5 Steps to Great Video Production (page 3)

Pre-planning your video project and creating a project essence that acts as your reference, along with a realistic time-line and budget, will help you select the right format, style and elements for your production. Once you start shooting with expanded creative visions, your palette will keep growing and growing. As a Creative Director, one of my favorite exercises is trying to match the format and elements to the project. I think you'll find as much fun in this as I have, and your videos will look better and be more effective in influencing your audience.

Randal K. West is the Vice President/Creative Director for Hawthorne Direct, a Direct Response Television Advertising Agency.

Here is an example of a video essence brainstorm for a Public Service video for a local Kiwanis Club:

• Needs to portray the focus of the club as one which helps children by raising money and distributing it to children's causes and individual kids.
• Needs to show that the club is both local, regional and nationally based.
• Needs to seem fun and fulfilling to be a club member.
• Needs to seem like the club is open to all ages, all types and both men and women.
• Needs to be engaging, visual and dynamic.

Three factors usually limit whether an element will work in your production:

• Time
  Does the production timeline allow you to spend the time required to add this element?
• Money
  Will the budget allow you to expend the money required for the element?
• Style
  Is the element stylistically appropriate in the piece?

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