How Video Pre-Production is Done at Second Sol Studios 

Just as even the most beautiful house is worthless without a sound foundation, videos are impossible to create without a masterfully executed pre-production process. Pre-production (or “pre-pro”) is the planning stage of the video creation process, but it contains so much more than storyboards. It is the time when all of the details are hammered out and finalized, from budgeting to scripting and casting. Second Sol Studios was built to optimize video production, and that starts with facilitating the pre-pro, making it as organized and effective as possible. In this post, we’re walking you through each stage of the pre-pro process to highlight how video pre-production is done at Second Sol Studios – and what that means for your final product. 

 

Photo/Video Strategy and Goals

What are your videos trying to accomplish? Each subsequent step of the pre-pro process is useless without a concrete answer to this question. Your video/photo strategy should contain detailed information about:

• Your target audience
• The good or service being highlighted
• What differentiators and key elements of the highlighted product should be focused on
• The general look and feel of the video/photos 
• Media on which the video/photos will be shared
• Specific outcomes you’d like to see from this video/photoshoot 

 

Budget and Scope

Of course, the budget you have to work with will determine every decision made about your video shoot. This stage of the pre-production process consists of determining your total budget, as well as budget allocations for specific elements of the shoot, such as location, talent, props, logistics (food and travel arrangements), and editing. Once these are hammered out, you can talk scope: are you having a multi-location shoot? How many actors can you/will you hire? Over how many days will the shoot take place? Will there be any animations or special effects in your video? By understanding your logistical limitations, you’ll be able to create a beautiful story that’s realistic for your means. 

 

Storytelling

The storytelling process consists of both creative and logistical components. First, it involves selecting a story. This is usually a broad-strokes concept that you’d like your final product to center on. For example, a brand’s Valentine’s Day video story could be “moments that matter,” in which a series of special everyday moments for different couples are highlighted. Once this initial concept is in place, it’s time to build out a script and storyboard with all of the narrative details. This is the phase where you transform your concept into a full-fledged story. “Moments that Matter” becomes a storyboard of a narrative that follows five different couples sharing special everyday moments: couple one’s engagement, couple two looking at an ultrasound together, couple three reunited after one of them returns from deployment, and so on. This is the most creative stage of the process, during which the shape of your story takes place. Once that’s happened, a timeline is created based on how many days you have available in your budget to shoot. This timeline should be detailed, outlining exactly which scenes will be shot down to the minute. 

 

Your Team

The final phase of the pre-production process consists of finalizing every team member who will participate in the shoot, as well as every piece of equipment you’ll need, including shooting equipment as well as props. Generally speaking, your team will consist of talent, a director, a videographer, and a production assistant(s). 

 

Pre-Production Made Easier

Second Sol Studios is determined to make the pre-production process as seamless as possible by offering creative and logistical solutions to bring your vision for your video to life. To learn more about pre-production with Sol Studios or to work with us, click here.