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The four stage of video production
By Barbara A. Besteni
Staff Writer, the Video File Newsletter

Our purpose is to introduce you to the elements of video production --from idea to edited master. Whether you are producing a half-hour video yearbook, a 30 second commercial, a wedding teleproduction, or any other video project, these are the steps to follow for maximum results.
STAGE I: PRE-PRODUCTION
Pre-Production includes, but is not limited to, establishing audience need, developing a concept, establishing a program's objectives and approach (treatment), writing a script, and hiring and meeting with your principal players and staff.
Since pre-production involves all aspects of planning your program before actual production, it's known as the "paper" stage of production. Your planning is done and problems are anticipated before assembling talent, equipment, and a full crew. It's much easier and less expensive to correct a problem on paper than it is during production itself. Despite your planning, problems may still occur. But pre-production allows you to anticipate them and find solutions beforehand. Then if problems do arise during production you can easily correct them.
The first step in pre-production is to determine whether or not a market exists for your program. Although not apparent, this criteria has to be met even with wedding videography or any other service or event-type video business. You have to determine whether or not a market exists for your business or program before committing time and money towards its development.
Next come development objectives and treatment of the program content. If a school hires you to produce their video yearbook, you must determine what purpose that video will serve in order to decide on the treatment of the subject matter. You'd consider the following: Will a traditional book-style yearbook sell in conjunction with the video, or will the video replace the written yearbook? If the video replaces the book, your approach will change drastically. Now instead of just highlighting events, you'll have to cover them in detail.
If the video will be a supplement to the written yearbook, will they be sold together or separately? How large is the student body? What is the median income of the average family who sends a child to this school? (Over pricing could influence sales.) What are the students themselves like? Will they prefer a lighthearted, humorous approach, or a straightforward, factual one?
Researching the answers to these questions could take weeks of your time. In fact, of all the stages of production, pre-production is usually the longest. But if done correctly, it will save you time in the long run. It's better to get answers in pre-production than to suffer the consequences afterwards with few sales to show for your work, or worse, a dissatisfied client who demands that you start all over again. Audience and client-based information must be gathered regardless of the length or complexity of your production. A production is successful only if the client is happy. So, know your client before you begin.
The next step in pre-production involves developing a script or outline to follow. Some videos demand detailed scripts while others seem to write themselves as you go along. Whatever approach you choose, it's always a good idea to have some kind of "road map" to guide you. Deciding what format you'll use to shoot your video should be your next concern. It's always best to stick with the same format throughout the entire production. Mixing and matching formats will create havoc (not to mention financial nightmares) during editing.
After choosing a format, you can then figure out how many cameras and operators you'll need. A small budget may mean you'll have to shoot "film style" with a single camera, while a higher budget allows you the luxury of a larger crew, mixing live and cutting down editing time and cost. It's up to you to give the client the options and let him decide what he wants to do. At times a client may balk at what appears to be a high price and sacrifice higher production values for the sake of saving a few dollars. It's your responsibility to show the client that saving money at the outset may actually cost more in the long run. For example, a client may think that paying a single camera operator would be a better option than paying a large multi-camera crew. However, it may take double or triple the amount of time and money to produce with a single camera than it would to produce with multiple cameras. If despite your advice and guidance the client insists on doing things his way, you have to respect his choices (after all, he's the one paying you to do the work), and be flexible enough to work within the imposed limitations.
The more complex a production, the longer pre-production will take. Never leave anything to chance. Think of everything beforehand and have at least three alternative plans in mind for every situation you anticipate. The last thing you need is Murphy's Law coming in to ruin everything at the last minute.)
Once you've answered all your pre-production questions and anticipated as many problems as possible, then you can gather your crew to begin the second stage of the process: Rehearsal.
STAGE II: REHEARSAL
How many times have you rushed into production without proper preparation and ended up wasting more time than it would have taken to simply rehearse before getting started? Whether you realize it or not, every production requires some kind of rehearsal, set-up, or pre-shoot preparation.
Ideally, you should rehearse every shot before recording. But we all know that in the wonderful world of video there's no such thing as the "ideal". So, what can you do to maximize rehearsal time when you really have no time to spare? The following is a tried and true method of getting the most out of rehearsals even when you have little, if any, time to spare.
First, gather all your key players for a formal script reading. Producer, director, talent, writers, technical staff, and anyone else whose input is valuable to the production should attend. (Plan on being there for a while so, don't forget to bring the donuts and coffee.) Script reading sessions help clarify the video's objectives. They allow the director and technical crew a chance to formulate a method for achieving those objectives with the equipment available to them.
And it's through understanding the complexity or simplicity of the script that the director can best determine not only how many cameras will be necessary, but where to place those cameras to secure the best possible shots and angles.
Your next step will be the walk-through. A walk-through is nothing more than a brief orientation to the set or location where the production will take place. Both technical crew and talent will require separate walk-throughs to understand their roles in the production.
The technical walk-through becomes extremely critical when you're shooting outside the confines of a studio. When using remote locations for your productions, the crew must be given time to familiarize themselves with the location and to set up the equipment for maximum performance and flexibility.
The talent walk-through helps the actors and performers to get comfortable with the set and understand the conditions under which they'll be working. This is extremely important when using amateurs or people not accustomed to working in the medium.
Video production can be very intimidating for the unseasoned. The lights, the cameras, (the "Action"), the cables, and the controlled chaos of the set can turn even the most eloquent speaker into a babbling idiot. Corporate video speakers can be the most challenging and amusing clients you'll ever work with. For the most part, they're used to public speaking and sales presentations in front of large audiences. They usually approach video with a "How hard can this be?" attitude. Twenty five takes and countless applications of foundation make-up later, this "video virgin" finds that speaking to a live audience is child's play compared to speaking to that invisible audience behind the little red tally light.
You can save yourself a lot of aggravation by helping familiarize the talent with the set and the seemingly chaotic atmosphere of a production. If they experience camera phobia, suggest that they pretend they're speaking to their closest friend rather than an impersonal piece of machinery.
The final step is what's commonly known as the dress rehearsal. A dress rehearsal is a full run through of your production with the exception that the cameras won't be rolling. Or will they?
Some of the best footage we've ever shot was during what everyone thought was a dress rehearsal but ended up being part of the final production. When the pressure is off, everyone (especially the video virgins) seems to perform better. Pretend it's a dry run, put black vinyl tape over the tally light, and see how many award winning performances you get. Sometimes the footage you shoot during dress rehearsals can serve as insert shots in your final edited master.
One final note about rehearsals. You may be wondering how you could possibly rehearse for weddings, parties, and other "spontaneous" event type productions. Well, it is possible. Communication with the client, familiarizing yourself with the location in which you'll be shooting, and attending any rehearsals scheduled for the actual event (e.g. wedding rehearsal), are the best ways to prepare yourself for these productions. The key to rehearsal is not necessarily in setting up your equipment, but in mentally anticipating and visualizing your shots before the cameras start to roll.
STAGE III: THE SHOOT
Of all the stages of video production, the shooting stage should be the fastest and easiest. Traditionally, this stage has gotten the most attention, and it's the one most amateur producers jump into without any forethought. Let's face it, it's the most fun.
If pre-production and rehearsal are done correctly, shooting should be quick and painless. To paraphrase Alfred Hitchcock, shooting is the anticlimax of production. Once you've planned and rehearsed your shots, shooting is merely a formality to capture the images on videotape. You must, however, pay attention to certain details to insure the successful completion of your program in post- production. If you shoot incorrectly, no amount of editing will salvage your production. We'll get into the details of editing in the next stage, but for now here are a few basic rules to help maximize your shooting time.
First, determine which videotaping mode you will use to shoot your production. You have three from which to choose.
1- SINGLE CAMERA / FILM STYLE
This method is borrowed from the early days of feature films where one camera shot all the footage from every angle imaginable. Scenes had to be done over and over again to allow the camera operator to reposition the camera to capture the different angles.
The best takes were then assembled during editing and made to look as if they were shot with multiple cameras. This method, although very popular, is also the most time consuming. You have the ability to shoot out of sequence, but you must pay particular attention to visual continuity. More about this later.
2- MULTI-CAMERA STYLE
This method, while increasing the amount of tape with which you'll have to edit, will decrease the amount of time you spend in the shooting stage. Multi-camera style is very similar to film style except that multiple cameras eliminate the need for multiple takes of the same scene. You simply position each camera at a different angle, and shoot the scene once. (In reality you may still need multiple takes to get a scene right, but once it's done correctly you'll have every angle covered simultaneously. With film style, once a scene is done right, you have to change camera angles and start all over again.)
3- MULTI-CAMERA STYLE / LIVE
Here you'll use the same techniques as the straight multi-camera approach but instead of each camera feeding to a separate videotape, all cameras are edited live through the use of a switcher or mixer feeding to a single VTR. This, by far, is the method that requires the least amount of editing.
Once you've determined which approach you will use, the following steps will facilitate the rest of the process.
A- DON'T BE AFRAID TO DEVIATE FROM YOUR PRE-PRODUCTION PLANS
If you get a good idea during the shoot, go with it. Nothing is etched in stone until the project is completed. Don't stifle a creative idea simply because you hadn't planned on doing things that way. Take advantage of every opportunity that will enhance your program. And don't forget to use input from other members of your production team while shooting. The best producers and directors are those who listen to other ideas.
B- VARIETY! VARIETY! VARIETY!
Nothing is more boring to a viewer than seeing the same shots, the same angles, and the same scenes used over and over again. Vary the length of your shots. Shoot from different angles. Shoot scenes in close-up, medium shot, and long shot. Vary the direction of your pans, tilts, and zooms. Give the editor choices. You never know how a shot will be used during editing, so shoot each scene in as many different ways as possible.
C- DON'T FORGET THE CUTAWAYS
Cutaways are the lifeblood of any program. Without them, videos would be full of jump cuts and continuity flaws. Cutaways are neutral shots that are used as transitions by the videotape editor whenever he/she has to cover up a mistake or jump cut. It's very frustrating to need a cutaway and not have one available. So, shoot anything you think an editor will be able to use as a cutaway. Any neutral shot is a potential cutaway.
4- WATCH FOR CONTINUITY
This is especially critical when shooting single camera/film style. Every time you reposition your camera to shoot a scene from a different angle, people and objects in your scene must remain in the exact position they were in before the camera was moved. Otherwise when you intercut these scenes during editing, even a slight variation in position will appear awkward. Also watch for things like variations in hair, eyeglasses (are they on or off?), pens in breast pockets, etc. Make sure these remain consistent during camera angle changes.
5- SHOOT MORE FOOTAGE THAN YOU THINK YOU'LL NEED
It's always better to have too much footage from which to choose than to need a shot and not have it available. Yes, it's possible to re-shoot once you've begun editing. But why bother when you can save time by shooting extra footage the first time around. It's not unreasonable to shoot fifteen minutes of raw footage for every minute of edited footage. In broadcast circles this ratio can increase to thirty minutes of raw footage per minute of edited footage.
By following the preceding steps, you should soon be ready for the next stage of the production process.
STAGE IV: POST-PRODUCTION / EDITING
I'll begin my discussion of the final stage of video production by telling you what video editing is NOT.
Video editing is not the arbitrary placement of shots onto a videotape, any more than Michelangelo's painting of the Sistine Chapel was the result of an explosion at a paint factory. As editors we are, in a sense, artists. Videotape is our canvas. And when creating our masterpieces, we must plan and pay attention to every detail that affects our productions.
Most novice editors equate editing with the technical ability to operate the controller, the decks, the effects generators, computers, and all the gadgetry that makes up an editing console. But that's only a small part of it.
THE MAIN PURPOSE OF VIDEOTAPE EDITING IS TO TELL A STORY THE VIEWER CAN FOLLOW AND UNDERSTAND.
If we fail to meet this basic requirement, no amount of high tech equipment or fancy special effects will salvage a video. Here are some tips to facilitate the editing process and help you meet your production objectives.
First of all, establish an outline for your edited master. Every story has a beginning, a middle, and an ending. Productions are no exception. All that great footage you shot will mean nothing if the viewer can't follow the story line.
Decide what it is you want to tell the viewer. Then create an outline that will help you to visually guide the viewer through your story.
The second rule of good editing is to leave out footage that doesn't fit in with the story line. If a shot doesn't enhance the production, leave it out. Consequently, a lot of good footage ends up on the "editing room floor". This takes a lot of discipline but will improve your productions tremendously.
Rule number three: THOU SHALL NOT DAZZLE THE VIEWER WITH UNNECESSARY SPECIAL EFFECTS. Effects are great to enhance a production. But too many editors are guilty of adding effects just because they have them. Or worse, they use them to cover up poorly shot footage. Effects can't salvage a bad production. On the other hand, they can detract from a good production by taking the viewer's attention away from the story line. Have you ever been so intrigued by a commercial with special effects that you didn't notice what product was being advertised? Beware of using effects that draw the viewer's attention away from what you're trying to tell them.
Fourth on our list is continuity. Continuity insures that events and scenes flow in a manner that makes sense to the viewer. For example, if your subject is wearing glasses in one shot and you cut to a shot of him with his glasses off, you've broken continuity. To avoid continuity flaws, insert a cutaway between shots to establish that the subject has had enough time to remove his glasses and that they haven't simply vanished from his face.
Of all the stages of production, editing can be the most fun and the most satisfying. It's here that you can finally enjoy the fruits of your labor. And if you've done your homework in the other three stages, your creativity is sure to shine in this final stage.

For more information on Video Production and articles like this one, visit the Video File Web site at http://www.videofile.com, or e-mail info@videofile.com for information.