Video Production

The art and process of video production can actually be divided into three discrete areas of effort. The first stage - Pre-Production - is the planning or inception stage. Here is where you plan what your film will actually look like. Most key decisions including camera angles, scene breakdown, microphone placement are made at this time. To assist the filmaker, hand drawn sketches are made that serve as a guide to what will be shot. This process is called "storyboarding". For multi-scene film projects, a shot list is usually made which details exactly what will be filmed and how on a specific day.

Production is the physical recording of video/audio footage. While all stages of the process are crucial, this stage has the greatest visual impact on the future audience. The quality of the finished product is dependent on the quality of the footage shot.

Post-Production entails editing the footage and applying a battery of effects, techniques, and additional material to augment the production effort. Some of the greatest creative decisions are made at this time.

This section will introduce you to the equipment used in the production process as well as many of the classic techniques employed to deliver the finished product.