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What does it take to be a good Video Producer?

By January 22, 2016March 23rd, 2020Video Production Advice

An Overview of What The Role of Video Producer Entails

Whether you are producing your video marketing or corporate videos in house or outsourcing to an agency finding a good video producer is key. If you’re working solely internally then you’ll need to delegate the role to a colleague or maybe assume the role yourself. If you’re outsourcing you’ll need to know how to identify a good candidate or agency to handle your video production brief. To help you in this process here’s an overview of what a good video producer will bring to the table and some notes on what the role entails.

What a Good Producer Does

Essentially a video producer will anchor the whole project form brief and conception to realisation and delivery. They will have hands on knowledge of every part of the process. When this is done effectively it ensures that the key messages within the original brief are maintained and delivered in a way that accurately reflects the vision and desired target viewer.

There can be lots of elements within the overall video production that will all individually contribute (or detract from) the projects success. Each one of these elements—no matter how small—can massively impact the final video so the producer should be holding the reins at every step to maintain the cohesion of the project and the message delivered.

So here’s some key points to keep in mind whether your assuming the role of video producer yourself or looking for a good external video producer.

Be the Customer and the Brand

Getting under the skin of the targeted final viewer is really important at an early stage. It should help the producer make informed calls on style, direction and tone of the video, and also steer the creative. Producing a video that engages and connects is the ultimate goal so understanding what factors will achieve this connection from the outset are key.

Equally understanding the culture and values of the brand you are representing is another big element in many of the initial decisions that the video producer will need to take.

Video producer

Manage the Schedule

Your promotional video may only take a week to produce or it may take a year. Many projects require filming that is sometimes spread over weeks or months so having a foot on the timings from the outset is also very useful. A clear schedule should be produced showing pre-production (ie all the stuff that happens before filming takes place, shooting and post-production (editing etc). This schedule should be communicated to everyone involved in the project an updated often online paypal viagra.

Knowledge is Power

Having a good understanding of any—and all—of the elements within your project will do 2 very useful things:

Save You Time and Money

As a video producer I personally want to have a good technical and artistic grasp on everything from lighting to sound, animation to casting and scripting to mastering. One of the main reasons to do this is to accurately manage the costs. People can get very exited when producing video and knowing exactly what the right tools each step of the project are will prevent you from overspending.

Everyone likes to work with the latest kit and best toys. Ask a camera operator which camera they would suggest for a job and you can put good money on them advising a camera that sits in the higher end of the budget scale than the cheapest option!

A good producer will know what is the most suitable tool for all stages of the production from choice of camera to lighting spec. The cost saving that can be achieved here can be significant. Remember, higher spec kit wont always increase final viewer engagement.

Video producer

 Be Clear

Communication within a video production is critical. It falls to the video producer to ensure that this communication happens, that it is clear, and that it is communicated to everyone within the production. If your project is a large one then there will me many areas that require agreement and understanding on an ongoing basis whether this be agreeing scripts or storyboards, managing shoot logistics, or handling the post-production workflow.

Creating an effective communication channel from the start of any project is key.

Review the Costs at Every Stage

This is a no-brainer but again it’s easy to get carried away and lose sight of small items that can impact on final budgets. Your initial costs may include a few floating elements as occasionally there will be items within the production that can’t be nailed down at briefing stage. A good producer will ensure that the potential spread of these floating costs is clear so that top and bottom end budgets can be agreed. Revisiting the costs throughout the production process is also useful to ensure value is being delivered at every stage.

If you’re using an agency make sure you confirm that the costs provided are all inclusive and that items such as buy-out, multi format delivery and usage are included.

Step Back When Reviewing

Having a close eye on all elements of the production is not without its drawbacks. One of the most common problems a video producer faces is getting too close to the project and losing their creative judgment and objective appraisal.

Its important that the producer takes a step back from the production at regular intervals to provide a clearer overview of how the production is shaping up. Trying to do this “on the hoof” whilst the production is ongoing can be challenging so its wise to allow some time and space to periodically review the project.

At the end of the day the person who produces your promotional video or video marketing must perform the challenging feat of being both subject expert and end consumer while at the same time bringing a wealth of knowledge about the actual video production process.

It’s by no means a walk in the park but knowing what the role requires before you start production means you can select the right person for the role who will deliver video production that meets any brief perfectly.

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fortyfoursixteen films

fortyfoursixteen films has over 15 years experience producing high quality video content for leading brands and organisations throughout the UK. Headed up by lead producer Neil Waddington we aim to create innovative, inspiring and engaging video for a wide variety of digital delivery platforms.