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Content Production 101

Learn How To Produce Great Videos The Right Way With These Basic Tips!

Making your own videos and content can initially seem a little intimidating, but getting acquainted with three basic steps can be really helpful. In fact, you can create any kind of video, from straightforward YouTube tutorials to Best Picture winners, there are just three steps you have to develop for the process:

1. Pre-Production: The stage of preparation. How can you get ready to film your video the best?

2. Production: The act of filming your video with the right video and audio equipment. 

3. Post-Production: Editing your video and putting everything in place to present your finished video. 

PRE-PRODUCTION

Pre-Production is literally the planning phase. You need to figure out what you want your video to achieve and what type of content will work best for your audience. You may also want to consider the time of year, as videos can be more or less topical depending on the season and how your upcoming projects may be influenced by them.

You can gather inspiration from other videos and content that you like, but make sure that you are also original and relevant to your audience.

But here are some things you might want to draft in this phase:

• Script: Does your video have a script? Does it need one?

• Storyboard: What do you want your video to look like? How can you plan that out now?

• Shot list: How many types of shots will you need to get for your video? What’s the best order to shoot them in?

• Location: Where are you shooting your video?

• Gear: What are you using to shoot your video?

• Final Video Specifications: Where will people see your video – on TV? On Social Media? 

• Budget: How much money do you have to make this video?

PRODUCTION

Production is when you actually film the video you have envisioned! This is where the equipment comes in: camera, audio and light are the staples of video productions, and depending on the kind of result you are searching for, there's no need to actually spend loads of money right away when starting content creation.

But, here are a few equipment suggestions depending on the professional level you want to reach when shooting your video. 

CAMERAS

Basic Level: Nowadays, most people actually have the most powerful high-quality recording device right in their pocket: a smartphone. If it's a next-generation phone, you won't even need to provide yourself with extra audio or light tools. You are simply ready to go! 

But if you're searching for more quality, but still want to keep it simple, a compact camera might be just perfect and affordable! 

Advanced Level: For more complex or high-budget videos, investing in a DSLR camera may be the better option. They require a little bit more competence, but they can surely be the most reliable option if you're looking for high-quality. 

LIGHTNING EQUIPMENT

Basic Level: Lighting in a scene can really make a difference. You need to learn how to comprehend it, and that's why just simple expedients to take advantage of natural lighting might do perfectly the job.

Advanced Level: If you feel like you need to go a step further, there are LEDs and other more advanced light tools that can help tremendously with producing the perfect video while having full control of the light. 

AUDIO EQUIPMENT 

Basic Level: Many cameras come equipped with built-in microphones, allowing for the simultaneous recording of both audio and video. This may be sufficient for many individuals’ video projects.

Advanced Level: For more professional-grade recordings, investing in a good microphone may be the better choice. You will have more control over the audio quality, and you can also create more sophisticated effects with sound editing software.

POST-PRODUCTION

Post-Production is when you take all of the footage that has been filmed and edit it together into a finished product, and mostly this is where the hard work comes in: where you edit and adjust your footage together and add music or sound effects, or just make your video stand out with graphics and captions! 

In this phase, your best friend will be a editing software: there are so many options available, what's the best one for your needs?

If you're filming on your phone, chances are that you might not even need nothing more, if not some already installed apps for basic editing!

But if you want to be more comfortable, editing on a PC can save you a lot of time and can let you be more precise. 

There are huge and pricey editing software, such as Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro, that can really make your job easier and that could be helpful if you have envisioned big and complicated projects. But other than that, there are so many free or affordable solutions for video editing, like Canva, Movie Maker or iMovie. 

Post-Production is probably the most time-consuming part of the whole video production process, but it's also what makes your finished product so great.