Save Time. Be Intentional in Pre-Production.
This is a topic I like to talk about a lot because even though it seems obvious to me, it’s pretty incredible how many video teams (even at mega churches) undervalue the step of Pre-Production- or skip it altogether. 😱
Let’s read it again:
“The more intentional you are in Pre-Production, the better your story will be.”
Being intentional in Pre-Production means defining the purpose of your story, it means doing pre-interviews of your characters, it means figuring out the mood/tone of your piece… You’re creating a blueprint of your story, a roadmap to use so you know exactly where you’re going BEFORE you start shooting.
Honestly it hurts my heart whenever I see people scrambling on a project, shooting tons of stuff and coverage only hoping that they can figure out a way of putting it together in the edit room. PLEASE DON’T DO THIS! You’re only making it harder on yourselves and whoever is supposed to approve the video… this approach will most likely end up with one or several of the following:
All-nighters
You staring at the timeline thinking HOW am I going to put this together?
Overshooting (trying to get all the coverage possible just in case)
Having a thousand changes to your edit
Having to re-shoot
Scrapping the project all-together (after you put in many hours on it)
Having to scrap a project after the time and energy you put in? How painful is that?!
I do not want this for you. I’ve been there, I’ve done it, and when you’re constantly working overtime and have a ton of pressure to get things done, being unhappy with the final product is a horrible letdown.
THE SOLUTION:
You need to start being more intentional in your Pre-Production.
I’m talking about defining your purpose. I’m talking about story finding, pre-interviewing, plot structuring, mood boards, storyboards, creative outlines, etc.
It may sound like a lot, but the amount of time I SAVE by being intentional in my pre-production is SO. WORTH. IT.
Now when I get major edit changes, it’s an anomaly. Re-shoots? Never.
The reason is simple! Because EVERYONE on the team (especially the one paying) has been informed, part of the process and can see exactly what the video will look like, feel like, and the overall purpose…
BEFORE you start shooting.
That’s it. It’s actually pretty simple! So go. Start being intentional!
Ready to be intentional in your Pre-Production?
I have a perfect 1st step for you and it’s FREE! :) It’s my resource called Starting with Purpose, where I walk you through the action steps on how to define the purpose of your project. Super simple to do, and it includes worksheets so you end up with a tangible page that CLEARLY define and represent your project, and that will help you hit the bullseye every time!
STARTING WITH PURPOSE
A worksheet to help you find the main purpose of your story for maximum effectiveness.