Academic Technology Center
Learning with Technology Collaboratory

Video Production Tips

What kind of planning is involved when making a video project? You many want to ask yourself these questions:

  1. MESSAGE- What should the audience learn from watching your production?
    • How long does your video have to be - or how long do you want it to be?
    • Who is the target audience?
    • What do you want the target audience to learn or take away from this video experience?
    • Will the duration of the video allow you to get your point across?
  2. PEOPLE - Make a list of the people in the production.
    • Who are you interviewing or documenting?
    • Why are they important to your project?
    • Why is their information or experience crucial to your project, and how long is it going to take to say it?
    • What is their availability & does their schedule conflict with yours?
    • Do they want to be videotaped?
    • Will they be used for a voice-over?
    • Do they need to read from a script?
  3. PLACES - Make a list of locations to film your productions.
    • Where are you going to shoot your project?
    • Are you able to get access to this place?
    • Do you have permission to access and film in this place?
    • If you need to re-shoot a scene, what would you have to do to regain access to this place?
    • How is the lighting in this place?
      • Stay away from shooting people and things in front of windows that have sunlight pouring in because the object will appear dark.
      • It is important to make sure there is enough light, but not too much light on the object - natural light is best.
      • If there is not enough light, you may want to look into a new location or invest in a lighting kit if the location is crucial to your project otherwise the video will be dark and grainy.
  4. THINGS - Make a list of all the things you would like to appear in your production.
    • What objects, inventions, tools, etc. do you need to film?
    • Do you have permission to film these things?
    • Film different angles, pans, and zooms of the object(s) in order to get interesting shots.
    • Make sure that you have sufficient lighting to see the object(s) well.
  5. TIME - Use the timeline provided in order to plan the elements of your production.
    • How long do you have to complete this project?
    • How long is it going to take to set up, coordinate and film each of the elements needed for your production?
    • Plan out the time needed to complete Preproduction, Production, and Postproduction.

You can also use this Production Timeline to help you plan out your video project.

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Last modified: Oct 16, 2009, 10:45 EDT
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