What is "production"?

This is the second part of a 3 part blog series on the corporate video production process. Click here to read the previous blog post titled "What is Pre-Production?". Stay tuned in the coming weeks for the final installment, "What is Post Production?".

Now that you have completed the pre-production phase of your corporate video project, it's time to move on to the most complex (and usually the most fun!) phase - production.

Production is the stage of the project where we actually make the video!

If we do everything right in the pre-production process, the production process should go smoothly. This is because we have already planned what we want to shoot, when we want to shoot it, and where it will be shot. We have also figured out who we need in terms of interviewees, actors, and other people that might be needed for the project. Lastly, a shot list will have already been prepared so that we know exactly what shots we want.

For some corporate video projects, production only takes an hour or two. For larger projects, however, it can take a few days. The process may involve filming interviews, product demonstrations or training scenarios, b-roll, and other elements that are needed for the video.

Let's break down some of these things now.

Interviews
A corporate video project might require some interviews to be shot. These might be interviews with employees or management. Or, perhaps testimonials from customers. We might also want to film a message from a company president or founder. These are all classified as interviews. The filming of interviews is usually done on location somewhere. This can be at a place of business, out in public, or even in a studio.

SIDE NOTE: Point of View does offer a small studio for these types of shoots!

The setup for an interview shoot usually involves at least one, but usually two or more cameras. There are also lights and sound equipment involved(boom microphones, lapel micrphones, sound recorders, etc.). Also, in the pre-production stage, a list of questions or a script would have been prepared.

Below are a couple of photos of typical interview setups.

Interview we shot for the University of Alberta.

A testimonial that was shot in our POV Studio

Product Demos / Training Scenarios
For some corporate videos, we may need to film a product demonstration. For a training video, we will certainly need to film some training scenarios. These are sometimes set up very similar to interviews, usually requiring multiple cameras, lighting, and sound equipment. During the pre-production phase, we will have already planned exactly what is needed for these shoots and we will have arranged for the appropriate people to be involved.

Below are some photos of a product demo and a training scenario.

Smudging demo that we filmed for the University of Alberta.

Getting ready for a training scenario for a specialty lighting product.

B-Roll
"B-roll" shots are essentially filler shots used to create interest in your corporate video. These can be action shots of something happening at a place of business, shots of employees interacting with customers, shots of people using a product, aerial shots of a business, etc. Essentially, any shot that isn't an interview or a demonstration is considered b-roll. Some videos (like the one below) are even made up completely of b-roll footage!

​B-roll is often the most important component of any corporate video. It can be shot with the help and direction of the client​, or we can often shoot b-roll ourselves. It really depends on the project.

​Other Elements
There are some other elements that may be required for a corporate or training video. For example, audio interviews may need to be recorded, or aerial (drone) footage might need to be captured. Perhaps still photos are needed (by the way, we offer excellent commercial photography services through our sister company, Crystal Puim Photography).

Planning for these other elements would be done in the pre-production phase of the project.

Mark shooting some aerial footage for a project for the Town of Thorsby.

So, that's really about it!
As you can see, the production phase is the most important part of the corporate video project. It's where we capture all the magic! We then take all that magic into the edit suite and start on the final phase of the video project - "post production".

More on that phase in an upcoming blog post. See you back here soon!