Explainer video production is one of the biggest trends in business today because of the power that videos hold over the market. In fact, the video market will comprise most of a business’s marketing budget. It can cost anywhere between $1,000 and $5,000 to film a high-quality video. Factors like reshoots, customization, and editing all play a factor in that wide cost range. Editing and equipment costs can’t be avoided, but their impact can be lessened. However, reshooting is expensive, and it absolutely can be avoided with proper planning.
This blog post is going to walk through many of the factors that go into video production and show brands how to stay in budget.
Why Videos Are So Effective for Brands
Videos always have a far more engagement than static images. Even though design ads with creative content holds the eyeballs, its nothing compared to a video ad. Videos not only are able to convey the brand messages well, but also have more conviction.
So, it’s a good idea to go into the process with a firm understanding of the different phases required to make professional explainer videos. Before we dive into the exact nature of those phases, here are some common tips that will get the business started on the right track.
- Planning is an essential part of video production and should not be taken lightly.
- Equipment can eat away an entire video production budget before filming even starts.
- Sometimes hiring an actor is preferable when presenting an idea or telling a story.
- Scripting services can have an impact on a video budget, but it’s also a necessary expense.
Corporate Video Production Process and How to Stay in Budget
Now it’s time to work into the details of how the overall video production process works. Most importantly, identifying key areas where brands can save money.
Stage 1: Determining Strategy and Objective
The overall goal of the video must be defined before anything else. This is an imperative step that can lead to expensive reshoots and unfocused videos if it’s not followed.
Video Marketing Strategy
Everything starts with this overall goal for video content. Brands must ensure that they are focused on a single strategy and that all other forms of marketing align with this ultimate strategy. Remember that even though this plan is for video production, it’s important to take all other forms of brand marketing into consideration when planning.
Decide on the Type of Content
Once brands understand their overall strategy, they can start working out what type of video content will work best to deliver their message. There are a lot of different types of content, and each one has its own strengths, so don’t take this decision lightly.
Set Brand Guidelines
Videos must compliment the brand guidelines that are already in place. Its creative tone will need to align with those guidelines and stay consistent. What is said and done in a video must stay true to these guidelines.
Stage 2: Video Pre-Production Strategy
Everything that happens before the record button is pressed on the camera is part of the pre-production stage. This includes writing scripts, deciding the creative approach, and storyboarding.
Decide on the Right Creative Approach
This is known in the creative world as the concept and will determine what decisions are made from this point forward. Brands should build on the insights they have on their target audience and then find a creative way to present the core message. There are three essential tips that will guarantee this is done the right way:
- Watch other videos in the same industry as inspiration.
- Ensure that videos are unique and stand out.
- Address one key concern from the target market per video.
Set a Budget
This could come before the concept, but in most cases, the concept is going to provide a rough estimate of the expenses associated with video production. The majority of a brand’s marketing budget will go toward video marketing, so keep that in mind.
Write the Best Script
The next step is to write the script. This step is so important, and it’s one that so many businesses get wrong. Definitely, budget for an expert here because scriptwriting is a highly specialized task. Subpar scripts can have a disastrous effect on video production.
Storyboarding
Once the script has been written, it’s time to create a storyboard that helps visualize the concept. This is the first opportunity that brands have to visually see their concept coming to life so, although storyboarding is considered by most experts to be optional, seeing a visual representation of the concept could reveal areas where revision is necessary. This could save in reshooting costs later.
Stage 3: Video Production
This stage is where the bulk of the work is done. The video will be filmed and produced during this stage. Furthermore, this is where the majority of the cost is endured through equipment, actors, and the labor involved in the actual filming. That’s why it’s so important to get this done the first time correctly. Reshoots are expensive and will eat away a budget faster than anything else.
Voice Overs
Depending on the type of video being created, it could have voice-overs. Animated video production wouldn’t require any actual filming. Instead, animation experts would piece together the visual content while a voice actor sits in a studio and voices the animation.
Shooting Footage
Live-action videos will require a whole crew, including cameramen, actors, sound experts, and a director. Entrepreneurs are advised to leave this in the hands of professionals. In fact, business owners should not even be on set unless they are planning to be in the video. Leave this stage up to the professionals who have been trained to do it.
Stage 4: Postproduction
Postproduction serves as the gatekeeper for high-quality video production. It addresses everything between the actual creation of the video and its distribution.
Video Editing
It’s essential that brands bring in a skilled video editor to handle this because, more often than not, editing is what makes or breaks a video. They will take hours’ worth of footage and piece together the perfect shots. Then the video is cut together according to the script and brought to life.
Graphics and Special Effects
Post-production is also the time when special effects are added to the video. For instance, scenes shot in front of a green screen will now have backgrounds added. If the video is an animation, this is where the voice-overs and animation are synced.
Stage 5: Video Promotion and Distribution
Even the best videos in the world have to be seen by an audience to be considered successful. That’s where distribution comes into play.
Setting up Analytics
All video metrics must be put into place so that its success can be tracked. Revisit all of those goals that were set in the initial stage and then use those to ensure that the video has the desired effect.
Video Distribution and Promotion
When deciding where to distribute videos, it’s important that a brand understands where its target market spends the most time. It’s important that the right people see the video. The good news is that videos are quite easy to optimize, so there are a lot of options here.
- Social media posts and paid marketing.
- Optimizing for search engines.
- Paying for ad space to showcase the video.
- Sending the video to key influencers in the brand’s industry.
Those are just four of the most obvious examples. There are way too many to review all of them in the scope of a single blog post.
How Professional Video Production Services Transform Videos into a Masterpiece
Marketing video production companies will have access to the skills and technology to breathe life into videos. One of the biggest mistakes that businesses make is trying to cut costs by not hiring a professional production service. Bringing in a professional comes with a range of benefits, including:
- Access to expertise and a unique skillset, saving time and providing high-quality video production.
- Skilled professionals understand the art of storytelling and how to put together videos in a way that tells a compelling story.
- They understand the latest video trends and ensure that videos meet the expectations of an audience.
Let Video Caddy Ensure that Your Videos Meet the Highest Standards!
Video Caddy (VCD) provides top-of-the-line video editing services by ensuring that your concepts align with the message being delivered. With a vast range of video editing services such as wedding video editing, storyboarding, and animation, VCD offers to help in animated video production, promotional video production, event video production, and more.
Contact VCD today to learn more about their professional video editing services and how they can bring your concept to life!
-Video Caddy
