Checklist to cover when starting a video production project

by Clare Cassidy

Embarking on a video production can be overwhelming. There are so many factors to consider when starting out, and an experienced producer will be firing questions at you that will often require a fair bit of googling. A good video and content production agency should be able to support brands every step of the way, but here is a bit of prep work to get you ready for that first production meeting.

Aspect Ratios

Will your campaign take place on Instagram, YouTube, Tik Tok, or Facebook? Will you need it for your Amazon page? These decisions will affect the videos in the most crucial way: Aspect Ratio. i.e., What will be the ‘shape’ of the final video? Portrait? Landscape? Square? Unfortunately, every platform requires a different shape, and planning for that is essential. If you would like your video to appear across platforms, then we will have to film it in many different aspect ratios. This will require a shift in camera position for every shot, which translates to more time on the shoot, which affects the days required and ultimately your budget. So have this information to hand upfront, it will save many headaches down the line. As a side note, we can shoot ‘loosely’ and crop in to accommodate various aspect ratios, but there are limits. We can either shoot in landscape and square, or portrait and square, but we can’t shoot in all three formats.

Look & feel

Come armed with your campaign brief, a document on Keynote or PowerPoint will suffice. Make sure you kick it off broadly with your overall brand strategy. It helps us to get to know your brand and what it is we are essentially turning into a visual expression. Then you can get into the detail of the campaign: key messaging, look and feel, example videos and photos. We can take these ideas and turn them into mood boards and storyboards at a later stage.

Timing

Let us know your time frame. When do you want this campaign to kick-off? With that info we can work backwards and create a critical time path, detailing deadlines and tasks for both client and production company. When we provide that CTP, go over it in detail and flag it if you think we haven’t left you enough time to view and approve the videos (often there is a hierarchy of people who want to give feedback, so factor that into the schedule.)

Logos & Assets

Have a folder ready with your logos, pantones, and fonts. We will need them for animation and graphic boards. If you need to beg your graphics department for these, put a request in before the production meeting, because it will be one of the first things we ask for.

And there you have it: a fool proof plan for a productive first meeting with your video production agency. Check out this blog for tips and tricks on how to communicate with the creative team here at Curious Crab .