Make it once and check it thrice.

So you’re going to produce a video! Excellent. But before you start filming and creating final edits, you need to consider one of the most frequently overlooked aspects of a video: the pre-production.

Video pre-production is video production company jargon for planning. 

A great pre-production accounts for everything from start to finish. The more detail, tender love and care you put into this part of your video, the shinier the final product. 

Here’s what your video pre-production checklist should look like:

1. Creative Juices Meeting – Get everyone involved together for a big overview meeting. Let this be a brainstorming session where there are no bad or wrong ideas – only new ideas. At the end of this meeting, you should get a rough draft of what your overall video should be about and what you want to achieve through this video. 

2. Script Writing – Organize the vision from the first meeting into a script. A script can be drafted by one person, edited by another and punched up by a third person. If you hire an experienced video production company, they’ll help you with the script writing process. A detailed script will give you a great idea of what you’ll need to actually produce this video.

3. Storyboarding – A visual representation of the script. A storyboard is a scene-by-scene pictorial view of the entire script. It’s the first time you’ll get to see what your video may look like. Again, a professional video production house will offer this service to you as part of the entire production package. A storyboard will help you to plan your shots. 

4. Organizing – You’ve got the script but now you need to book locations, video crews, lighting, sound, props, on-camera talent, scheduling, food for the crew, a budget and a timeline. A great producer will know how to naturally flow in pre-production and pull everything together for a successful shoot. 

Now you’re ready for the production of your corporate video, music video or brand video. No matter what type of video you’re producing, pre-production ensures that all the logistical aspects of your final video are taken care of. 

Plan and you will succeed!