As part of our new VidOps blog series, What Businesses Need to Know, we’re drawing back the curtain for a transparent look at how video production works for commercial businesses.
This week: Content delivery
It’s time to breathe a sigh of relief.
You’ve gone through the highs and lows of production planning, hired the perfect company or team, the shoot’s wrapped and it's in the can.
You can hand over your project to the editors and stick your feet up.
Right?
Well. Sort of.
It would be a crying shame to meticulously organise your production and then let go of the reigns right at the last hurdle.
Some companies encounter logistical and organisational difficulties in the post-production stage that can hold up receiving the final cut - and even rack up unforeseen charges.
The longer it takes to generate usable video content, the more marketing benefits you’re missing out on.
Whether you’re producing in-house, with a small team of freelancers, or using a commercial production company, we’ve flagged a few of the most common issues that can crop up in the final stage: content delivery.
Understanding what aspect ratio you’ll need for your videos is a key aspect that is often overlooked. Many marketers are surprised when one size doesn’t fit all.
It’s crucial to be aware of exactly what you will need, so you can be clear with the editors.
There isn’t really a ‘standard video size’ for you to adhere to. Not for the internet anyway! The most common aspect ratios for video frames are 16:9 and 4:3.
Let’s take a look at an example of what these look like.
16:9 4:3
Whilst there isn’t a ‘standard’ size for your video, you need to be completely sure of what you need, and where the video will be shown. If it’s going to be landing page only, 16:9 can be accommodated.
If you’re sharing on social media: where?
If it’s for Instagram, will it be in your stories as well as your feed? If so, you will need to ask for both a 4:3 ratio version and a 9:16. This will ensure that your video will be showcased exactly as you envisioned.
This is an important aspect of the post-edit and will require communication with your editors to make sure you’re all on the same page.
Depending on how ambitious your video was, you may have a slew of enormous files heading your way once the edit is finished.
Don’t worry!
This will happen to everybody. You just want to be one step ahead to ensure you have storage.
If you’re nervous about all your hard work getting lost in the internet ether - you can always ask your editor to send a hard copy of the files attached to a USB or memory card. Most will be very happy to accommodate, though you may have to fork out for the storage system, and even a courier.
Email programmes won’t have the capacity to send high-quality files of this type, so don’t anticipate an outlook message with your files attached. If you are working with freelancers, you can probably expect to receive your files through Dropbox or WeTransfer (or other similar programmes).
These may be the individual files, or sometimes they’ll be condensed into a zip file for transfer convenience. These can easily be extracted into their separate files once again, usually using an external programme.
Experienced editors won’t mind chatting through your options and letting you know if you’ll need extra storage or a new programme or app to manage your files. Just don’t forget to check!
Once the excitement of the production has taken place, you might think that you can hand your project over and finally relax.
Maybe.
With that said, you, or others in your team, could suddenly have concerns over a certain shot, or a line in the script, or the colouring of your logo.
Within reason, these should still be very achievable. Editors and post-production crew are very versatile creatives, flexibility and solutions should come very easily. So don’t be afraid to reach out.
There is, of course, a limit to what is appropriate to ask for. Many video production companies will restrict your revisions to a certain amount - it’s unlikely you are their only client.
Be respectful of the work the team is doing, and the scope you planned for initially.
Don’t suddenly decide you want different actors or a location without expecting to be charged for an entirely different production.
Once again, good communication is key. If you want some editing tweaks, be sure of what you are asking for, and limit the amount of additional work you’re asking for, or get ready to start all over again.
All this talk of open communication brings us neatly on to the next point.
Customer support.
The wraparound service and customer support that an external company or freelancer provides should be crucial in your decision-making process.
When considering who to outsource your creative ideas to, you need to ensure that you feel comfortable in your communication and that you have hired people who are happy to communicate with you.
We can all dive headfirst into a project believing that we won’t need constant updates or detailed schedules - but video production can be stressful. There’s a lot of moving parts and quick changes. This doesn’t stop at the editing process. You may need progress reports, or want to see the raw footage ahead of the final edit.
Perhaps you’ll be cool as a cucumber, but it’s a probability that you’ll want to be involved.
Customer support is vital in video production in a way that you might not necessarily require if you work with an external company for website design or SEO.
Productions are time-sensitive and often labour intensive, so staying on top of everything will benefit the production team, and your stakeholders alike.
When you have an initial consultation with a freelancer or company, be sure you’re aware of how available they are to you, and their preferred method of communication. This will allow you to align with each other at the very beginning, and make sure it's a perfect fit.
Not to toot our own horn, but delivery satisfaction is one of the driving objectives for us at VidOps.
In fact, it’s why we designed and developed our unique remote platform. Not only are we able to onboard global creatives, so we can always build a top-notch production team, anywhere in the world, at the touch of a button, but it also gives you total control over your project.
When you work with us, you’ll get a unique login for the platform which gives you access to your original creative concept, your scripts, and all of the initial strategy work - without having to trawl through hundreds of emails.
You’re able to see who will be working on the project, and the schedule they’ll be working to. This dashboard is where all final edits will be uploaded and stored, so you can easily share them with others, and download at your convenience.
We’re also available 24/7 to offer customer support. You can contact us directly through the platform day or night to request updates, edits, or schedule an additional meeting. You never have to worry about being kept out of the loop.
You’re finally here!
Your completed video project is on your screen, ready to boost brand awareness, and bring in new leads
Whatever route you follow whilst producing your video content, it’s sure to be a learning experience.
We’re huge fans of all types of video content, and whilst the 'What Businesses Need to Know; blog series has been written to give businesses like yours clear expectations, we have to reiterate, there are no correct answers.
However you choose to produce, budget, or plan your content if it’s created with purpose and a little creativity, you really can’t go wrong.
But if you want to ensure everything goes smoothly, there's always VidOps.