FAQ/Checklist
Production: New Client Checklist
"So Your Company Needs a Video"
by Amy Lou Abernethy, President of AMP
Whether you’re a veteran corporate communicator or you’ve found yourself tasked with “getting a video made” for the first time, I wanted to share some tips that can focus your efforts, save your company money, and make you the hero!
Know your budget
Can we just say this again? Know your budget! Production companies the world over probably get asked at least twice a week by prospective clients: “How much does a video cost?” This is a modern day Zen koan like the famous “What’s the sound of one hand clapping?” There is no correct answer. The video that we can make for you--the effective, on-target, compelling piece of communication--all depends on the budget that you bring to us. Is your project important enough for your company to put aside $50,000 to promote it? Or is there a modest $5000 set aside for communication? The budget defines the scope of the project right out of the gate. It tells us, immediately, whether we are shooting an executive in her office reading an address off a prompter or whether we are spending time in post-production developing eye-popping graphic effects.
I’ve often wondered, when a potential client knows how much they can spend, why they don’t provide that information up front. Inevitably, the budget comes to light, but often after several concepts have been developed and scrapped. It’s a frustrating process for everyone involved, and can lead to wasted time and money.
If your company wants to make a video, discuss together how much can be spent on the project. Provide that information, along with the other info gathered from the rest of this checklist, and you will have an efficient start and the grounds for a great partnership with your production company!
Know your content
Most of the time, potential clients want us to make a video as an extension of or replacement for existing print materials. Collateral materials of any sort - web pages, meeting notes, pamphlets - help get the process jump started. If these materials don’t exist, get together with the decision-makers and bullet point the information that needs to be covered in the video.
Know your audience
Who will be watching this video? What are their cultural touch points? For example, do they watch Comedy Central--or CNN? Do they eat at Taco Bell--or Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse? Do they shop at Target--or Barney’s? This information helps us begin to create a video concept and look that resonates with your particular audience.
Also, where will they watch the video? On a website? On a noisy convention floor? In a theatre? At home on a DVD player? This information helps us pick the correct format for your video and helps us decide music and graphic styles.
Know your decision-makers
Find out going in to the process exactly who needs to approve the budget, concept, script, casting, music, graphics, and first and second approval cut. Whew! That’s a lot to cover, and you’ll want to be crystal clear with your internal clients and supervisors about who is involved in signing off on these details. I have seen great projects get derailed or shelved because the right decision-makers weren’t involved early and/or often enough.
For example, a long-time client commissioned a video from us. We developed a concept together, he approved the budget and casting, and we went into preproduction. This was a fairly big project that involved a large cast and crew and elaborate location and props. The day before the shoot, my client’s new boss saw the script for the first time and decided the project should go in a different direction. In the end, they had a video they loved, but the cancelation fees inflated the budget, and I just hate to see money wasted like that. My client was in a new working relationship, and had assumed that he was the decision-maker. Turned out that his new boss liked being involved in the details of video communication. Lesson learned.
If you are working with a new group of internal clients or are spearheading a video communication project for the first time, be very specific with the people you’re working with. Ask: “Who are the decision-makers, here? Who needs to sign off on details like budget, concept, script, casting, music, graphics, and first and second approval cut?” Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.
Know your deadline
Not much to explain here: we just need to create our production schedule based on when you need a finished video. And in doing so, we’ll need to know from you how much turn-around time to build in for reviews. So, keeping your decision-makers in mind, help us out with that information when you tell us the deadline--something like “We need the finished video in eight weeks, and our review committee meets every Monday and Thursday. So, any approvals need to happen on those days.”
Also, if your project is going to be mass produced on DVD, you’ll want at least two weeks from the time the master is finished until the time the DVDs need to be ready.
Think multi-use and future-use
We just luuu-uve wringing every bit of use out of a budget, and this is one of our favorite tricks. While we are developing this video, let’s think about what else we might capture while shooting or how else we might use this footage. For example, we recently shot two training videos almost for the price of one for a client by asking this question: “Do you have any upcoming video needs that overlap this one?” Turned out that we were able to shoot footage in the same location on the same day; we got a good deal from voice talent for voicing two projects in one hour; and we used the same graphics for both projects. In addition, we have kept that footage in the client’s library and reused it in other projects.
This is also a super-handy thing to keep in mind when taping an executive address. Getting the CEO in makeup, and in front of a camera and prompter takes valuable time out of their day--but it’s just as easy to record two or three 3-minute address as it is to record one. So, if we are planning to shoot your CEO introducing your video, let’s think ahead to other ways we can take advantage of the camera crew you’ve booked. Could she tape an opening to a meeting she can’t attend? Add a personal welcome to the beginning of the new employee orientation? Let’s maximize the use of that budget!
Think relationship
Beginning a relationship with a video production company is like the start of any other relationship: we’ll be getting to know each other, how to most effectively communicate, how to play to each others strengths. We have clients of just about every personality-type you can imagine, and I learn which ones are most comfortable when we are ahead of schedule, which ones don’t ever want to talk about the budget, which ones need help gathering feedback from their decision-makers. I know that one client wants his milk heated and his coffee HOT and that another one will want Cuban sandwiches ordered in from the shop down the street.
And, most importantly, I know that our company is going to support this fledgeling relationship and do everything we can to help our clients be successful and deliver an outstanding project.
It might be scary at times if it’s your first production. Because this first project is just the beginning. It may seem daunting. But if you gather the important information, if you choose your production company carefully, you’ll not only succeed with this project, you’ll have laid the ground work for many future successes.