The Pre-Production Process
What's it all About?
Once you've decided on your concept, your video production company will shift into high gear. If your project is animated, the pre-production process might involve detailed storyboards, character designs, and voice-over approvals.
For live action shoots, pre-production involves all the nitty-gritty coordination details that go into a smooth day on set.
An Exhaustive Pre-Production Process Saves Time and Money
Exactly what goes into pre-production will vary greatly from project to project, but by and large, preproduction is the time to get all your ducks in a row before mistakes start costing a lot of time and money.
No matter what your project involves, pre-production is a critical phase. As with any project, good planning is very often the difference between a perfect production, and an unmitigated disaster.
When choosing your video production company, its in your best interest to make sure they have an exhaustive pre-production process. With proper planning, and a little feedback from you, your video production company should have no problems once production starts.
What to Expect from Your Video Production Company in Pre-Production
- A cadre of decisions for you to approve: Shoot dates, talent, voice-over, location, and wardrobe are just a few of the critical decision points in preparing for a shoot.
- A detailed plan for the project. Depending on the specifics, this could take the form of storyboards, a shot list, a schedule, or all of the above.
- Responsiveness. This is a stressful time for a lot of clients. You're production partner should be able to answer questions and guide you through the process. If you don't feel at ease, your production company may not be approaching pre-production with enough rigor.
What Your Video Production Company Will Need from You
- Quick Responses. Pre-production involves coordinating a lot of moving parts on tight deadlines. In order to make sure you get what you need, it's important to make sure you're available to answer questions and give your video production company feedback on creative decisions.
- A single point of contact. Having one decision maker helps approvals move quickly, and helps your video production company keep up good lines of communication during this critical planning stage.