In this series, we are exploring the production decisions which need to be considered when making videos for your products. Video, as a combination of audio and visual, gives you multiple ways to present your message. Understanding the options available to you, and the time/money/engagement implications of each, will help prepare you for your first meeting with a video producer.
In our last article, we began the process of identifying the key talking points and conceptualizing how to present the information. The first document in the process is called a treatment and is a high-level overview of what the video will be. The next step in the workflow is to create the script.
The script is the single most important document of the preproduction process. The goal of the script is to identify all the elements which must come together to make a video which fits the vision laid out in the treatment. It is the comprehensive document which details exactly what information is to be imparted (usually in the form of dialogue) and includes notes such as the location, what graphics are to be used, what music plays and when, and how one scene will transition to another.
Perhaps you’ve seen a movie script – a roughly 110-page document full of scene headers, exposition, and dialogue. While containing these same elements, the script for your product video can be much simpler. Consider this script for a line of motion-sensing light bulbs written by a client of mine. The most important aspects are present: the dialogue for the narration, the location and description for each shot, and graphics. After some revising, here’s how the final video turned out:
The script will not be the last document to be created before the video is shot. But once it is done, the work load will now shift over to your video producer who will use it to generate shot lists, storyboards, crew and equipment lists and other organizational documents. The next article will go over the most common of these so that you can be familiar with how the producer will take your vision and make it become a reality.
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Arguably the most important reason to include graphics in your product video is to reinforce your brand image. You already have graphic files for your company name and wordmark. Your colors have been defined. You may even have a style guide which dictates the size and relationship between different branding elements. Put those to use in your videos for brand conformity!
The most practical reason for including graphics is adding another layer of information to your videos. Text can supplement a voice over or it can be the primary source of information. It has occurred on more than one occasion that a client has kicked a draft of a video edit up the ladder only to be told that something important needs to be clarified. Notating a video with text during editing will spare you from costly reshoots!
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