Video production is the entire process from ideation to creating video content. Maybe, it’s a corporate video, a documentary for Nat Geo, a big-budget Hollywood movie or a no-budget short film, the process is almost the same.
The steps to create video content are
- Finding an idea.
- Writing the script.
- Shooting the video.
- Editing, special effects and color grading.
What’s in it for you?
3 main categories-
- Pre-production:- The process of ideation.
- Production:- The process of shooting and recording.
- Post-production:- The process of editing, adding special effects and colour grading.
But if someone captures her child performing on stage with a smartphone, that’s not an example of “Video Production.” That’s “Home Video.” Why? Because in that case there is no Pre Production or Post Production.
Types of videos:
“Video Production” is a vast field of work and there are various types of videos based on the Production scale, Gadgets used in videography, Purposes.
Production Scale:
The crew size determines the production scale of a video production process. Some examples of different types of videos based on the production scales are,
- If only one man creates a video from the very beginning to the end then that is a one-man crew video.
- Two men crew is a small video production unit of only two crew members.
- A video shot with multiple cameras for shooting for taking shots from different angles at the same time.
- A big crew of more than 10 people, multiple cameras, cranes, trucks and all.
The size of the camera crew never determines the quality of a video. You have seen crappy videos which are of a big production unit and some really good video contents which are of a small team or a single person. Have you heard of Oscar-winning director Satyajit Ray’s Apu trilogy? They had a camera crew of two members only, Mr Subrata Mitra and art director Bansi Chandragupta.
Gadgets:
We can differentiate video production on the basis of gadgets used to shoot the video. Let’s check out the examples,
Mobile Video Production
Nowadays smartphones are coming with high definition cameras. Some of them even can be used for professional videography. Mobile video production is basically the process of video production, where a smartphone is used to shoot the video.
DSLR Video Production
There was a time when the people who couldn’t even read or write kept a pen in their pocket. Keeping a pen was a status symbol back then. But now youths have accepted DSLRs as a status symbol. At the same time DSLRs are being more and more affordable. This DSLR culture has brought a new type of video production, DSLR Video Production.
Action cam Video Production
If you don’t know what is an action cam, let me explain it for you. According to Wikipedia, “An action camera or action-cam is a digital camera designed for recording action while being immersed in it.” These cameras are light, compact and mostly waterproof. Action cameras are being widely used by vloggers and video producers for shooting their adventurous activities. These cams can be mounted on helmets, neck or even surfboards.
Aerial Video Production
There was a time when you could see beautiful aerial shots of the city, or of the Liberty Statue only in Hollywood movies. Aerial shots were very rare in the Indian film industry. Why? Because, then there were no drones, for getting aerial shots they had to hire a copter and most of the Indian films couldn’t afford that. But now, drones are available at prices as low as Rs. 80000. Obviously, for drones with better specifications, you have to pay more, but that’s way cheaper than a copter for sure. With this affordability of drones, a new kind of filmmaking has entered the scene, Aerial video production.
Video Production with pro-level gadgets
Mobile video production, DSLR Video production, Action cam films are okay for youtube videos, small or no budget short films or whatever staffs like that. But you cannot shoot Jurrasic Park with a mobile, or DSLR or an action camera. For professional video productions, high-end digital cameras like Red Epic, Arri Alexa, Sony CineAlta are used.
Purpose:
Videos are everywhere. Just a few years ago used see a lot of still images on Facebook and only a few videos. But now videos have edged ahead of still images. Videos are being used for different purposes like education, marketing, entertainment etc.
Corporate Video Production
A video covering corporate events, like seminars, conferences, product launching events etc falls under the section, corporate video production. A corporate overview video is the most common type of corporate videos. Corporates often use this kind of videos to connect with their customers or potential customers.
Event Video Production
Wedding without wedding videography? Wedding videography has become widely popular in recent years. They come in all different budgets according to different requirements. Just like wedding videography, people are also hiring video producers for birthday ceremonies and all that kinda social events.
Product Video Production
You have seen pizza advertisements. Right? Doesn’t the pizza look mouthwatering? That’s just an example of a good product video. Product videos highlight the usability and features of a specific product.
Television Broadcast
Television commercials, Newscasts, reality shows, documentaries, TV series etc fall under this category.
Video Production for Distance Education
We all have heard about Udemy and Coursera. Right? Well, what do they do? They provide a platform to both the educators and the learners, where the educators put educational videos on a specific subject and learners buy those video courses. Similarly, on Byju’s they even create animated contents for describing the subjects they are teaching. They have also associated with a top-notch studio like Disney to provide high-end educational video contents for kids. This shows how fast this sector is moving forward.
Internet Video Production
Okay, let me ask you a question. Did you not use to watch TV earlier a lot more than you use to watch now? The Internet has gradually changed all our aspects. Now we like to watch Netflix, Hotstar, Amazon Prime or simply Youtube a lot more than TV. Why? Because on TV they decide what you will watch. But on the internet, you decide what you want to watch. Not only the viewers but also the makers are preferring internet than television or the traditional process of movie releases. Because they have to go through a lot of difficulties, the censorship process. But releasing a show or movie on the internet is as easy as uploading a video on Youtube.
Stock Footage Video Production
We all have heard about Shutterstock. What do they do? They have a library of millions of images and videos on literally everything on this planet. These are stock footages. Suppose, you are making a no-budget short film and you need to show the Mt Everest for a few seconds. Will you visit Nepal to shoot Mt Everest? No! You will just go to Shutterstock, buy footage of Mt Everest and use that in your movie. There are videos which are entirely made from stock footages. These videos are generally used for making documentaries or for educational videos.
Testimonial Video Production
Have you seen videos like a man is facing towards the camera with a product on his hand saying, “I used this and got benefits in just 2 weeks”? Yeah, those are the testimonial videos. These videos are often used as social proof for a particular product or service. Nowadays everyone before buying something from Amazon checks the star ratings and the comments to be sure if that product works or not. By reading a few comments we judge the product and decide whether we should buy that or not. Testimonial videos make it even easier to judge a particular product.
Why Video Production?
Now you already know that the Video industry is growing faster than ever. But why?
Simply, because people love to watch the video. Videos can describe a product or service better than anything else and that’s why videos boost sales. Videos can present complex ideas, figures and everything else in a very rational way, that can be understood by everyone. We only watch a film when we find its trailer impressive. Watching a short trailer of a minute or so we judge a film or a game and spend money on that. Now it’s proven that videos perform way better than still images on Facebook ads.
Should you learn it?
Yeah, why not? Learning should have no limitations. First, ask yourself if you really want to learn it or not. Because to be a pro video producer you have to go through a lot. But I will suggest you to not invest in a camera or a course right now. Start with your smartphone. Like any other field of studies, you will get great free tutorials on Video Production on Youtube. Watch them and then if you find it interesting go to the next level.
Other than Youtube there are also many other resources from where you can learn video production.
Conclusion
Believe it or not, we are currently living in the age of an industrial revolution. This time the core of this industrial revolution is “data”.
In this data driven economy videos are playing a massive role. So, it’s time to seriously rethink about the opportunities in the video industry.
Videos are growing and videos will keep growing in the upcoming decades also.
FAQ
Video production is the entire process from ideation to creating video content. Maybe, it’s a corporate video, a documentary for Nat Geo, a big-budget Hollywood movie or a no-budget short film, the process is almost the same.
Video are entertaining and engaging. Learning complex things with the help of videos is much easier. Videos also can portray the brand image of a business in a very attractive way. So everyone loves videos and that’s why video industry is growing.
Video production is the whole process from ideation to post production. You can learn script writing by just watching good movies and developing a habit of reading novels.
To lean videography you may join a group of videographers and follow their steps.
To learn video editing you may take help from Udemy, Coursera, Skillshare or simply Youtube, for free.
First, ask yourself if you really want to learn it or not. Because to be a pro video producer you have to go through a lot. But I will suggest you to not invest in a camera or a course right now. Start with your smartphone. Like any other field of studies, you will get great free tutorials on Video Production on Youtube. Watch them and then if you find it interesting go to the next level.
Well, it may cost as low as some hundred rupees to as high as some crores. Firstly, the cost of video production depends on the gadgets to be used and various other factors like the crew size, the gadgets to be used and obviously the experience of the crew members.
