What You Need To Know About Pre-Production and How to Choose a Video Production Company

Do you know what to look for when hiring a video production company? All of the pieces that go into this decision start in pre-production.

Pre-Production is the process before production that helps organize and keep production running timely and on budget. In this article, we outline what pre-production is for corporate videos. 

We would define corporate videos as videos that raise money, or content made to explain a product. A company would use corporate videos as content to express an idea. They play in personal places and non-traditional spaces like YouTube.

The perfect Pre-Production enables a company that is looking to generate content, a way to create a dialogue with a production company. The better your dialogue is, the more authentic and unique your company video will be.

In this guide, we’re going to walk you through all the steps that go into the pre-production process and give some tips on how to use the skills of your key collaborators to get things done more efficiently.

Without further ado, here is your pre-production checklist and guide for choosing the right video production company:

1. IDENTIFY YOUR GOALS (CREATE OUTLINE)

This is the most important part, the foundation. Identify what you need this video to do? The video should work for you! Do you want to increase brand awareness, do you want to raise money, and or do you want to grow your target audience, video helps with that.

Once that is done, create an outline that gives you the ability to envision what you want to show. Imagine you are sitting down and watching the video from start to end, how would the video play out? 

Don’t put pressure on yourself. As you envision your video, write it down. Don’t worry about order, just jot it down.

Once everything is written, create the order, and perfect your outline. Once you think you have the ideas connected, go to the next step.

2. CONSIDER YOUR BUDGET 

The next step is figuring out how much you want to spend. Just throw in a number that you are comfortable with. The rate isn’t so important right now, it becomes important when you start speaking to different production companies.

Look for Samples

Search and look at samples of what type of video you are creating. For example, if you are looking to raise money, search for videos that have raised money. These videos can create an emotional connection, promote who you are, or showcase the launch of a new campaign. Once you have checked out at least three videos and see the difference in quality go and find a video production company.

Looking for a Production Company

Looking for a production company may be easy or hard. It’s almost like choosing a spouse. In our blog, in the past, we’ve discussed some mistakes you can avoid in choosing a video production company. But how can you make the right choice?

If you’ve followed our guide, you already have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your video, and you already have a sense of your budget. The next step is to actually find a production company that can create what you want at a price you can pay. To do this:

• Do your research: Look for video production companies in your area and online. Read reviews, check out their portfolios, and look for examples of work that are similar to what you have in mind. You can also ask for referrals from colleagues or friends.
• Thumbtack and Bark: When I need some work done outside of my reach I use sites such as Bark and Thumbtack. They connect you quickly but you have to have a good eye on how to read the quality of a person you are receiving. Reviews help but it’s not the end all be all. I would strongly recommend you use Google and look outside of a platform.
• Google: Search for your local video production company in Google and look at their samples. How do you feel about it? Does their work fit what you may be looking for? If so, take a step by contacting them. 

Upon contacting them, tell them your idea and give them your outline. Based on the outline, they will create questions or generate a quote. How is their approach and response to you? How does their quote compare to your initial budget?

Once you have this part down, you need to pick two more video production companies. You should have at least three options before you choose who you are going with.

• Check their credentials: Make sure the video production company you choose has the necessary credentials, such as licenses, certifications, and insurance.
• Ask for a quote: Contact the video production companies you’re interested in and ask for a quote. Be sure to provide them with as much information as possible about your project so they can give you an accurate estimate.
• Meet with them: Schedule a meeting or phone call with the video production company to discuss your project in more detail. This is also an opportunity to get a sense of their communication style and to ask any questions you may have.
• Choose the right fit: Based on your research, credentials, quote, and meetings, choose the video production company that is the right fit for your project.

Back to Budget

Budgets will vary between companies. Each company has its own rate process. 

If your budget was on par with the company you want, great. If it is cheaper with the one you want to go with, great. If your number is too low based on all the other quotes, your price isn’t realistic and you need to reevaluate your investment.

Once you’ve checked out at least three videos from the chosen company and seen the difference in quality, you have them create a treatment.

3. TREATMENT

A Treatment presents a clear outline of your video and organizes its purpose. They differ based on the overall goal of your video. It can be an event video or company promo video but regardless, your vision for the video should be identified in the treatment.

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3 | We created a promo video for this client from this treatment. 

Now all the hard work has been done on your end. One of the benefits of hiring a video production company is that you can now sit back, relax, and experience the great high-quality treatment from your production team. Once the treatment is approved it is signed, sealed, and delivered.

Learn more about Transcendent Enterprise, and our corporate video production services.