Video Planning
The First Step in Making Movies

Whether you trying to get into the Sundance Film Festival or just shooting Uncle Elmo and Aunt Ida's 50th wedding anniversary, it's helpful to consider all the steps of a professional video production process before you begin.

There are five basic video production steps:

If your plan is just to make a DVD for family and friends, then you may be able to skip the promotion part. Even so, the better you promote it, the more it will be seen, so you might want to consider that as well.

Key Video Planning Questions

Here is a list of questions to consider at the start of your video planning process, based on the old standbys: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How.

You don't need to answer all of the questions below at the beginning, and some may not apply to you, but you should be consider them at the start. At the very least, start looking for the answers to any questions that you think are important to your project.

Pre-production

• What is the goal of making the video? What is the desired outcome?
• Who will the video be for? Who is the intended audience?
• What story are you trying to tell? (See the page about the Video Secret.)
• What style do you want? (edgy, dreamy, corporate, newsy, sci-fi, etc.)
• What is the budget for the video? Who will pay for it?
• Who will prepare the script or storyboards?

Production

• What do you want to see and hear in the video?
• What shots do you want (aka "the shot list)?
• Who will be in the video? What will they need? (food, money, release forms)
• Where and when will the filming take place?
• Who will do the filming?
• What will you need at the location? (parking, power, permission, food and water, quiet)
• What equipment will be used for the filming? (camera, microphones, lights...see the Video Equipment page for more.)
• What equipment do you need that you don't have? How will you get it?
• How much will it cost?

Post-production

• Who will do the editing (post-production)
• What equipment and software will you use to edit it? Where will it be done?
• When will it be edited? When does it need to be finished?
• What extra graphics, music, sounds, etc. are needed?
• What titles and other text are needed?
• How much will it cost?

Distribution

• Who will want to see the finished product?
• How will they get a copy of it?
• What will the final copies cost, if anything? How will you receive payment?

Promotion

• Who will you want to see the video that might not otherwise get it?
• How will they find out about it?
• Where can you send or post your video so more people can see it?
• How much will the promotion cost?

If you can make it through this list, then you are on your way to a successful video project.

At this point, you might want to consider what video equipment you'll need for the type of production you want to do. Go to the Top 10 Video Equipment List for some helpful information.