VIDEO PRODUCTION: THE PROCESS
Pre-Production
Planning carefully what you will need to do to create your video. This often includes scripting and
storyboarding, breaking your program into the individual shots that will comprise it. Producers also must
figure out which locations to shoot at, props, sets, costumes.
Production
This is the “fun part!” Using a video camera (or device like an Ipad), you will shoot shots that you will
stitch together later. Don’t be afraid to re-shoot the same thing over multiple times. Do it until you get
things just right. Pay careful attention to how light hits your subjects – everyone wants to look nice on
camera!
Post-Production
Using the materials you’ve shot, you will use some form of Video Editing software to piece together your
video. You can trim out parts of shots that you don’t want. You can add special effects, title screens,
narration, music, and more.
COMMON VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE
* indicates “easy to use” software
Distribution
Apple
Windows
Once your editing is complete, you must render a
new video file out of the editing software.
iMovie*
Windows Movie Maker*
Rendering is the process by which the software
Final Cut Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro
puts all of your editing and effects together to
Adobe Premiere
Adobe Premiere Elements*
Avid Media Composer
create a final, polished video. That file can then be
Sony Vegas Pro
distributed as you wish: upload to YouTube, make
Sony Vegas Movie Studio*
a DVD or Blu-Ray, or simply share it with a friend.
Video Computer File Formats
Each file type can handle standard definition up to high definition footage,
depending on how the video file is created.
.AVI (DV)
Windows Standard for video files; equivalent to “MiniDV”
discussed above
.MOV
Apple/Mac standard for video files; may run from SD up to
HD
.WMV, .RAM, .MP4
Streaming video formats, used over the internet
.FLV (Flash Video)
Streaming internet format; cannot be saved easily or edited;
used by YouTube
.MTS, .M2TS (AVCHD
Video)
Hi-definition video format;
SCRIPT WRITING: 2 COLUMN VIDEO FORMAT
Scripts are blueprints for a video or film. The script serves as a set of directions for crew members. There
are two basic types of scripts. Theatrical script format is used for most major motion pictures, and is
often called “screenplay format.” Two Column format is commonly used by television and video
producers, so that's what we will use in class.
Here's what a sample of 2-colum script format looks like...
VIDEO
AUDIO
1. LS Matt and Lisa walking down the beach
1. Romantic music
2. MS Matt
2. MATT: Lisa, I love spending time with you.
3. MS Lisa
3. LISA: Thanks. I enjoy spending time with you, too.
4. CU Matt
4. MATT: But, there's something I have to tell you.
5. CU Lisa - she looks worried
5. OCEAN roars in the background
As you can see, we break down our program shot by shot. The page is divided into 2 columns - VIDEO on the left and AUDIO
on the right. We describe our shot on the left hand side and on the right hand side we describe what we hear.
Another good tool for scripting is the (V.O.) label, which stands for "voice over." If we hear a voice but we do not see the person
speaking that line of dialogue, we indicate that in the AUDIO column by placing (V.O.) beside it. Here's an example...
VIDEO
1. LS of Matt and Lisa walking down the beach
AUDIO
1. NARRATOR (V.O.): Last time on “The Old and the Tired,” Lisa
and Matt got married. We now join them on their honeymoon...
We do not see the narrator on screen, but we hear his voice. Thus, we use (V.O.) to indicate this.
A few other terms to use when writing scripts:



GRAPHIC – indicates text should appear on screen. Include the text you want viewers to read when writing the
scripts
SUPER – indicates text should appear over top of video – we call this superimposition
FADE IN / FADE OUT – the footage gradually appears from black (IN) or goes to black (OUT)
Remember when writing dialogue to write how people speak. That means you'll probably use a lot of contractions, and
sometimes even slang. "Ya'll are coming tonight, aren't ya?" sounds like something a teenager would say instead of "You all
are coming tonight, are you not?" We still use proper grammar when writing, but be sure to write dialogue the way people
speak.