This week’s article focuses on the Personnel driving your video production.  Keep in mind that not every video will require all of these examples and some shoots may require even more.

Key Role Players

When starting the process of gathering the Personnel for your shoot, you should have already put together your Project Brief and created an Outline or Storyboard.  Preparation is the key to  selecting the right Personnel.

Consider the following team members:

Producers

The Producer is the group leader for the production.  They will be the initial contact and help with high-level goals and expectations from start to finish.  The Producer will usually stay involved during the entirety of the project from pre-production to post-production.  They will handle the schedule of shoots, assemble the production crew, gather props and locations for the shoot, and make sure the script is finalized.  Producers hold a very important role that should be filled first for obvious reasons (and we have the staff ready to help you fill it!)

Scriptwriters

The Scriptwriter is fairly obvious: they are in charge of taking the concept of the video and writing a script for it.  Not every video will need one, for example if the production is using interviews strung together to create a narrative.  But for videos that require a Voice-Over or a planned narrative, a Scriptwriter can carefully craft it to ensure that the video flows from one section to the next flawlessly and that the Key Message is intact.  It may seem like adapting any written word to a script is easy, but not everything translates well to spoken word.  A Scriptwriter knows the difference and can create the right timing, emotion and storytelling.  (Another position our staff is well suited to fill!)

Operational Consultants

The Operational Consultants are the subject matter experts on your video’s topic.  Whether it is a piece of equipment or a company process, Operational Consultants make sure that the video is following all the current guidelines, procedures and safety protocols.  The Operational Consultant is usually someone within the company who has knowledge pertaining to the video.  It may seem unnecessary for all productions, obviously, but it can save you in re-shoot and re-edit costs in the end.  Creating a video can be costly and you don’t want to have to start over because you were using older techniques, outdated gear or an unsafe procedure.

Legal Experts

Like the Consultants, the Legal Experts make sure your video production is following company policy.  They also point out any potential legal pitfalls that certain language could cause.

Final Approval

Who has the final say on when the video is done and done correctly?  This has the potential to be one of the hardest questions you can ask about your production.

• Is it the head of your department?
  
• President of the company?
  
• Committee of different members of the company? (In a previous article we mentioned that this should be avoided because it has the potential to add delays and cost overruns.)
  

Whatever the answer is, make sure that you know whom it is before you start.  They should have access to the script before shooting and consult on any questions you may have regarding the Key Message or Core Audience for the video.  Also consider when it comes time for the finished video to be approved, are they on vacation or out of the office for a length of time?  This could cause delays and change the timeline of the production.

The Personnel mentioned here are just suggestions.  Not every shoot will require all of them and some shoots will require more.  Obviously, missing from the list are the video production crew themselves.  This is where we come in!  Our video production staff includes everyone: Producers, Scriptwriters, Videographers, Audio Technicians, Graphic Artists and Editors.

Contact us to start your next video production!

Happy Producing!

Todd