Let me paint a scenario for you. It’s Monday morning. You’re excited to be at work today because you have an exciting new project to lead. You’ve been put in charge of creating a new video for your organization.
Where to begin?
Whether or not you’ve guided a video through production before, defining the scope and budget of a new project can seem daunting at the outset. To ease that pressure, I’ve created the “Cheat Sheet” below to use with my customers at The Edge. It is a list of common questions you can expect to be asked when you start work with any good video production company.
Of course, this list is not comprehensive. Each unique shooting situation requires a unique creative strategy and there will be questions specific to each situation.
Starting with these core questions, though, will give you a tremendous head start on your video project. The more answers you have ready when you begin consultations with your creative video team, the more focused your strategy for this new video will be, and the more efficiently you can move toward getting the results you’re seeking, on time and on budget.
The 20,000-Foot View
Before you get into the details, start with a high-level overview. This is the executive point of view, frequently requiring input from decision makers at the highest level of your company.
- How does this new video integrate with your overall corporate goals and image?
- How can this video be used to support other methods your organization uses to connect with stakeholders?
- Would you like to be able to repurpose this video, or footage from it, in other ways in future?
Audience
- Who is the intended audience for the video?
- Is the audience internal to your organization or external?
- Will your audience be required to watch the video (as in the case of a training video) or will viewing be optional—requiring the video to have more “hooks” and enticements, more entertaining or educational components?
- What do you know about the audience’s interests, attitudes, and needs?
- What are the “push-button” words and phrases for your audience? What motivates them?
Message
- What is/are the key message(s) you wish to deliver in the video?
- What is the desired response from or impact on the intended audience?
- Do you have a script or an outline of the key messaging for the video?
- To what extent would you like the video production team to work with you on creating the message for this video?
Distribution
- How will the video be delivered to the intended audience? Options include: a link to a file on a shared drive; through social media; through a learning management or content delivery system; or some other method(s).
Okay, we have arrived at the end of Part 1. How do you feel after reviewing these questions? Not too overwhelmed, I hope!
It’s important to remember that your video production company won’t expect you to have complete answers at the beginning. Part of their role is to guide and support you in working through these decisions, to help you get exactly the video product you’re after.
In my next blog, I’ll continue with Part 2 of Stop and Consider These Questions Before Any Video Production! I’ll get into the nitty-gritty of defining the scope of your video project and how to arrive at a realistic budget, so don’t miss it.