Our storytelling process is what sets us apart from other video production companies. Story is the buzz word in the marketing community but very few are able to accurately pinpoint the heart that is the key in maximizing the emotional impact of the company, brand, or non-profit organization. Since people make decisions emotionally to use a company’s products & services, or help a non-profit, it makes sense to lead with the heart rather than facts or features in order to create the action desired.
The process we use is based on what social science has already proven to be effective. A good story is based on four key ingredients – people, places, purpose and plot. The beauty of our storytelling process is that it can also be applied as a decision making tool to unify a company’s or organization’s entire marketing message.
This is the most important step in the production process and is also the most overlooked by many production companies. The additional steps we take in this stage will save a significant amount of time and money during the production and post-production stages.
The first step in our process is to figure out the main purpose, target audience and the call to action. Based on this information we will guide the client in coming up with a set of laser focused parameters that we will use to weigh the importance of every aspect of production and storytelling going forward.
The story structure is what guides the audience and keeps them engaged throughout the entire video.
This adds additional layers of intentional visual cues and elements that amplify the story.
This serves as a guide to how shots will be framed.
This is a master list of shots that will be needed during production to make sure all necessary footage is captured.
If the story includes interviews the questions need to be aligned with the story structure so that the best responses can be used to build on the plot points.
Locations needs to be properly scouted so the crew is fully prepared come production day.
If actors are needed, they need to be auditioned and cast.
Production days are scheduled. Cast and crew are sent call sheets so they know where and what time to show up.
Production actually begins a few days before the shoot.
All the equipment need for the shoot will be gathered and checked. All batteries will be charged to full capacity.
All media are formatted including media needed for backup.
If the sets need to be decorated and rearranged it gets done first so that the lighting crew can setup properly.
We typically setup lighting from background to foreground.
Cameras are set up and synced to timecode so that they are perfectly matched with frame accuracy when it comes time to edit.
Microphones are setup. Actors are mic'ed. All audio recording devices are synced to timecode.
This is where the director and client can monitor what the cameras are capturing during the shoot.
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We use stand-ins to make sure the lighting and framing are correct.
Shoot all interviews and supporting footage according to the shot list.
All equipment are broken down and packed.
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All media are offloaded onto the working drive. The original media is left on the drive or memory card as a backup.
An additional backup is made to two different cloud drives.
All audio, video, music, graphics and sound effect files are organized into folders so they can be easily found.
All audio and video are synced to timecode. Any scratch audio is replaced with the matching audio file.
All footage are checked and color corrected to make sure all the cameras are color matched and have proper white balance.
The audio level of all dialogue are optimized. All background noise are filtered out.
All dialogue are transcribed to speed up the editing process.
Interviews are trimmed down to the best usable segments.
Using the storyboard and shortlist as a guide, the footage is arranged into the proper order.
Supporting footage is added to enhance the story and hide unsightly edit points.
Additional trimming and rearranging are done to bring the edit closer to the target length.
Finding the perfect music to complement the mood of the project is one of the most time consuming parts of the process.
Further edits to the timeline are done to make sure all edit points are smooth.
All title graphics are added.
Any motion graphics like animations and video overlays are added.
If the production needs any special effects this is the time to add them. Any video noise reduction that is needed for low light footage is also done at this stage.
Adding sound effects gives the project an additional layer of realism and gives the audience a more immersive viewing experience.
Final adjustments and changes to the music are done at this stage.
The dialogue, music and sound effects are mixed and the levels are optimized for each viewing platform.
Colors and tones of the video are adjusted to fit the mood of the project.
The edit is sent to the client and crew for feedback.
Once all the feedback is gathered all changes and adjustments are made.
Once the edit is client approved the Final Cut is rendered and delivered.
The project is moved from the working drive to an archive drive and backed up to the cloud.
