Making Videos Doesn’t Need To Hurt

Videos are increasingly seen as a high value content asset for companies. It doesn’t hurt for a company to arm itself with an array of video content, but the process shouldn’t be a painful one either. Here’s how:

As the operations director with Click2view, I oversee the team of producers to ensure all projects are run effectively, with the right resources allocated for it. This requires constant inter-department communication with the sales people, the creative team and our post-production wizards.

People think that video production is a very painful process but it shouldn’t be. If there isn’t much budget and the timelines are tight things can often go wrong. When embarking upon a video project you need be decisive, communicate well and manage people’s expectations.

Bad communication is the main reason that some projects don’t always turn out as well as expected. It is very important to set a clear hierarchy so everyone knows who is in charge of what. You need to clearly define what it is that you want from your video.

Start with long wish list and gradually work it down methodically according to what is doable and what you actually need. Video is a very specialised form of communication, it is unique and should not be used for anything and everything. To begin with you need to ensure that your video is targeted and be sure what type of film you want.

Why do you want a video? Think carefully, what is the purpose of the film? Video is there to create interest in your brand, to pull in your audience and grab their attention. If they require more detailed information, that’s where you’re other assets and collaterals come into play. Don’t try to say everything in one film or it may end up part brochure, part instructional video, part interview and part brand video. It won’t work.

Fix your content before you fix your budget, not the other way around. Define your timeline around the production time required for your project. Otherwise, if your film doesn’t turn out well you have no one to blame but yourself.  How do you want this project to be run and what will the outcomes be? You need to manage your own expectations, your bosses’ expectations, and your client expectations (especially if you are an agency). Finally you need to manage the expectations of the content production agency, that’s us!

When everyone is on the same page and working as a team, the process can be smooth sailing and is not painful.