How do you take a project from concept to completion on time, on budget and on track? My favorite challenge is with long-form video projects – they can be unbelievably laborious – but every now and then one comes along that’s actually fun to do. And I don’t mean it starts out fun, but it really is enjoyable from start to finish. Here are some observations about why the pieces clicked into place for a series of videos I wrote and produced for the American Fence Association.
Stay On Track
Include the client in the process of decision-making. Understand their objectives for the project and make sure you know the video’s mission as well as its audience. Develop two or three concepts for consideration. The client’s feedback and choices will provide the insight you need into the product they want you to produce.
When I was asked to produce a video for the American Fence Association’s annual convention, one of the concepts I presented introduced a stereotypical wisecracking gumshoe character from the 40s, sitting in a seedy office, feet propped on the desk, working the angles. The private eye is on the phone with a customer who’s trying to find a fence contractor he hired….one who has left him high and dry. We can only imagine what the customer is saying, but we learn from the gumshoe that the fence contractor is not a member of the AFA, and he tells the unfortunate customer that by not hiring a reputable AFA contractor, he is in a world of trouble.
This was the concept the AFA chose. Over the next few weeks, we developed the script, which they also read and approved, and we also presented a “rough cut” of two videos that would be shown at the event – an Industry Update and the Awards Intro – and explained what post-production elements would be added. Throughout the process, we gave the client choices. We avoided open-ended questions, and instead asked, “Which of these options do you like best?”
Stay On Budget
These videos were not a high-dollar project. The majority of the budget had to be devoted to shooting and editing, and we also hired a professional actor. But there was little budget to speak of for anything else. So, we contacted the local community theatre, and they were our one-stop resource for costumes, props and the set. We actually shot the production on their stage. I researched the costume needs by looking through old movie stills in Google images, and also used Internet sources to research the gumshoe dialog. The stills helped the theatre director pull the right costumes and props together. Both the stills and the dialog resources helped the actor prepare for his role. The shoot took less than a half day because we did our production homework, plus we had a clearly written script that had been approved by the client and was reviewed in advance by the director.
Stay On Time
I can’t say enough about having a realistic, firm production schedule. You’ve heard the expression about the devil being in the details, and when it comes to video production, there are a lot of details. The trick is to think through all of them as you go through the project and communicate clearly with your client, production crew and talent, so when the day of the shoot comes along, you can concentrate on producing a video instead of taking care of questions that should have been asked and answered in advance.
This particular video project for the American Fence Association was well received by both the leadership and the convention attendees. So much so, that they asked us to produce a sequel in 2009, plus additional convention videos in 2011 and 2012. You’re doing something right when they come back for more!
Carmel Hearn 