You are busy running your business or working at your company. Along with the myriad of tasks, and pending deadlines that depend on you, the last thing you need to do is become an expert on the video production process and it’s roles.


To answer the question, “Do I need a video editor?” we need to refer back to the video editing process. The client needs marketing or other content. They contact a production company, create a list of deliverables, and go out and record videos and audio. At that point, you only have raw content that needs to be put together to create your final deliverable. The video editor is the first, and sometimes last, person in this process (the post production process).


What does a video editor do? Video editors take the raw video and get rid of all of the footage you’re not going to use and keep the best footage for your final video. After that, they arrange the footage into a cohesive arrangement we call a sequence. From there, they’ll take the professionally recorded audio and adjust the sound levels as well as process the audio so that it sounds good. They’ll add music and sound effects. Then they’ll balance and grade the color. and finally, they’ll add motion graphics, or animations, and provide the final deliverable.


It is common that lower budget productions will have one people shooting content, and then one of them will go and edit the video. In these cases, you can more times than not expect that the edit will be basic. As with any profession, a professional, video editor, that never shoots will likely give you a much better edit than someone who shoots and edits.


Additionally, when working with a video editor, you can expect to get more bang for your buck because they tend to work more quickly than someone who only edits when necessary. Other advantages includes a better ability to team viewers for the duration of the video, better visual taste and a more polished final video.


In short, video editors are the ones who put together all of the assets into one beautiful and cohesive piece of content that your audience will watch. You need a video editor if you want the video to hold the audiences attention, to be catchy and clean, and to see come off as a “next level” business.


As always, message us with any questions!

There is a societal pretext about content that says that “if you’re making content, it needs to be for social media.” And, while there is a lot of truth to that, there are plenty of ways to utilize photo, video, and audio production to optimize your internal processes.


​Most businesses keep track of how much it costs to hire and train a new employee. On boarding can time can be reduced and savings can be increased by utilizing digital content. Having new hires watch, procedural training videos, listen to the CEO talk about the mission of the company, or having a compelling graphic to explain their bonus package are all great uses. Diversity and Inclusion videos, along with other culturally important videos, are additional uses during the onboarding process.


That’s not all, though. Companies now are using video as a form of personalization for outreach and retention. Potential customers fill out intake forms and are automatically sent a video, describing in more detail, from a subject matter expert, the benefits of signing up or utilizing services. If you are a SaaS, videos describing specific services can be sent to potential customers increasing the likelihood of acquisition. If a lead goes cold, you can send out a check in video message to the potential customer to reestablish communication.


Additionally, many companies use video as a way to update their workforce on going ons at the company and to boost employee buying. For example, a video might go out once a month that highlights the top performers, the most helpful, and to go over quarterly objectives to make sure everyone stays on tracks.


In a world that is becoming increasingly less personal and more automated, personalization will become the differentiating factor. Clients and customers will want to know that they are talking to an actual person and feel the relief of knowing that there was someone on the other end of the line. Similarly, with remote work increasing in popularity, companies need a way to build interconnectivity and employee buying to decrease turnover and increase retention and productivity.


Like anything else, photo, video, and audio our tools. We are always finding new and innovative ways to use them but they are certainly not going anywhere.

We have all been in the meeting and heard the line,  “social media, and video content are everywhere right now, and we don’t have a presence. We need to change that!” Silence falls over the room as pensive looks take over and affirming head nods begin. Now, comes time to search we look up social media companies, influencers, and ways to get started in video production. But how much will it cost and how will we get it done? Maybe you’ve seen a reputable brand that has a great video and you want one just like it, but don’t know what it takes to get from here to there. Before too long, you were lost in the woods between production and social media platforms. Don’t worry, let me show you the way.


The answer to the question of “Does my company need video content?” is “Yes, it’s better to have photo and video content, then to not have anything in most cases.”


In the order of importance, I would say you need a website, then, social channels, then content to populate those channels. But we have to remember that just because a video goes online doesn’t mean that it does anything for you. Which brings me to my next point; you need to have a plan for your content.


The most successful photo and video content online have an audience. The content is tailored towards that audience so before you ever make any videos or get any quotes on services, you need to know what effect you’re trying to get from these videos. Furthermore, you wanted to be as concrete as possible. “Establishing and online presents“ or “building an online following“ are not going to do you any good. Doubling our traffic from Instagram to our product page or increasing sales of X item by X amount via our link tree on Instagram” are more concrete and better targets.


A few last things to consider are the following:


Your content should be driven by what your audience wants to see. You know your customer Base better than anyone, what do they want to know about and what would interest them?


There are levels to production. Obviously, as quality goes up, so does price. That being said, the “phone aesthetic” very popular so if you don’t have a budget, you can still very much get value with consistency.


Be consistent.  The algorithms love good content but even great content that is only posted once every couple months will do you know good. It’s better to have small videos or photos planned out for the month, or quarter if you’re really ambitious, then to put up one video that you spent all your budget and time on.


If you don’t have the budget to produce a masterpiece right now, that’s no problem. Do what you can. But do it consistently and always do it considering your audience first and not necessarily what you want to shoot. You’re stopping potential customers who are online looking for answers, and you want to be there go to place for those answers for your industry. You are, after all, the expert on the matter!


Have questions? Shoot us a message or comment and we’ll answer it!

​You’re ready to take the leap and get into the wonderful, and sometimes ambiguous, world of video production. And, though you might have “all of your bases covered“ it never hurts to have some tips as to some dos and don’ts for your first, or most recent, production. Let’s go!

First and foremost, as always, please have a plan for what you’re shooting. No where you’re going to put the finished video before you shoot. This is super important because if you are going to use one piece of video across, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn, you’ll want to make sure that it is shot with that optimization in mind.

Create a shot-list before the day gets started and make sure that someone is in charge (Producer) of making sure that everything gets shot. Additionally, do not skip out on using a Production Assistant. They are so affordable, and they are in charge of so many small, but very impactful aspects of the production the day of the shoot.

Make sure you know who is in charge. Many times, if you’re shooting on a budget it is common for businesses to hire one videographer and when they get to location and are ready to shoot, they are waiting for direction. This is especially important. If you have multiple cameras and lighting, make up, talent, sound, etc… If you have the budget, make sure you have a producer, or Director, if you don’t have the budget, make sure that there is a point person who is overseeing everything who has planned out the shot-list and order (Run of Show or ROS) ahead of time.

Just keep shooting. In cases, such as event, photo and video capture, it is very common, that your photographers and videographers will have time in between pivotal moments. That being said, it is a good rule of thumb to ask them to continue shooting and dump cards before the pivotal moment. So frequently, is it the case that a client will come back and say, "Did we get any more of that one room or that one thing?" Furthermore, if you are overseeing a team of people that are shooting, and they are just standing because they “already shot everything” kindly direct them to go and continue shooting. Having more content than less is much more preferable.

If you’re just getting started, you might only want to hire someone for a half-day. I can tell you that the half-day rate for most individuals is not half, but over 2/3 of their full day rate. That being said, for the additional cost, you are better served to have someone shoot the entire day and plan for future production needs then you are to have someone come out and shoot only a half-day. If you absolutely cannot think of anything, have them shoot general b-roll of whatever location you’re at and, if it’s an event, have them shoot crowd, reactions, and general excitement. These are things you will always need more of.

In summary, do make a plan, know what you’re shooting ahead of time, have someone in charge of making sure that everything gets shot, ask your crew to overshoot when they have downtime, and plan future shooting when possible.

Don’t just wing it, leave it up to the videographer, hire for half day when you can avoid it, let people sit around and not shoot for too long, and execute production without a plan. 

Do these things, and you will be in the clear! Have questions? Comment or shoot us a message!