Online video has become a necessity in business. It is a powerful marketing tool that elevates your brand,

builds desire for your product or service among viewers and drives traffic to your site. But what is needed to

produce a video that works hard for your company to increase web traffic and sales?

Producing a quality video as cost effectively as possible can be a tremendous challenge for most business
owners. There are important choices that are frequently made which weigh content and production quality
against cost. Guess which one wins out most? Well, it’s not quality and that is a huge problem. Why?
Because, when you sacrifice the content, the message or the production quality, you not only risk the true
benefits of online video, you may repel prospective clients!

If price is the most important consideration, then you might go with a friend or relative who can shoot the
video for free. Your pocketbook may thank you initially, but the likelihood that your video will drive traffic or
sales becomes very small. so your long-term financial goals may suffer from this short-term thinking.

As a professional video production house, I rarely hear price as the main requirement upfront. Usually
there are marketing objectives that are brought out first. But this becomes the sticking point later in the
conversation because video looks “so easy” to produce that it seems anyone could do it.

Industry standards suggest it takes 10-15 hours to produce one minute of video. Surprised to hear that? But
that is what it takes.

Here’s a peak behind-the-scenes of professional video production so that you have a better working
knowledge of what it takes to make a quality video that will deliver your marketing objectives.

1. The producer and director meet to discuss 2-3 concepts for a 3-minute video that will be used on the
client’s website as well as for sales: The client’s objective is to cram a 20-minute presentation into this 3-
minute video. This first meeting will likely take 2 hours to complete. [2]

2. The director and producer set up a pre-production meeting with the client to present the concepts and
select one. At this point the “cast” is also chosen. This usually takes about an hour. [1]

3. Producer meets with the writer to share the concept and client content for the video which takes about
two hours.[2]

4. The writer works on the script for 4-6 hours and shares it with the producer who requests changes. Once
a draft is complete, they meet with the client who provides feedback and request additional changes which
can take another few of hours to gain final approval. [4-7]

5. The producer sets up the shoot day and contacts additional staff such as the makeup artist, camera
operator and the location. [1]

6. Details for the shoot day are shored up including final staffing, location details and shot logs (camera
angles, b-roll and others), equipments lists, as well as a call sheet, which is a list of on-site responsibilities.
All of these details take another 4 hours. [4]

7. The producer confers with the client to communicate the pre-production plan which is another hour. [1]

8. On the day of the shoot, the staff arrives 2-3 hours prior to the start of filming. Set up gets underway
including lighting and audio checks. The “cast” arrives one hour prior to the start time with another round of
lighting and sound checks with talent in place.[2-3]

9. Recording begins and for 3-minutes can take three to four hours with several takes for each segment and

11. A few days later, the director and producer meet with the editor, load the footage to the editing suite and
provide recorded time/code shot logs. The editor begins reviewing the 3 hours of footage and any additional
graphics and logos to be included in the video. The producer is brought in to review the work and check
for accuracy, start working with music and any other video that might be added to the project and all of this
takes about 9-12 hours. Clients will be shown three weeks of the shoot. [9-12]

12. The client is shown the rough cut and requests changes as needed which often requires a one-two-hour
meeting. [1-2]

13. Once the next steps are agreed upon, the editor starts making the changes which can take an additional
4- 6 or more hours to complete this phase of editing. [4-6]

14. The final video is prepared for delivery and presented to the client for approval or any final changes.
Sometimes changes can take two – three rounds to gain final client approval. [1 -3 hours]

15. Then the editor creates the video in a variety of formats for its different uses such as DVD for TV, DVD
for computer, and a You Tube online format. This requires an additional 3 hours for transcoding, creating
the formats and loading on You Tube. [1-3}

Add all that up and you’ll see that It can takes as much as 45 hours (or more) to create a 3-minute
professional-quality video. Next time you can an estimate for a video, you‘ll have a much better
understanding of what it really talks to make a great video and feel better about the value of the extensive
work involved.

Your friend or family member might make an inexpensive and quickly produced video that you feel is
sufficient. But, will it work on your prospects? Will it cause them to take action and call or email you? Will it
help prospects feel they can trust you?

As you can see, without following these steps, your video will not likely have the professional elements go
required for a quality production to properly represent your company, your product or service and compel
your prospects into action so they become clients or customers.

About a month ago, Apple announced the newest version of Final Cut Pro, its most popular video-editing software. Final Cut Pro has long been the professional standard for videographers and editors. Final Cut Pro X’s new improvements and desirable price point just may blow the competition out of the water.

The newest version is essentially iMovie on steroids with a completely redesigned interface, 64-bit memory addressing, and better automation to simplify tedious tasks. Final Cut Pro X also features automatic audio clean up, “range-based keywording,” and advance people and shot detection.

However, the most shocking thing about the latest version is the price tag: $299. The current version costs $999! The $300 price point means almost everyone can afford the industry standard in editing software. Buyers will be able to purchase and download Final Cut Pro X straight from the app store in June. Read Final Cut expert, Larry Jordan's, opinion here.

Read more about the new release here.

A key component of creating professional videos is the ability to effectively use a green screen. A green screen grants you the freedom to add any background to your subject during post-production. However, a badly lit green screen can take your video from professional to poor in an instant. A properly lit a green screen is one of the most important tools to have in your professional video arsenal. Here is a blog with some easy to follow tips on properly lighting a green screen.   Their tips are easy to follow and this is a handy blog to use anytime you are setting up for a green screen shoot.

I also wanted to add some of my favorite tips and tricks for you to remember when using a green screen. Always remember when shooting with a green screen:  Do not allow your subject to wear the color of the screen (typically blue or green). The background you add to the video will also appear on anything that is the same color. The most important element  is the lighting. Great lighting will make your post-production easy. Also if you are looking for an inexpensive lighting option, Home Depot sells inexpensive construction lights. Buy a 1000 watt light and remove the grill and you will have a nice high wattage light for your shoot.

On April 9th we are offering a Green Screen Lighting Workshop http://greenscreenlighting.eventbrite.com/

For more each tips and tricks read the online filmmaking blog here: http://www.misteridigital.com/2010/green-screen-tips/#more-382

Please add your comments and suggestions for successful green screen lighting below.