A Beginners Guide to Video Production – part one: Pre-Production

Many businesses try to avoid using videos in their marketing strategy, after all it can appear

confusing. What shall I make? How long does it have to be? What tools do I need? Video can be a

real asset to a business and once you’ve answered these questions, it doesn’t have to be as complex

as you think. A video will help draw traffic to your business, with 75% of internet users saying they

will visit your website after viewing your video.

Want to know more? Here’s our guide to creating an effective video for your business.

Know your Audience

Finding your audience is a vital part of knowing the type of video you’re going to create. If you are

trying to attract an audience from an external website, e.g. Facebook, you’re going to want to grab

the attention of your audience straight away.

Having viewers hooked within the first 10 seconds of your video is vital, as they are more likely to

watch the rest of the video and become interested in the subject. Whereas if you already captured

an audience, who are already invested in your brand, you can create a more informed longer video

for them as they will be more willing to sit through and watch this type of content.

USP (Unique Selling Point)

After finding your audience and knowing the type of content you want to create, you need to know

the USP of your brand/ product. Finding your USP will make creating the plot to your video easier as

well as having the knowledge of what sets you apart from your competitors, this is vital for grabbing

an audiences attention. Once your audience is interested, they’re more likely to invest their time in

finding more about you and your product.

Storyboard

Mapping out your video is the next stage to creating your marketing video. Planning beforehand will

make it easier for you when you come to filming the final piece. Creating a storyboard helps you to

determine exactly what you need to film. It will also help you to see how well the story flows and if

any changes need to be made to your plot. Afterwards, take a step back and try to look at it from a

viewers perspective, is there anything that needs changing, shortening or erasing from the plot

entirely.

Script & Shot list

Once you have an idea and a storyboard, you’ll know if your content contains dialogue, if so, create a

script. The script you create will vary depending on your video. You can create a script where the

dialogue is written out and needs to be followed word for word, however, this can sometimes cause

speech to be stiff and unnatural.

Another option is to have specific questions or prompts that can be mentioned by those behind the

camera, this way those performing are more relaxed and their speech natural. You can then tidy up

any interference or any prompts in editing afterwards. If you plan to have a voice over, it will be

helpful to have this scripted before filming.

The shot list will ensure you film everything you need on the day. Recording your film using various

different shots will be useful during the editing process as you have more to work with. Having a

shot list will also ensure you don’t forget to film anything on the day.