photographers and video producers filming the chancellor and groundskeeper

Stages of Video Production

Understanding the Three Stages of Video Producing

1. Pre-production

This is where you think about why you’re making the video, whom the key audience is, and what you’ll need to have a successful video. Use this checklist during pre-production:

  • Boil down what you want your video to say in one sentence.
  • Decide who will be the voice of the video.
  • Will there be a script, or will you use interviews to tell the story?
  • Decide where you will shoot the video — what will make a nice shot?
  • What resources will you need? Graphics? Music? Camera and lighting equipment? Sound?
  • What b-roll will you need to tell your story?
  • Think about a timeline for the project, start to finish.
  • Who will shoot and edit your video?
  • Who will review the final video?
  • Where will your final video live? What kind of distribution plan do you have?

2. Production

This is where all the work you’ve done in pre-production comes into place and a great video shoot happens.

3. Post-production

This is when you bring all the elements together — interviews, b-roll, music, graphics — and cut your video and prepare it for distribution.