Every day we see numerous adverts and clips on the television without ever wondering how they actually make them and take something from a simple idea into what we are seeing. Video production done well looks awesome, although as you can tell if you have seen some of the clips on YouTube, getting it looking professional is not as easy as it sounds. Regardless of the content, every video that you see has come together using essentially the same process, and it is the same whether you are actually shooting the film yourself, for a short clip, or it is being filmed by someone else for a large scale production, such as a movie or television programme. It still ends up with pre-production, production and post-production.
The Pre-Production Phase
Pre-production can be quite challenging as it involves everything that is going to happen before the cameras start to record. During pre-production the entire script and story is broken down into individual scenes, and all of the logistics for each one need to be organised. This includes the locations, any props that might be required, the members of the cast, along with the costumes or clothes they will be wearing in each individual shot. Additional aspects for consideration would include any special effects, with everything co-ordinated into an extremely detailed schedule, to ensure everyone and everything needed is going to be available in the right place at the right time. It is common for a complete read through to occur with all parties speaking, which gives everyone the feel of what they are about to do.
Video Production
As with a video production company in the UAE, or the USA, production is where the actual filming and footage are recorded, as per the instructions from pre-production. Shooting even a short video can take a significant amount of time and some scenes may be repeated many times before the director is satisfied, before repeating the exercise from another angle, until the scene is considered “covered.” It can feel to the participants a little bit disjointed, as it will not necessarily be shot in chronological order of how the story comes together, with the end scenes possibly shot some time before the beginning and the middle.
Post Production
Post production begins when all of the filming has been completed and the producer believes they have all of the material necessary. It is now time for the story to really come together. The film and the sound will be edited as needed and the correct chronology brought to bear, to make the production flow. This is also the time when any musical score is added and the special effects department can include any computer graphics to enhance the visual effects. This is when the sound elements are married into the video and the final picture is considered completed, or “locked.”
What happens from here really depends on the nature of the final product. If it an advert it is distributed to the company or agency who ordered it, while if it is a movie, the marketing machine will roll into action, to see it pushed and promoted, using press releases and a red carpet premiere, to try to generate both awareness and excitement.
Making movies, even short ones is a long and painful process that needs true professionals to get it right.
