If you want your video to fail miserably, please, skip this step.

Pre-Production.

The first step in the video production process.

Also the most tedious and overlooked part of the video production process.

Pre-production is much like planning for a road trip. You’re mapping out the route you’re going to take to reach your destination.

Skipping pre-production is like starting a road trip without knowing the destination or the place you’re starting from. While it is absolutely possible to figure out where you’re going along the way, planning the journey is going to save you time, money, and a lot of headaches.

I’ve divided the pre-production process into 10 easy to understand parts. In this article, we’ll discuss the first 5.

1. Project Overview.

We’re starting off easy.

This is where we cover some general information regarding the project: the project name, point of contact, and any relevant background information that may help with the rest of the process.

2. Goals and Objectives.

Define the primary goal. What do you want to accomplish with this video? The primary goal is the destination on your road map.

If you have any secondary goals, you can note them here as well.

What are your Key Performance Indicators? How will you determine if the video is achieving your desired goal, and you are following the route you’ve mapped out? Some common examples of KPIs include sales figures, customer satisfaction scores, website traffic, and social media engagement. It is important for you to choose KPIs that are relevant to your goals.

3. The Target Audience

If you read my previous article, you might recognize this point. Establishing your target audience is key to setting the look and feel of your video.

For example, video game obsessed teenage males will require a different approach from 70 year old retired females. Demographics and psychographics determine how you will craft your message.

4. The Core Message

What is the key message you want to deliver to your audience that will accomplish your goal?

Your message is like the GPS of the production process. It points you towards your destination.

5. Tone and Style

Tone and style are dictated by your target audience and your message. What will your target audience be most responsive to?

If it is a corporate audience, which would tend to be more conservative in nature, you would want to go with a more professional tone. If you’re selling running shoes to 20 somethings, your tone would likely be more casual and high energy.

This is also a good place to define the type of video you will be creating. The video format is the vehicle we’ll be driving along our planned route. What video format will most effectively deliver your message? Is it a branding video? A promotional video? This is a great place to define what the format will be.

What kind of visual style do you want to use? Will your video be live action or primarily animation? Should it be documentary in style or narrative?

This is also a great place to collect links to example videos that fit the style you’re going for. They will be incredibly helpful as you go through the production process.

Thinking about this stuff isn’t as sexy as picking up a cool camera and yelling “action!”. However, I still maintain it is, without a doubt, the most important part of the entire production process. I say this because I’ve seen what happens when this step is skipped, and it isn’t pretty, especially when there are a number of stakeholders involved. I promise you, the more you think about this stuff before the cameras role, the smoother the process will be.

You’ll also spend less money.

That’s right. More planning means that reshoots are less likely because you will have established what needs to be captured before you hit record. You will have a solid idea as to what the end product should look like, resulting in fewer revisions when you enter the edit phase. Pre-production is the nasty tasting medicine of the production process. Nobody really likes it, but it works like a charm.

In the next article, I’ll go over the final 5 points in the pre-production process.