If you’ve found yourself thinking about making a video lately, whether it be for your business's social media page, or maybe even to showcase your band’s next live event, you’ve probably wondered how long it will take you to make the video - especially if you want to do it yourself. Unfortunately, as video can be whatever you want it to be, there’s not an exact answer on how long it could take to make one. But, we’ve put together a list of things that can affect the turnaround time. Keep reading to find out!
Your Level Of Videography Skills
The first one we’ve got to mention is how adept you are at videography and capturing things on film in a professional manner. Telling a gripping story through film takes so much more than turning on a camera and pressing record. What might look nice to the naked eye can look bland and boring on screen. You’ll need to think of things like focal point, composition, lighting, and even where your subject is within the frame. The more comfortable you are with the basics of videography, the easier it will be to get the shot you desire which will result in a shorter filming schedule.
If you’ve decided to hire a dedicated videographer or video production company, you should still take a good look at their portfolio and reviews. This will give you a better idea of how skilled they are in their field which can affect how quickly they can get the job done. However, even when hiring a professional, it’s important to remember that sometimes getting the job done at a quicker rate can result in a poorer quality video, so try to not put a strict timeline on the filming aspect of the project.
Equipment
The equipment you have at your disposal can affect how easy you can film something, but also the level of quality of the final video.
Cameras
Nowadays most Iphones and Androids have decent quality cameras that are easy to use. However, make sure you’re filming in the correct aspect ratio for the platform you’ll be posting your video to. For example, if you are posting to Tik Tok and Instagram it’ll be fine to keep your phone portrait as you film. But, if you need a landscape video, maybe for Youtube, Vimeo, or your own website, filming in portrait won't work and will look odd when the footage is stretched to fit a landscape screen. Doing this may result in re-shoots which can make the total time of your project longer than initially thought.
Most videographers will have a professional camera and they’ll know exactly how to use it. The beauty of this is, if you need the same video for portrait and landscape placements, they’ll be able to frame their shots so the same footage can be used across all platforms. This can speed up the filming process as multiple takes won’t be needed for different screen sizes.
Lighting
Believe it or not but lighting can make or break a video. Bad lighting can make even the nicest shot look poor and amateur. If you’ve hired a professional they should have their own lighting equipment to minimise this issue. However, if you’re filming the project by yourself, you might have to rely on natural lighting. This can add to the overall turnaround time as you might be limited to the times you can film due to the lighting.
Sound
When creating a video, sound is just as important as the footage itself. You could have a beautiful shot with stunning lighting, but if the sound recording quality is poor, people are more than likely to skip the video. Depending where you are filming, your phone or camera’s microphone might be fine to use. However, if you’re planning on filming outside, or in a big echoey space, the sound might not come out the best. You might end up spending extra time on set waiting for noisy cars to pass or finding ways to make the room less echoey.
If you’re planning on hiring a videographer they should have professional sound recording equipment which will eliminate most sound issues and speed up the filming process.
The Number Of Hands On Deck
If you’re planning on filming the video yourself, you might want to invest in some help (or ask people to volunteer). For example, setting up the camera, then making sure the lighting is just right, and then fixing the sound can be time consuming on your own, especially if you want to film in different locations and have multiple different angles. Someone who specialises in video production services will either have help with them, or be able to set up the shots quicker (even on their own) as this is second nature to them.
Actors
You might be tempted to save a bit of money by using friends, family, or even your fellow colleagues or employees in the video, but this can come with some drawbacks. Depending how confident they are in front of the camera it could take multiple takes of the same shot to get it just right. You might also end up having to go back and re-shoot if you notice something wrong while you’re editing the video together.
Your Level Of Editing Skills
Once you’ve finished shooting the video, you now need to edit it together. The filming aspect might have only taken you a few hours, but now you’ve got to look at all the clips you’ve taken and choose the best ones. This can also be even more time consuming if you’ve not been labelling your shots beforehand - you’ve seen film productions using clapperboards right? That’s what these are used for. You can get your hands on a cheap clapper board or simply state on camera what the shot is - but make sure you’re recording sound!
Once you’ve got all the clips you want to use, it’s time to edit them. The editing process is typically the longest part of filming a video, even for a professional. If you’ve never edited before, you might need to spend time watching tutorials and how-to videos, which can delay the release date of the finished piece. Alternatively, you could hire a video editor to put your film together so you can now sit back and relax.
How We Can Help
Scripting, storyboarding, and directing are all other elements you’ll need to consider too and can all increase the turnaround time of your video. But luckily we do the full package! We will be with you throughout your project every step or the way. We will help with any scripting and storyboarding you might need, and of course direct, film, and edit it all together. You can be as hands on or hands off as you like. We will create a scoping document which explains everything we will do while working on the project alongside your requirements and vision for the finished piece. We aim to make things as simple and easy as possible so you can relax while we bring your idea to life.
We have over 8 years of experience in video production and know what it takes to make a good video that tells a compelling story and gets you noticed. You’ll also get the two of us to work on your project with two 4K cameras and professional lighting and sound equipment. Plus we will go away after the video is filmed and edit it to your requirements with two free amendments for when things need tweaking.
If you’ve got a video idea you want to get off the ground, contact us today where we will arrange a call to see if we are the right fit for you. We always aim to be as open and honest as possible and aspire to make video accessible to everyone with our pricing.
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