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Target Audience - Who are you doing the video for? The obvious answer is "a general audience". However, you may want to be more specific. For example, youths 12-16 years old, or the semi-retired, or those with a basic understanding of Engineering. By setting up the parameters of who will be watching, you’ll have a better idea of how to effectively get your message across to the audience: what background knowledge they may already have, and their "viewing patterns" or attention span. An experienced television script writer will be able to help you clarify the type of viewer you are presenting to.

Click image to watch a video about Pre-Production!

Objective - What is the purpose of the video? Some examples may be to generate sales, increase awareness of a safety program, act as a new employee orientation, or to provide your target audience with a unique view of a procedure that could not be viewed in any other way. If we walk into a room and say the word "blue", some people will think of the emotion, some will think of the color and others may think of the beer. If we can do that with one word, imagine what confusion could arise with the average 3000 word video script unless we know specifically what we’re trying to say and who we’re saying it to.

Tools - With a rapidly changing landscape of electronic delivery choices, the options can seem mind boggling. Video production tends to remain the most effective means of distributing an emotional, entertaining, and informative message. No other medium has the ability to combine sight and sound in quite the same way in content delivery. You may consider "releasing" the production on CD, DVD, E-Card, USB, Blu-ray or even the internet.

An experienced Writer/Producer will use the latest video technologies to bring together video, audio, and effects to weave together your unique story or vision. Music and sound effects will add another dimension to the presentation.

Working with your Writer/Producer, you will be able to determine the best way to deliver the message. Will you use a host or hostess, voice over narration, actors, or real life situations? Will computer animation or special equipment such as dollies, cranes or teleprompters be required?

In a series of meetings between a qualified Writer/Producer from the production company and key representatives of your organization, a creative approach for your video should be defined and agreed upon.

 

Scripting - Now that you have determined who is your target audience, what is your objective, and how you will use the tools that you may require to tell the story, the next step will be the Treatment.

This forms the outline of the script and provides an opportunity to list the amount of content that we would like to get across to our target audience. In the following example, we have provided a treatment outline for the Handy Hand Grenade Company:

Treatment Outline - Handy Hand Grenade Company

Target Audience - Potential users of the Handy Hand Grenade product line. Our primary audience will be those in the military industries. A secondary audience could be those with a background or interest in military munitions.

Objective - To generate interest in the Handy Hand Grenade product line, and assist our sales force with a video during marketing presentations.

Tools - Dynamic visuals intercut with an exciting, pulsating music track should get viewers excited about the product line. Aerial footage of field testing and customer usage should be demonstrated. Included will be positive customer testimonials from several of our field offices and footage of satisfied customers demonstrating their particular usage.

We will also include some footage of the lab testing and product research that goes into our products.

A professional on camera host who is widely recognized and associated with the stopping power of our product line should be used.

Content Outline

The following topics should be included in the video.

History

• how hand grenades started
• the brief history of our company
• an introduction to our facilities
  

Why we have a great product line

• testing facilities
• high tech lab facilities
• extensive field testing (include aerial footage)
• customer usage (include testimonials)

Future

• new products being launched

Call to Action

• who to contact as the local representative
• our Internet home page address for international customers

As you can see from the example, we now have a clear idea of what content is to be covered, how it is to be covered, why we’re doing the video, and who will be watching it. In this way, we have a measurable tool that we can predict with an amount of certainty will achieve the goals of our video. The workbook form that follows will help you outline a treatment for your next video.

Scripting -

The next, very important part of the pre-production process is the script. Your production company should provide you with several options for writing. If you decide to hire a writer, make sure you ask to see several writing samples before you approve a particular writer.

Most likely, your writer will complete several rewrite drafts of your script, complete with detailed audio and video notes, until you are satisfied with the script’s content and understand how the video will look and sound when it is completed.

The script will tell everyone in the production team what the completed project will look and sound like before shooting commences. In its simplest terms, the script could be compared to a blueprint for a house. Can you imagine the confusion if plumbers, electricians, and concrete people all showed up at the same time to build a house without a blueprint? Odds are, if the home were ever completed, not only would it be very costly, but also it may have a questionable outcome. The same can be said about the video production process and scripting. The script should clearly outline all of the technical requirements to achieve the goals set out in the treatment stage. An example of the first portion of a script for the Handy Hand Grenade Company follows.

AUDIO	VIDEO
Fade up music: A powerful, corporate theme.	Fade up from black to reveal computer animated logo of Handy Hand Grenade Company.
Fade up voice over narration: (a strong corporate feel): Welcome, to the Handy Hand Grenade Company, A Leader in the Production and Distribution of Personal Munitions. As a world leader in hand grenade manufacturing, we provide unmatched customer service and a superior product line.	Dissolve to long crane shot of the Edmonton Production facility. The sun is just rising and there is a warm glow on the horizon.
Music changes to turn-of-the-century harpsichord piece.	Dissolve to black and white archival photo of the first Handy Hand Grenade Factory, circa 1890.
Voice Over Narration (VO): Since our humble beginnings in our Bruderheim Factory in 1890, our vision has remained constant.	Dissolve to pan shot of archival photo showing the sign above the factory.
(VO): By providing topnotch, proven products, we have been able to grow our company from 4 employees to well over 14,000 world wide.	Dissolve to black and white slow pull back and pan photo of original founders.
Fade up a pulsating electronic theme.	Dissolve to pan shot of engineer working with computer designed blueprints.
(VO): Today, we have offices in over 17 countries and have over 2.1 billion dollars in annual sales.	Dissolve to research scientist working with new pin design, he holds the pin up to the light as it catches a reflection.
(VO): The future for our product line indicates stellar growth and increased worldwide opportunities.	Dissolve to female sales rep shaking hands with two international customers at a trade show.
(VO): Welcome to Handy Hand Grenade Company, International.	Dissolve to opening computer animation sequence
To be continued. . .	To be continued. . .

Technical Considerations -Your production company should scout all of the shooting locations prior to the actual production. They should demonstrate a solid understanding of how to evaluate a location. Here are just a few of the things that need to be considered: accessibility, power supply, noise, acoustics, light ability, existing windows, and ventilation. Companies that do not take the time to find a good location for taping can lead to an uncomfortable work situation for you, your people and your crew. Poor audio or video quality, long days due to poor planning, increased time in post production, or any one of a number of other location related problems may be the result.

Budget -Obviously any production will cost money. Proper planning techniques can reduce expenditures to the absolute minimum, maximize the value of production dollars, and achieve the best production possible.

Shooting of the material will involve videotaping more of the material than we actually need. This gives a wider choice in the postproduction process as well as providing archival footage, which may be used at a later date.

As a rule of thumb, it normally takes one full shooting day to achieve six finished minutes of video presentation. During the post-production process, one day of shooting normally equates to one and a half days of editing.

Pre-Production	Quantity	Total
Research	1 Day @ 300.00	$300.00
Script Writer	2 Days @ 350.00	$700.00
Production	Quantity	Total
Cinematographer	2 Days @ $700.00	$1400.00
Producer/Director	2 Days @ $400.00	$800.00
Audio Technician	2 Days @ $300.00	$600.00
Video Tape	10 Tapes @ $35.00	$350.00
On-Camera Host/Hostess	$900.00	$900.00
Make-Up Fee	2 Days @ $300.00	$600.00
Dolly Rental	2 Days @ $200.00	$400.00
Post-Production	Quantity	Total
Real Time Non-Linear Editing Facility	3 Days @ $750.00	$2250.00
Producer/Director	3 Days @ $400.00	$1200.00
Master Tape	1 @ $50.00	$50.00
TOTAL: $9950.00

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