Video production is very much a team effort because of the various skills and specialisms required. We here at Echo we offer a full in-house service which means that we can take a project from the very beginning to the very end. This usually starts withåÊour client sending us a rough brief and from that we develop an idea and storyboards/shooting scripts, arrange actors, locations and crew if required, film the videos and then carry out whole editing process (in a nutshell). Keeping the same or a very similar team is great because each member of the team learns how the other members work and what their strengths and weaknesses are. This is very important to you the client as it will save on production time and the close working relationships will be reflected in the finished video. However not all projects run like this because sometimes a particular style or specialism is required so in this blog I’m going to briefly look at the three main rolesåÊwhere thisåÊcould beåÊthe case to hopefully illustrate how flexible our service can be.
The three key video production team members
Director
Even though every member of a video production team is important it’s the director who has the most influence on a videos tone and style. The relationship between a director and the client should be a very personal one as this is where the core message for the video will come from. You may want to choose a director because of a particular storytelling style or production technique they specialise in. If this is the case then a good director should be able to workåÊwithåÊany production team and a good production team should be able to work with any director. An outside director is usually drafted in because the client has worked with them before so they already have a working history and the director would have a very strong understanding of the clients company and it’s ethos and values.åÊAs for production techniques it may be because the video requires a lot of green screen work so a slightly different directing style would beåÊrequired.
Director of Photography/Lighting Cameraman
A Director of Photography or DOP as they are refereed to in the industry works alongside the director to help bring their ideas to life through the use of lights and different camera techniques. In a similar way to the director an outside DOP may be used because of a particular filming style they have or because of a technique they specialise in. In the same way that a good director can work with different teams a good DOP should be able to work with a new team and a range of cameras and equipment. Using the same example as above if åÊa video requires a lot of complicated green screen work a DOP who has experience in this would be useful because the lighting set ups require a lot more work and thought compared to traditional scenes.
Editors
Once the video has been shot all the rushes (industry speak for the shots that were filmed) need to be compiled into an edit suite soåÊthe skilful and time consuming editing process can begin. All editors have their own style and way of working so it’s important to have the right editor on board. Not wanting to repeat myself, if we use theåÊcomplicatedåÊgreen screen example again, an editor that has experience in this may be useful so that the footage and backgrounds merge together seamlessly.
For the most part our own projects allow us to fulfil these three main rolesåÊand we hire in specialists or extra hands if required, however occasionally we are asked to work on other peoples projects because the client, director or producer has seen our work or they know us and like our style and work ethos.
If you have a project and need to fulfil a particular role please don’t hesitate to get in contact with either Will or Andy on 01273 911345 or email us here.