Video process

What you do—or fail to do—at the start of a project will have a direct (and often cumulative) impact on every part of the process, right through to final delivery.

The brief

It is highly recommended that a detailed creative brief be drafted as early as possible. Essential details include:

What is required?

• A brief description of what is to be produced and delivered. For example, a 2-minute product demo or a 30 second marketing sizzle.

Where will it be distributed?

• Include deliverables like formatting for web, social, or large screen projection.

Who is it for?

• Define the audience for the video: business owners, accountants, investors, partners, colleagues... What is unique about them and what do they value?

Why does it need to be created?

• Clearly state the purpose for creating the video. What is the problem it will solve? How will you measure its success?

When is it required by?

• Set a deadline. Also stipulate any key milestones required for sign off.

Once all of this information has been gathered, it should be shared with all members of the creative team, as well as with the stakeholders. This ensures that everyone is on the same page from the outset.

Audience considerations

It is essential to clearly define the audience for whom the video is being made. Different audience personas will have different expectations and requirements, and a video should be created with these in mind.

Sage buyer persona example

Obligations

A project cannot begin until both sides have agreed to their obligations. In order to do this:

• The creative team must be aware of what needs to be delivered and in what timeframe.
• Stakeholders must be aware of what is required of them, both in terms of timely feedback and assets that will be used in the creation of the video.

Make sure you have a strong sense of the overall structure of the project—what must be done, when, and by whom—and how each part relates to the others. You should be able to imagine the shape of the project from start to finish.

Double diamond structure

Schedule

It can be useful to have a schedule that includes all tasks and reviews to make sure the project will be completed on time. Timelines may vary from short sprints to longer durations, but the structure and shape should be more or less the same.

For example, if the below schedule were a 2-week sprint, each chunk would represent 1 day. In a more compressed scenario, a chunk could represent a half day, or even less.

Schedule example

While the project is laid out in a linear fashion, there may be situations where tasks can be done in tandem, and some tasks will overlap with others, provided the resources have been obtained to allow for this.

File management

Create a single repository for all files and assets that will be used in the creation of the video. Folders should be clearly named and have an obvious structure and hierarchy.

File structure example

Sometimes, for speed, the editor will choose to work with files stored locally on their own machine. They should adhere to the same file structure so that their project can be archived back to the cloud for security and easy access in future.

Information sharing

It is essential that primary project information is available to all team members. This includes:

• The product
• The people
• The branding
• Any in-product naming conventions

This helps to prevent different people creating different sections of the video that conflict with the others.

Primary project information should be stored in a central repository where it can be easily accessed when needed by any team member.

The script

Writing the script

While the elements to be communicated in the script can be delivered by the PM and/or the creative team, the writing of the script itself should (if possible) be done by a Content Designer to ensure that it's properly structured and written in the Sage voice using the appropriate tone for the given context/audience.

Storytelling structure

When writing the script, try to stick to a classic storytelling structure, such as:

Situation -> Complication -> Resolution

This will create an experience for users that is both familiar and engaging.

Another example of storytelling structure

Script approval

The script must be signed off by stakeholders before the commencement of animation/graphics. Changes to the script when production is under way can have a huge knock-on effect and pose difficulties with aligning the changes across the different tasks in progress.

The storyboard

Once the script is approved, it can be broken down into smaller parts. These parts can be paired with associated visuals—still frames that represent what the final graphics/animation will look like.

Storyboard template

Breaking the script out into a storyboard like this can be helpful for stakeholders to better visualize what the final video might look like.

It's also useful for the creative team when assigning different members to work on different parts, for example a UX designer to work on an interface mockup while an animator works on motion graphics.

This is where most of the time on your project will be spent. Allow up to 40 per cent of your schedule.

Voice over

Once the script has been finalized, the text can be used to create a voiceover. Currently, the following applications are approved for use at Sage:

• Microsoft Clipchamp
• Available to all Sage colleagues 
• https://clipchamp.com/
• WellSaid Labs
• Request a license by completing the software request form
• https://www.wellsaid.io/
• Camtasia
• Request a license by completing the software request form
• https://www.techsmith.com/camtasia/

Microsoft Clipchamp text to speech

Make sure to select the tone of voice that matches the requirements of your audience:

• Investors - formal and confident
• Customers - friendly and approachable
• Partners - cooperative and inclusive
• Colleagues - inspiring and positive

Timeline

Once the storyboard has been approved and the voiceover has been generated, the editor can create the timeline. This is usually done using Adobe Premiere Pro—an editing software package that can be used to bring together and manipulate visual and audio assets.

Adobe Premiere Pro

The editor will lay in the voiceover and place visuals to correspond to the story board. By doing this, the editor can establish the timing of the video, giving the other team members a good indication of the duration of the graphics or animation that they need to create for each section.

If music is required, this is the time to add it in. Adding music will give a sense of the overall rhythm and tone, which is helpful both for team members creating animation and graphics, and for stakeholders to feel confident in the direction of the video.

It can be useful to export an animatic at this stage—a rough version of the video with placeholder visuals—so that stakeholders can give feedback before the more time-consuming work begins.

Graphics/animation

The visual assets that are required will depend on the audience for—and the purpose of—the video. Animation, motion graphics, glossy UI, videography, and other high-end elements will need to be created by experts in particular disciplines.

Glossy UI example

These colleagues should be engaged as soon as the project begins so they can give feedback on the scope of the brief and flag any concerns in advance of the start of production.

It is essential that the creators of these visual assets follow strictly the file naming conventions agreed upon by the team. This will make it much easier for the editor to log and track iterations across the duration of the project so that everyone can have confidence in the content they are reviewing.