Published: December 18, 2023
by Justin Difazzio
Making a video is a process, and it can be scary to put resources toward an end product you haven’t even seen yet. The whole experience can take 6-8 weeks (or more!) to complete, especially if you need us to film or animate. But we want to put your mind at ease as much as possible, so join us as we explore what to expect when you’re expecting a video.
Part 1: First Thing’s First
The first part of creating a video is arguably the most important. We refer to it as pre-production, an industry term for all the stuff that happens before a camera even gets powered on. We’ve always believed that going heavy on pre-production will save everyone time and money in the long run and help dodge common problems in video production.
Usually that involves us sitting down with you to see what you need in the most general sense, then working down into the specifics, looking at similar videos to see what you like and dislike. Is your video for a fundraiser? A promotional campaign? Once we know what sort of video you’re looking for, we can chat about your budget, your desires, and all the dreams you have for your new bundle of scenes.
If you are an existing client and have footage you need retooled into something new, that’s something we can get started on relatively quickly. Do you want brand new content or animation, or do we need to write you a script? That’s going to take longer, as the steps involved are more complicated.
The more time we have for pre-production, the better organized we’ll be, the better the production will go, and the easier the edits will be. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Once we’ve agreed on a contract, we can move to the next step.
Part 2: Once the Deal is Sealed
This is the part of the journey where the real work can begin. You’ve signed and returned your contract. We’ve explored expectations and put a schedule in place. And now we can collaborate on the bits that really matter.
Think of this as the active parts of pre-production. We’re no longer talking about it. We’re taking steps toward its development. If you need a script, here’s where we’ll start writing. We’ll scout locations if we need to—we’ve secured everything from sprawling farms to our own cozy studio with a white sweep. A shot list and/or storyboard is essential at this step so we can anticipate what needs your video will have and how to best meet them.
Every video needs good people in front of and behind the camera. Our crew is practiced at working together to capture every shot you might need. We also handle scouting for talent, getting just the right face and voice you were picturing.
Other things you may not have considered are taken care of here, too, including gathering assets for production, creating graphics, planning set decorations, and much more.
Once the concept is approved and all the pieces are in place, we can plan for your big day!
Part 3: As Your Video Develops
If you’ve opted for animation, this is when we start putting that together. During this time you can expect to be approving elements, scripts, graphics, and more, then we’ll work on the rough cut for you to review. There’s not much more involvement on your part until the draft is done, most likely.
If you need video, it’s shoot day! Our job on this day is twofold: make sure we get all the shots we need, and make sure everyone is comfortable and happy in front of and behind the camera. We bring our professionalism and experience AND snacks and drinks for the cast and crew.
This is also the time when set direction gets finalized and implemented, usually using a brand color or something that will be a subtle nod to your organization. And when we’re ready, we film all the scenes we’ve planned for, maybe more, just to make sure we have enough and don’t leave anything important out, and then we wrap the production and send everyone home.
Part 4: Approvals, Revisions, and Reshoots: Before Delivery
The time between when we shoot, or approve all elements for an animation, and when you can expect a first draft is typically about two weeks. Editing takes time, and we want our first draft to be as close to what you envisioned as possible before you see it.
When the initial editing is done, you’ll get to see the result and make suggestions of things you want edited. Depending on your review system and how fast you can get it back to us, this step could take days or weeks. The faster you’d like the video complete, the more diligent you’ll have to be about getting those comments back to us.
Then we do another round, editing based on your suggestions and giving you another look at it. This doesn’t continue forever, as we’ve all got a timeline to stick to, but eventually we come together on a final version. Based on that final version, we can make more iterations of your video at different lengths or aspect ratios for whatever you need.
Just know that all of this will add time to the schedule. We might be awesome, but we’re not superheroes. Yet. Until we acquire the power to control the flow of time, you can expect a finished video 3 – 6 weeks after our production window. We will send you the final files to download, and we usually keep a backup on our servers for a couple of years just in case.
While we might be done with the video, your life with your new media has just begun.
Part 5: After Your Video Is Delivered
So you’ve got a shiny new video to use and enjoy forever. Now what? The most pressing matter is deciding where you’re going to showcase your video. It’s time to revisit the purpose and see what might be best for showing it off. Whatever you intend to do with it, make sure it’s reaching your intended audience by tracking its performance.
Once it makes its mark on the world, what do you do with a video? We recommend hosting it on a video service, such as YouTube or Vimeo, so you can link to it when you need to in the future. And keep a backup somewhere, because the day may come when you want to use some of that footage in another project to save time and money in the long run. We’ll be here to help you out with that when you decide to remix a classic.
Still Curious About a Video?
While we can’t cover every single facet of video creation here, we hope this gives you a better picture of what your project with OC Creative will look like. If you’d like to talk specifics, we’d love to talk you through any questions or concerns you might have.
If you’d like to save this information for later, download the handy dandy PDF version.