1.      Have a precise plan.  Develop a clear project objective and state it in one or two sentences.  Now that you have a plan, every step in the production process should directly relate to that objective.  Having a clearly defined plan helps keep the entire project focused.

2.     Analyze your audience.  By carefully considering your viewer, you can define the most cost effective approach.  If your audience is internal, a straightforward, clean approach might be very effective (and demonstrate that you are spending dollars wisely at the same time).

3.     Shorter is better. One of the simplest ways you can control costs is to reduce the length of the finished video.  If you are writing the outline or the script, remember that most production costs are directly related to the length of the video.  Scripts often “grow” beyond their intended length when they are circulated for review.  Remind each author that there is a strict time limit on the finished video, and that additions in one area will require deletions in another. Shorter scripts are always more effective too. After all, communicating a clear message to your audience was your primary objective, right?

4.    Do a script reading.  A group reading where someone reads the script out loud to the other team members is a great way to finalize a script.  You will be surprised how reading a script this way changes your opinion of how it is written.  That’s because when you hear the words, you will imagine the visuals.  In the end, good visual flow is the most important part of any video.  Getting the script right the first time will save re-shoots and costly talent re-dos. 

5.     Identify all people with final authority. Be sure all people in your company who will eventually review the video have given their input before production begins. The old saying, “everyone’s a critic” is true.  Almost everybody who is asked to review a finished video will have a suggestion on how to make it a little better.  The challenge is to get their input before, not after production begins.

6.     Schedule for simplicity.  If four people need to be video taped, make sure all four are available on the same day.  Remind them that schedule changes will increase costs. Careful scheduling will eliminate the extra expense of additional location shoots.

7.     Be involved.  We welcome your input at all stages of production.  The better we understand your vision, the closer we will come to fulfilling it on the first edit.

8.     Film in our sound stage.  On those projects that involve multiple locations, bring all people who will be video taped to a central location, like our sound stage.  We can create multiple backgrounds and work very efficiently in a controlled sound and light environment.  Working in a stage can often eliminate one or more location days.

9.    Green Screen.  Making the best use of executive time is a great way to save money internally. By using Chromakey technology, we can make subjects appear in virtual (or realistic) locations.  We can set up our green screen equipment in a conference room in your building.  That way, execs can walk down the hall and deliver the message to the camera as if they were in a remote location.  During post production, we can electronically position them in your background of choice.  Editing chromakey backgrounds will increase edit time, but busy execs will thank you for saving them time and travel.

10. Deliver via the web.  When your project is completed, you can avoid the cost of mass duplication and mailing by posting the finished video on your secure company web site.  More and more of our customers are taking advantage of this option.  We can work with your webmaster to deliver them the best possible file format.  There are lots of advantages here.  First, it’s faster and less expensive than mailing.  You also avoid those instances where a DVD player may not be readily available.  Your IT department may also be able to track and report on which remote sites actually watched the video.

In today’s challenging times, everybody is searching for cost effective ways to communicate their message.  We have been helping our customers do just that for over 25 years. Just Ask Mainstream.