5 Key Questions
Before calling a video professional for help be prepared to answer these questions about your video production. By simply preparing your answers some of the areas you think you need help on may be cleared up.
Question 1:
What type of video are you creating?
Sales, Documentary, Information, Story Telling can be further broken down and combined such as an informational video that shows in story form the advantages of a multi-purpose tool.
This information helps define the style and complexity of the production.
Question 2:
Who is your target audience?
‘Everyone’ is the wrong answer. If you want to reach everyone you need multiple methods of contact and not all of them may be video. A correct answer may be ‘mothers of preschool children’ or ‘pilots being trained on a new navigation system’ or ‘science fiction lovers.’
Knowing this will help focus the message to appeal to and have greater impact upon the intended audience.
Question 3:
How will your production be distributed or displayed?
Here the distribution possibilities are expanding and include home computer, Smart Phones, Portable Tablets, large displays, movie theater…. Where it is displayed can vary from theatrical to trade shows to cell phones.
The method of display can be an important cost driver for the project. A web video is often designed to be quickly downloaded vs. extreemly high quality, while a production designed to be displayed in a movie theatre should be produced at the highest practical quality; a production that is intended for cell phone and theatrical distribution may need two different versions to look best in each medium.
Question 4:
What results do you expect to get?
For advertisements increased sales or product inquiries might be the answer. Reduced training costs or more consistent training are possibilities for a training video. To entertain and deliver a stay physically fit message and make a profit by the number of hits it gets on a health food web site might be an answer.
Understanding where you are wanting to end up will go a long way in determining how most effectively get there in the production process.
Question 5:
And the biggie: How much you got?
How much are you willing to spend on a production? Sometimes this answer is easily quantified and sometimes not. An important consideration is return on investment. What is better? A low cost production that delivers poor results or a high cost one that doubles your profit? Think carefully how you frame the answer to the cost question.
Many are reluctant to say how much they are willing to spend up front, thinking, often correctly, that whatever they say is what the price will be. It is important to have an idea of what this number should be, but work with your video producer to craft the production to give you the best practical return on your investment. A video production should be viewed more as an investment than an expense.
Conclusion
Based upon these and other questions an experienced video professional should be able to speak with you for a few minutes and determine if they can offer you the kind of production you need. It may not be what you want, but listen, this advice is free.
Video production companies have different areas of specialization. It is best to pick one, that has a proven capability of producing videos similar to what you need. Check out their web site or other credentials… trust, but verify. A nice salesman, who promises what you want to hear, does not a good video producer make.
In the end, when you find a video production resource you like, build a relationship with them. I’ve been in the video business since 1988 and I always go the extra mile for a loyal client. With an honest business relationship you get what you pay for.
I sometimes remind my clients of a significant truth in business, especially the video business: “Good, Fast, Cheap… pick any two.”
Bill Williams
Producer and, since 1988, owner of
A Cut Above Video Productions, Inc.