Commissioning the video: Part 10

With the planning, documentation, finances and permissions in place, you’re ready to start filming.

Into production!

As we have seen, corporate video production is a big undertaking for both production company and client.  The best way to ensure a successful and effective film, is to put the work in prior to the film crew arriving on set.  From the financial planning through to the creative analysis, scripting and scheduling, all of this work will make life easier when it comes to getting the cameras out of the bag and most importantly, will ensure that the film is of a high quality and meets the objectives.

Short cuts, inadequate budgets, poor planning, unprofessional crews and equipment are all recipes for disaster and will result in a poor quality film that no one will want to sit through.

This ten part guide is by no means fully comprehensive and there are a whole host of techniques used within the film business not covered here.  There are plenty of books and publications with information on techniques to plan your video production project.  Remember that you already have an advantage by actually reading this and taking an interest in pre-production planning – some companies will call a camera person from the local phone book and ask him/her to come along straight away and start filming!

So, aim high and surround yourselves with professionals who know their business, and you could find yourself delivering an award winning production!

Good luck, and whether you’re involved in the production of a corporate video, television commercial, or whatever, enjoy your venture into the world of film.

James

Commissioning the video: Part 9

Out of all of the aspects of the video production process, being prepared for a film crew to arrive is one of the most important.

Access and preparation

The shooting schedule is designed to help preparation and organisation of the the personnel and equipment involved in a film shoot.  In corporate video production, however, it is also the responsibility of the client or company to facilitate access to the various locations and preparation for the arrival of the crew.  Despite the amounts of money spent on corporate video, it is amazing how many companies trip up at this stage.

Setting up lighting, sound and camera equipment, organising interviewees and running through a few rehearsals is a time consuming operation and needs to be scheduled carefully and facilitated by the client.  If things are rushed, or there is not good access to quiet, spacious filming areas, then the production quality will certainly suffer.

As an example, my crew and I arrived early at a company one day in anticipation to film a lot of material for a particular corporate production.   Previously, we had pre-production meetings and warned the company of the shoot and what we will require of them on the day.  However, at reception we are greeted with a blank stare and find that no one seems to be aware of the film shoot, areas have not been cleared for filming, and people are not particularly helpful.  The result of this is that the work falls behind schedule and we are not able to achieve the high level of quality we require.

Other times in pre-production, I have suggested to clients that a good time to film in a work area would be at night, or if that is not convenient, at say 6am before the staff arrive and the offices and factory areas become busy.  This enables us to control the environment, set up lighting, and have a quiet time when there is no noise or distractions for interviewees who are normally a little nervous.  Sensible enough?  The response from the company manager was that he practically went white with horror – contemplating working out of his 9-5 routine was clearly not something that fitted in with his life.  The result was that when we started to film at 9am, people were making a noise in the offices, there were many distractions, interviewees became anxious, we were not easily able to control the lighting.  This was reflected in the quality of the material and the performance of the interviewees.

This comes back to commitment.  Clients must commit to producing the film, not only in a financial and contractual sense, but also to prepare and facilitate access to good filming areas on the premises.  Film crews are used to working at all sorts of hours to get the result – they are often up preparing at 3 or 4am to get footage at the ‘golden hour’ when the light is soft and attractive.  You must be flexible and put the effort in to get a quality result.  Work with the production team and they will deliver a superb result that will perhaps improve productivity, morale, or maybe even win an award for your company!

At the other end of the scale, one company I worked with couldn’t do enough to help and offered superb access, were organised and prepared hours before our arrival.  The results showed in the final edit and the DVD is still being used for company promotions four years after filming.

So be prepared and then you can go into production with confidence, and this we will sum up in Part 10.

James

Commissioning the video: Part 8

Before going into production and getting the cameras out of the bag, we need to ensure we have authorisation to do so!

Permissions

Corporate video productions are usually straightforward terms of getting permissions to shoot on location as they are often on the company site, however, if the production strays into other areas, we must obtain authorisation.  The ‘location release’ form is a standard document used to gain authority from the owners of the land or premises to film.  It is vital that the form is completed by the authority, signed and dated.  This should then be archived safely with all of the other production documentation.

In public places, so long as there is limited disruption and a small crew, it is often possible to film without any prolonged negotiations or payments.  However, local authorities and councils have different procedures and it is of the utmost importance to check out the situation before filming anything.  Procedures vary considerably around the world and in some countries, if you have not done your homework and  obtained the correct permissions, you could find your equipment and tapes confiscated and you could even end up in a cell!

This is another advantage of employing a professional company to produce your corporate video, rather than trying to tackle it in-house.  An experienced production company will know all of the avenues to explore and have the correct procedures and documentation in place in order to carry out a shoot locally and abroad.  This is another reason why production fees can be expensive – the job is not just about a great script and photography – it also involves a great deal of administration and planning.

Another permission you need to obtain is from those who appear on the film.  A ‘model release’ needs to be signed and dated by all people that appear on the film to give interviews, carry out demonstrations, provide voice-over, etc.  It can sometimes seem tedious or even petty to go through this formality but although people may seem fine to appear on camera at the time of filming, you have to anticipate what happens if their attitude changes in the future.  They may for some personal or political reason become resentful of the company or film and decide that they no longer wish to appear.  This could be expensive and cause legal problems, so you must obtain consent via a ‘model release’ form.

You also need to be aware of filming in public places where people may be caught in the shot.  Generally, if the people are in a public area, in the background, and cannot be reconignised in the shot, then it should be fine.   However, this can vary depending on the locality and the context in whichthey are filmed.  A professional production company can research and advise on best practice.

While we’re on the legal side, it is vital that production companies are properly insured with public liability, professional indemnity and employers liability policies in place as a minimum.  For larger scale films, the whole project itself may need to be insured.

So, the legal side and permissions need to be sorted before going into production – all part of the work of a professional corporate video production company.  In Part 9, we’ll look at the important issue of access and other preparation to be undertaken before going into production.

James

Commissioning the video: Part 7

Busy people in the business world usually require the film produced with the minimum disruption and delivered by a particular deadline, so we need a method to plan the video production work.

The shooting schedule

The shooting schedule is a document that is derived from the script enabling us to break down the work scene by scene to produce a clear plan of how the work will be undertaken.  It is used extensively in feature film projects where you may have hundreds or even thousands of crew, extras, actors, and technicians, all of whom need to be scheduled to attend the filming at different times and locations.  However, in the corporate video world, it is also very useful to schedule production work into the busy lives of office or site workers with minimal disruption.

The shooting schedule is also closely linked to the finance side whereby it can be used to breakdown all of the crew, locations and equipment involved to form an estimate of the cost.  For this reason it is often in development in the early stages of a project.   For complex projects, I prefer to employ the services of an experienced ’line producer’ whose job it is to work on detailed budget and scheduling aspects.

Even if the project is quite modest in scale, it is vital to give some consideration to the shooting schedule as this can determine whether a project can be realistically undertaken in the time and budget available.  For example, the filming of scenes are ordered in the most logical and economical way, so that the crew is not continaully setting up and breaking down equipment and best use is made of the locations and available personnel.

In the corporate video world, the production company and line producer can work with the client’s management team to form a shooting schedule.  Like the script, it is wise to do this professionally, rather than for the client to ‘lead’ the production crew around the site with a hastily prepared schedule.  This may impact on the quality of the final film if personnel and locations are not scheduled in correctly.

As well as having the time and budget to carry out the shoot, you also need to have the authority to film and in Part 8, we will look at permissions.

James

Commissioning the video: Part 6

Producing a corporate video is a big commitment, not only for the client commissioning the project, but also for the production company involved.  Therefore it is important that something formal is put down in writing in the early stages.

The Agreement

The agreement is a vital part of the video production process and serves to outline what is expected from both the client and the production company.  The wording is usually straightforward and I normally use a proforma from an industry organisation such as the IVCA (www.ivca.org).  The agreement sets out the general scope of the requirement including such details as the project cost, payment schedule, copyright situation, production period, etc.  The good thing about having a written agreement is that it makes all parties aware of their responsibilities and ensures that proper thought has been given to all issues prior to getting stuck into script writing and camerawork!

The agreement can of course be adapted to each individual client’s needs and the proforma agreement can be used as a basis for development.  The good thing about the video production agreement is that it is there to protect both parties and to enforce a professional approach, so everyone can get on with the serious business of producing the film with confidence.

If clients do not wish to enter into an agreement, then this is a warning sign.  Sometimes, this can be as a result of an organisation’s existing processes which do not comply directly with the video production agreement.  For example, they may have a different method of purchasing products and services.  In this case there should be room for negotiation, or to adapt the document.  There is always a way to sort things out, even if a totally new form of contract needs to be drawn up.  Sometimes, a letter of agreement may suffice for small scale, straightforward projects.  However, clients and producers should be ready to turn away from any job if the other party is not willing to enter into a formal agreement of some sort.

The payment schedule set out in the agreement is also a very important area, as production companies invest a lot of money in the early stages in order to allocate time, hire equipment, develop scripts, attend meetings, etc.

In Part 7, we will look at timing and how video production work is scheduled.

James

Commissioning the video: Part 5

Words are fine, but when it comes to working out exactly what is going to happen on screen you sometimes need more.

Storyboarding

Video and film production involves a lot of writing, from the initial proposals through to the agreement, synopsis and shooting schedules, there is a great deal of documentation flying about.  As we have discussed, the script is a vital component, enabling us to define all of the scenes and clearly layout the structure of the film, but however many words we write, it is still inevitable that misunderstandings will occur as everyone has a different mental picture of how a particular scene may take shape.

This is where storyboarding can help.  In simple terms, storyboarding is a way of describing scenes within the script by way of a series of sketches.  The sketches may be professionally produced by an artist, or just rough diagrams hastily drawn by the director or other members of the production team.

In my experience, it is amazing how a simple sketch can aid understanding and clear the air.  Where previously there might have been a lot of head scratching and debate about a particular scene, once you commit the idea to a sketch, it suddenly ‘clicks’, others add their own scribbles and the scene is underway with much enthusiasm.

Too much wordy documentation can also confuse.  Where words may be ambiguous, a sketch has a more immediate impact and is less likely to confuse.

You can lay out a series of sketches on an A4 sheet for a scene and number them in sequence.  The sketches may describe something quite simple.  For example, a company director entering the factory floor and then addressing the camera near to a piece of machinery.  Although you may think that storyboarding for a such a simple scene would be overkill, there is great value in taking a few minutes to use the technique.  From which side of the factory does the company director enter?  Will it be a close or wide shot?  Will the camera be moving with her or static?  When she addresses the camera, will it be a full shot to include the machinery, or will we use a head and shoulders shot?   There are many other subtleties that could be expressed in a lengthy document, but can be quickly and easily expressed with a simple sketch or two.

So sharpen your pencils and start drawing!  In Part 6, we’re back to the documentation and will be looking at the all important Agreement.

James

Commissioning the video: Part 4

There is one element that links the most successful television commercials, feature films, documentaries and corporate videos, and that is a good script.

The script

Once we have established the need for a film and looked at the requirements, we can start to develop the script.  This is a document that can be used in production as an essential guideline to acquire all of the ‘assets’ that will be the building blocks of the film.  However, it is also a document used in post production (editing) as a guide to accurately capture the original vision as specified in the requirements stage.

It is a document that can contain some technical wording, such as camera moves for the director and crew, but the good thing is that it can easily be read and understood by anyone involved in the production of the film.

In the corporate world as other fields, the script is developed with all parties involved, the director, producer, client, finance directors, etc.  However, it is important that the actual document is formulated by an experienced script writer whose job it is to collate all of the various ideas and compose a structured document that will aid the director, crew and editor to produce a successful film.  The script will clearly illustrate the various scenes within the film and include references to dialogue, interviews, graphics and all other content in a manner that can be quickly understood whether it be on the film set or in the editing suite.

In the corporate video scenario, remember that the script writer will be formulating the script based on information supplied by the client, so it is important to provide the key points or issues that you would like to appear in the film.  Keep it simple and remember that the target audience will not want to trawl through endless facts and figures.  Think of the key messages you wish to convey, plus some interesting scenarios and ideas, present these to the script writer and director in the pre-production meetings and you will have a highly professional script in development.

The script is somewhat of a fluid document and even on-set, there are adjustments made as we perhaps adapt to changing circumstances – maybe the weather has changed and we re-schedule for an indoor shoot, or perhaps some breaking news has impacted your business, and one of the key messages is affected.  This is all part of the process and such changes are natural.  However, don’t be tempted to impose too much control over the development of a script by demanding significant changes at the last minute, or attempting to write the whole document yourself, unless you have extensive experience in the business.  A badly written script will result in a film that could send everyone to sleep!  Be disciplined and professional – let the experts take your detailed information and turn it into a winning script!

In Part 5, we will be looking at an excellent aid to visualising the scenes within the script, storyboarding.

James

Commissioning the video: Part 3

I’m often sat around the table at a meeting or pitch with potential clients and the conversation is usually very relaxed.  People are having a good time talking about the exciting, creative possibilities of producing a film.  However, one subject that can make even the coolest client choke on their coffee or sit bolt upright and wide-eyed, is the good old thorny issue of cost!

The budget

This aspect of video production is naturally at the forefront of people’s mind when they are assigned the task of commissioning a corporate film.  “How much will it cost?”, ”Can I have a quotation for a film? ”, “I do not have a large budget, but would like to produce a professional film”.

Many companies do not have the huge budgets available that are sometimes associated with the film business but are nevertheless looking to produce the most professional film they can afford.  However, the real answer to the question “How much will it cost?” is not an answer clients are always comfortable with, because the real answer to this is, “it depends”.  In business we are usually more comfortable with black and white scenarios that we can calculate and forecast accurately, however, in the creative industries, things are not always straightforward, as we will see.

The cost depends on the clients’ expectations in terms of the level of sophistication required.  Some companies are happy with a head-shot interview of the boss speaking for five minutes against the backdrop of a blank wall and a flower pot, for others, money is no object and demand the finest shots in exotic locations with superb animated graphics and branding, produced by the finest directors, cinematographers, and production designers in the business!

The sky really is the limit in the film business when it comes to money.  It can eat money – millions of dollars can easily be spent on feature film, corporate videos, and commercials.  So this is where you, as a the commissioner of a corporate video, have to get tough.  You must decide on a budget range for your production.  Calling hundreds of production companies for a quotation and selecting the lowest price is not a great strategy.  Their price may be low for a reason.  Perhaps they are using substandard crews or equipment.  They may not be qualified or insured to carry out the job, or perhaps they are more used to filming family and friends, rather than to the standards required by professional companies looking to get the edge.  This may not necessarily be the case across the board, but certainly worth thinking about!

My advice is to decide if you want to go the professional route and if so, think of the maximum budget you can sensibly afford.  Then approach a qualified, experienced video production company with this figure in mind.  If your budget is very modest, keep your feet on the ground and your expectations in line with the available budget.  This will give the director and production crew the chance to achieve a great result.

If you do not have an adequate budget, then my advice is to wait until you do.  There is no point in thinking that people will be impressed by a corporate film that looks second-rate.  Everyone is used to seeing high-end television commercials, feature films and documentaries on television that costs tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds or more to produce.  When you come to produce a film, remember that this is the standard that has been set and therefore, although you may not have the budget to reach the very highest standards in the film business, it still has to be very good.  You need to deliver a good quality film to impress your target audience.

Think about your expectations in terms of the level of sophistication of your film (in the business, what we call the production value).  Decide on a maximum budget that you can sensibly afford and then contact a professional and qualified production company with this in mind.

In Part 4, we will look at the script, the document that holds so much importance!

James

Commissioning the video: Part 2

So you’ve ascertained that you have a genuine need for a video, the next stage is to define the purpose of the film and what it will actually contain.  Remember, these are general guidelines and the stages will vary from project to project.

The requirement

I like to introduce this stage as a means to engage people in discussion about the intended target audience, the purpose and content of the proposed film in general terms.  I often attend pre-production meetings where the client has prepared all means of charts, lengthy documents, diagrams and previous video clips to try and convey what they require within the new film.  However, in all stages of the video production process, it is important to keep things simple.  Step back from the intricacies and politics of your business, put the paperwork and jargon aside for a moment, and discuss how you perceive the film, and who it may appeal to.

The technical side of scripting, storyboarding and filming is the job of the director and production company so the best approach is to provide a clear understanding of what you require in simple terms.  I prefer the face-to-face meeting whereby I can jot down a few notes and people can explain their creative ideas.  Usually after five or ten minutes I have the basis of the idea on paper and can begin to see a structure forming, the building blocks of the film.  Later, we can elaborate on these initial thoughts using techniques such as scripting and storyboarding which we will cover in later sections.

Warning bells can sometimes ring if clients trawl through endless documentation insisting that this will be the ’script’.  Script writing is a technical skill that should be carried out by an experienced professional.  It is the fundamental document that will determine the outcome and success of the film.  By all means develop notes to present to the director and script writer, but unless you are an experienced script writer with knowledge of the whole production process, leave it to the professionals!

Need convincing more, or think you’re an exception to the rule?  A badly written script is easy to spot – the resultant films end up looking about as professional and interesting as those bad home movies we all have to sit through from time to time!

So, even if you are consumed by the film, living and breathing every aspect of it, under pressure from the boss and a lot is at stake, step back from it all and think clearly and in simple terms about the overall requirement.  Convey this to an experienced director and production company, and your film will be a success.  Remember, some of the most successful feature films have the most simple plot lines!

The ‘requirement’ is also linked to the budget which we will be discussing in Part 3.

James

Commissioning the video: Part 1

Welcome to Part 1 of this series of 10 articles on commissioning corporate video productions.  The idea is to provide a no-nonsense guide to the process of creating a film for your business or organisation.  Please feel free to get involved with comments and questions.  So let’s get started:

The Need

So you have decided your company or organisation needs a corporate video for DVD and maybe your web site.  Or do you?  Have a think – do you really need a film?  What about brochures, presentations, a telephone call, a meeting or other forms of communication?  Video and film are just means of communicating messages – does the failure of other methods mean that you have resorted to film as a way of dealing with the problem?  It could be that a more simple method of communication will be more effective than embarking on the production of a corporate video.

This is not intended to turn you away from the exciting possibility of making a film for your organisation but rather, getting you to think about why you actually need the film and whether it will actually solve your problems or enhance productivity.  Many corporate films are produced, but in order for them to be effective and successful, you have to be very clear about why you are making the film in the first place and whether there is a genuine need when compared to other communication methods.  Producing high quality corporate video is an expensive business and so the right time to ask these questions is at the beginning of the process!

Ask yourself some questions:

1. Why video?  Would information flyers, presentations, or meetings be just as effective?

2. Do you have the money?  Video production is an expensive process when carried out by the professionals.  If you do not have an adequate budget, you may end up falling into the trap of cutting corners with a film that looks second-rate.  This could damage your company image.

3. Are you committed?  You must have a genuine drive to produce the film!  It will require your energy and commitment to produce a result that will command the respect of your target audience.

I hope that sets the scene.  In Part 2, we shall be looking at specifying the requirements for a video.

James