions will be made about music, graphics, and narration talent. If a piece is fast-paced and cut to music, changing the music late in the editing process will likely require the piece to be re-timed to match the beat of the new music.

Once “picture lock” is achieved and no additional editing or animation is required, final finishing will take place. This might include narration recording, sound design, mix or color correction. Changes to picture or the script made after “picture lock” may require revisiting certain final finishing steps and can impact the budget or delivery schedule. Once the final video is approved, deliverables (including accessibility features like captions) are created.

Changes or additions to the scope of work for a project can be unavoidable. Sometimes, they result in a better or more versatile finished product. Generally, the earlier you can let your production team know about a possible change to your project, the better. Understanding the stages of the video production process can help you understand how changes implemented at different points in the project might impact your budget or delivery schedule.

Sue O’Hora is a writer, producer and director with over 20 years of experience. She founded Rising Night Productions to streamline the video production process for busy communications professionals. She brings her extensive network of video experts and her skills in production, project management and digital marketing to each project. Her goal is to make video projects easier for organizations of all sizes.