Whether you decide to hire a production company or produce your own content, there are three distinct stages of video production you should be aware of. Each phase will have its own challenges and will vary depending on the size of your project. Large scale productions in the television and film space will have dedicated teams working on each phase. Whether you are creating a short online video or larger sized project, the getting familiar with the three main stages below will enhance any video production.
Video Production Stages
Pre-Production
Scripting & Storyboard – The pre-production phase of a project is where all the planning takes place before the camera rolls. Whether its measured in minutes, hours or days, this planning phase sets the overall vision of the project. Pre-production also includes working out the shoot location and casting. You’re in pre-production mode the moment you start writing down a few points to cover in a video even if it is a short piece made for a blog. As your projects become more ambitious you can start to storyboard the project. Storyboards can really smooth out the post-production process when it’s time for editing. This will really be useful if there are multiple people working on the project.
CLICK HERE FOR TIPS ON CREATING A STORYBOARD
Click here for tips on writing a script
Production
Production begins once the footage is recorded. This process will capture all the scenes and information captured in the pre-production process. During the production process you apply various the lighting requirements, framing and work on composition. Some projects will also shoot B-Roll during the production process. B-Roll is supplementary footage that can be included in the finished product.
Click here for tips on filming an interview with one camera
Click here for further information on B-Roll
Post-Production
The post production process begins after all the footage has been captured. This is actually one of my favourite parts of the video making process. Graphics can be added along with images, music, colour correction and special effects. If you are producing your own video content there will be a bit of a learning curve at first, but it will be really rewarding.Post-production is like putting the last coat of paint on in a room and it will be well worth the time to learn the basics. This is where your video project will really come to life.
If you are in charge of project editing and not sure where to start I’d recommend that you check out YouTube’s video editor, Movie Maker for the PC or iMovie for the Mac. All editors share some basic principles. If you need more advanced features you can always look at some of the pro-consumer video editors like PowerDirector available on www.cyberlink.com or a pro editor such as Premier Pro or Final Cut.
Post Production Tips
Small Sized Production – Filmed for a blog with a single subject
During post-production, the video can be enhanced even if it contains a single actor. During the recording process consider filming the the subject using different shots. If the subject has been filmed from the same distance, more advanced editors will allow shots to be cropped and zoomed. Any video will be enhanced with a blended up mix of shots. 
Large Sized Production – Filmed at a music festival (multiple locations and actors)
Larger sized productions are often filmed at a number of locations. During post production, the editor will be able to change the scene and angles of the actor and environment to help create an engaging story. Adequate time spent in the pre-production process will definitely pay off and make this process more smooth. Below a combination of shots introduce the venue, actor talking about the event and the band. 
That’s all for now. Getting familiar with these processes is a must for a great video production. Best of luck from ‘The Video Effect’
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Great piece. Its been helpful. Thanks
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My pleasure, happy to hear you got some value from it.
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Hi there, you are most welcome. If you’d like more info on another topic let me know and I’ll produce more content. Thanks. N
I’ve been given assignment in school and much as I’ve cracked my brains,still don’t know how to go about it.question is,which is most important BTW the three production stages. Pre-production,production and post production. Be glad if you can help.
Hi Nafeesa,
This is a great question to ask. Each of the phases is incredibly important. Teams involved in each of the phases, example a big Hollywood Production, could even argue that theirs is the most important. For example, great movies rely on great scripts which is why the pre-production process is so important. Having said that, I’ve personally been involved on some projects where the balance has not been exact. In those cases more attention was spent on the production and post-production. That project did not require a story. It was a series of interviews for a corporate video. When getting involved with any film project think of the points I have raised below.
1. Pre-production – What happens if there is no vision or proper planning? Who are the actors going to be? Where is the story going to be filmed? Does the production company need permissions to film at a location other than their studio.
– If no planning is put in place it can spell disaster for the production team before they even turn up.
2. Production – What happens if the footage recorded has terrible audio or no audio? What happens if important scenes are out of focus? What happens if enough footage is not recorded?
Hopefully, you can see that the best script can get ruined in this process if the right team is not in place. The right talent needs to be put in place to execute the original story. Also, even if the filming taking place is the recording of an event like a Ted Talks, production
is absolutely key to get right in order to provide the right material to the post-production team.
3. Post-production – I often see the editor as one of the most important contributors. Editors take all of the footage filmed and create the final production. However, if you give an editor terrible footage they can’t be expected to work miracles. Editors can also work along with film Colorists to provide a grading look to the film.
When I debate with others I will often use the analogy of a race car to describe the film production process. For example, you can get a Ferrari, but it won’t go anywhere without a good set of tires.
Hopefully some of my points will help. Good luck!
It is very informative
so informative thank you
Thanks for the comment. Much appreciated
Tnx for shedding more light on this, and brighten my knowledge.
My pleasure. Happy to provide info any day
Thanks very much for the information, it has helped me in my examinations at the University.
Thanks for visiting the site and I’m happy you got some value from it. Cheers
very helpful indeed
Thanks for your comment Edward. Get in touch if you have any other questions on content, etc.
Very helpful. I benefited much from it. Thanks a lot.