Producing a video ain’t cheap. But here’s some tips on how to save.
1. Be prepared:
Being prepared for your project is probably one of the most important things to do if you want to save money during the process. Being prepared means; for an event, you know when it starts, when I should arrive and when I should leave. If instructions are unclear before I arrive, any time I spend waiting for instruction costs you money. If we’re filming in studio with a script, make sure your script is prepared before coming into the studio. It doesn’t have to be rehearsed or perfect, good enough will do. But the less you stumble, the less you pay during filming and editing. If you do stumble though, it’s 100% OK. Editing it out doesn’t take as long as you might think. (Check out this blog on Camera Comfort and what you can expect your first time filming). If your goal is to save cash, be prepared.
2. Have a vision/plan:
You might think this is an obvious one. But having a vision is very important. When we discuss your clear vision it is easier for me to execute your vision without needing clarification. If you need help developing your vision, I can do that too. Communicating a clear vision helps me to understand what is important to capture, what needs time spent on it, and what doesn’t. If you want to save cash, have a vision.
3. Stay out of it:
You may be thinking…”be prepared, have a vision…stay out of it?! WTF Amber?” This is perhaps the scariest suggestion I have for you, because it’s going to require a lot of trust. What I mean when I say, “stay out of it” is; you may want to, and are absolutely welcome to sit with me throughout the editing of your piece. But believe me when I tell you, I will move about 20 times faster alone. My brain whips around faster than some people’s eyes can move while I’m editing. I’m click, click, clicking away at an extremely fast pace, which fantastically for you, means you save big time in the editing process. Now, you might be wondering, “Ok, that’s solid. But like…what if you cut out the good stuff?” The probability that I cut out the good stuff is very low, and the likelihood that I do and can’t get it back is 0%. Nothing is ever permanently deleted. I’ve had tons of experience with content editing, and you can trust my judgement in choosing what is most effective, especially because you’ll be prepared, and have a vision that we’ve discussed in depth, right? *wink* Of course I will consult with you and have you review the work throughout the entire process, changes and additions are always an option, but you can save time and money by leaving the preliminary cuts to me.
4. Editing, get going:
Ok. This is a biggie. Say we film something, then you go on vacation for two weeks, and I don’t have any direction/instruction for the editing segment while you’re away.
Two weeks go by, I’m waiting, working on other projects and the road map of your content in my brain slowly starts to fade. When you return with a stellar tan and are ready to chat about editing, your content has been shuffled around and confused in my brain. Which means, before actually beginning to cut stuff, and chuck out what we don’t need…I have to re-watch all of the content. This slows things down considerably, which costs you money in the long run. If you want to save money, get going.
So, to summarize:
- Be prepared
- Have a vision/plan
- Stay out of it
- Get going
Let’s get going!
Epicosity Studios 