Video is a crucial part of a marketing strategy (if we do say so ourselves!). But if you’ve never managed a video project before, or your requirements seem particularly challenging, it can be difficult to get the ball rolling.
Our Production Manager, Venetia, knows all about what it takes to get a great video project off the ground. She’s worked with loads of companies who need a video but just don’t know where to start.
We’ve been picking her brains so that you can find out a bit more about how this stuff works – and how you can make the most of your budget, however big or small it is.
Q: How much should a client know about their video project before they get in touch?
Venetia: The most important thing we need to know is ‘why?’ and ‘where?’. We can get a lot of info just from those two questions. If you want to celebrate your business’s 25th anniversary with a video and it’s going to be used on your website, we already know there is a strict deadline to meet, what size the video needs to be and how long it needs to be to hold the attention of your audience.
Alongside that, a loose guide on budget and an idea of key visuals will be enough for us to help you get started. You really don’t need to over plan or overthink the video before getting in touch. That’s what we’re there for!
Q: So, what would you say are the three key things to include in the initial enquiry?
Venetia: An idea of your budget (although if you’re not sure on this, we can offer you some guidance), timescale, including the availability of anyone who needs to be in it, and the number of deliverables you require. ‘Deliverables’ is what we call the number of videos you get. So you might just want one video, or you might want a central video and a lot of small ones for social media.
And I also think it’s really important to include some reference films – examples of what you do like, and what you don’t like. That helps to ensure we’re all clear on the style of video we’re trying to achieve.
Q: Talking of timescales, how long does it take to make a video?
Venetia: In an ideal world, we’d have 8-12 weeks from initial enquiry to you getting your final video. That’s usually broken down into 2-4 weeks of pre-production and 6-8 weeks for filming and postproduction.
That being said, if you have tighter timescales, we can always find ways to make the project work. We just have to make sure the brief is watertight.
Q: So how do you ensure a watertight brief?
Venetia: Our Ultimate Brief process aims to leave no room for mistakes. Our unique four step process helps us understand your goals, flesh out your requirements and ultimately, ensure we all have the same perspective and expectations. Operating as one team with you is how we ensure delivery of a hard-working video asset which far out-performs its original purpose and is used in ways you never imagined at the start!
Find out more about our Ultimate Brief process here.
Q: What else do you do to ensure projects are delivered on time, on budget and to brief?
Venetia: Communication is key! I love a good email with bullet-pointed questions for extra clarity – anywhere we can wrap a process round we try to just to make sure everyone is clear as we understand teams are big and people are busy.
Concise and direct answers are a great approach – we don’t faff around. So long as we know from the get-go the boundaries around time and money, we can work within your parameters. And if at any point we can’t, we’ll just tell you and work out a way of making it right.
Q: What do you need from a client to ensure on-time and to brief delivery?
Venetia: It’s really important that the client lines up all the people who will be providing feedback and sign off on the video. We give our clients an idea of when they can expect first drafts so they can ensure the right people are ready to offer their feedback quickly.
We know things might change throughout the process, and we can definitely accommodate this. But outlining everything you want and expect in the initial brief will ensure we don’t run over budget or deliver late. Last-minute add-ons to the edit, such as extra frames in an animation or voice over amends where we have to recommission the entire script, can throw the budget out. It’s best to try and incorporate as much of this in the original brief as possible.
So there you have it! Making a video for your business is one of the most exciting things you can do – and we’re here to help make it as easy and hassle-free as possible. That’s why we’ve created our Ultimate Brief – it’s the perfect tool for you to say exactly what you want to get out of the process, and for us to make sure we are planning to your budget and timescale. Then we can work together to create something brilliant!
Ready to give us a go? Check out our Ultimate Brief process and if you like what you see, we’ll be ready to guide you through the entire process.