Production Process

Phase 1 - Program/audience analysis

Outline the project and plan your approach.

Idea/purpose/outline - Have to have idea for program. Express the purpose of the program in one or two sentences. If it's more than that, probably too long or too convoluted for a video. Sketch out an outline ofwhat you think it wiH look like and say.

Project plan - Want to conduct a NEEDS ASSESSMENT. WHY do this video?

A) Purpose statement - What's the purpose? Why make this program? Purpose statement should be concise, clear and direct. Get feedback of it from others.

"We want to make this video because ... we need to make some money fast." ((POOR EXAMPLE - doesn't communicate anything.))

.... we want to motivate Floridians to recycle waste oil." ((GOOD EXAMPLE.))

Video is to be shown to others; therefore, the purpose statement - your reason for producing video should be a statement that is "other-directed." ("You-directed")

B) Audience - Group to whom a message is aimed.

Target audience - group whose characteristics has been identified and studied.

Market - people who will buy the videotape.

Who is your audience? Audience is central to all mediated communication. The more you know about your audience, the better. Will it be adults, children? Income? Age? Educational background?
Why analyze audience? Target your communication to particular audience.
What to identify... Need to identify as much as you can about your intended audience.

Characteristics/ Demographics Age, learning level Attitude toward message. Cultural context
Psychographics - lifestyles, values, beliefs, habits and perceptions.
Attitude "clusters" - "Pro animal rights?" "Health food-conscious?"
Relevant behaviors - What do audience members do (and why)?
Communication issues - Where do they go for information?
Topic knowledge - What do they already know? Is this new information you're presenting?
Motivations - What motivations will result from audience being exposed to your message?
Topic attitude - Will your audience have a positive attitude to what you have to say? Will it be negative?
Setting - Where will your audience be and what will members be doing when they receive your information?

Characterizing unknown audiences

Secondary sources - ask others.
Visualization - try to picture the audience.
Personal contact - talk to your audience members, if possible, to get some idea of their attitude toward your topic and what they need to know.
Focus groups - small group session, if audience is known. Show part of the tape. Get response.
Surveys - easy, but time-consuming.

Final guidelines

Analyze your audience by considering its functions and values/attitudes.
Deciding which audience element to emphasize will change with each situation.
The larger the audience the more likely that you'll define it as "general" but target specific characteristics.
"Match" your audience, topic, and purpose to your message.

C) Content - What is the subject matter? What's the "guts" of the program? We'll look at content more in-depth in a couple ofweeks.

D) Program format - What is most appropriate format? Types:

Documentary - history, subject, issues
Event coverage - sports
Demonstration - training
Interview - perspective
Discussion - two or more people's perspective
Magazine - variety of techniques, segmented
Newscast
Music video
Interactive - w/ computer
Drama - entertainment, education
Comedy - humor, education, training.

E) Program elements - What will the 'parts' be to the program? What video will be needed to match content? Will computer graphics be needed?

F) Program use - how/where will it be used? Want to do all you can to make sure program will be used. Don't want it sitting on a shelf. How will it be distributed so audience will be view it? Cable, videotapes?

G) Financial matters - What are the financial matters? How much will it cost? Usually given a ballpark estimate. What source of funds? Grants, corporation, TV network What is your arrangement with funding source? Keep raw footage? Copyright?

H) Equipment -What equipment and facilities will be used? Video format -- Beta, Hi-8, 3/4-inch, VHS

I) Locations - What locations will be involved in the production? One or two locations? Spread all over? This figures into your budget.

J) Personnel - Who will be involved in the production? One-man-band? Many?

K) Scheduling -When will the production occur and be completed? Develop a timeline of when the project will be done. How many hours of shooting and editing will it take? (EXAMPLE: two hours of editing for one minute of video.)

L) Evaluation - How will the success of your program be measured? What criteria will be used? Surveys? Change of behavior?

Previsualization

When you've settled on content, want to "see" what your program will look like. Imagine through "previsualization" what the program will look like. Will take some time. After you've done this, will be easier to write an outline or treatment.

Preliminary outline

Once the concept is crystallized, need to write a preoutline. It gives the program specificity and shows how the content relates to the format. Shows what will need further research. It's primarily a worksheet for YOU. Leave lots of space to write stuff in. Make changes.

Treatment

An outline in prose form. Narrative description of the program. Can be just about any length, but deals with the program in detail.

Phase 2: Preproduction

Research

Need to research topics, whether in a library or by talking to people. (Interviews, reports). Have to have basis for program in terms of content.

Scriptwriting

One-colunm format for TV dramas and movies. Two-column format most commonly used for training, sales promotions, TV commercials and news.

Storyboarding

Visual representation of the sequencing of shots within a program. Contains sketches of words with the pictures. Helps you and others visualize the final project.

Phase 3: Production

Arranging talent - buying an actor/narrator

Crew assignments - who's doing what? Producer? Shooter? Editor?

Scouting locations - outside shoots, will there be a suitable inside location if it rains? Electrical outlets? Lighting? Sound (phones ringing/ambient sound)?

Actual shooting - what most people consider "PRODUCTION." Actually a small part in the big picture. You'll want to LOG YOUR VIDEO as you go along, instead of waiting to do it all at the end of the project.

Roles in the "Production" process

Producer - Uses the TV production machine to gather, create and assemble appropriate production elements into a comprehensive fonn that will convey the message most effectively. The primary role is to assume overall responsibilityfor the project from beginning to end. Must retain a "big picture" of the project with and eye on major production goals, time schedules and budgets. Producer turns over operation to the director during this stage. Allows other people room to be creative.

Director - Makes the final decisions about which images and sounds will be used and their order. Will decide how the various production elements will be connected by cuts, dissolves, cross fades and fades to black. Controls how the production elements are combined.

Phase 4: Postproduction

Off-line editing - refers to a system is not comected to a production switcher. It stands alone, only having the capability to transfer audio and video to a recorder. Makes cuts-only transitions. It's a pre step to maldng the final program master.

On-line editing - where the off-line editing's edit decision list (EDL) is used to make a master, with dissolves and special effects, and other transitions. ((All of ours will be ON-LINE EDITING.))