This is an article I read on Screensite.org. It has some good tips on planning a production no matter how big or small.

Film & TV Production: Planning a Production

Successful planning of a video or film production, like any project, requires clear objectives and realistic expectations regarding costs and project timeframes. Read More below for information and questions designed to help you clarify your goals, establish acceptable parameters for cost estimates as they relate to expected levels of production quality, and estimate production times.

Establishing Objectives

Effective communication depends on clarity of purpose. Usually, the purpose is to solve a problem or meet a need. Although a video can accomplish two goals it is best to focus on one. If you try to achieve two or more goals, the messages become confusing and difficult to remember.

When identifying objectives, ask yourself these questions:

What is the problem that you expect the video to solve, or the need you expect it to meet?
What one or two things in the list below do you expect this video to DO?

For additional clarification, here are the things a video production can DO:

1. Train
2. Inform
3. Motivate
4. Entertain
5. Sell

Defining the Audience

Just as with any form of communication, you must put yourself in the shoes of the person who will be viewing your video to determine the approach you need to take.

Answer the following questions about your intended audience.

1. Exactly who is your audience (profession, age, # of members, etc.)?
2. Why do they need to know this information and how will it benefit them?
3. What is their present level of knowledge about the subject?
4. What are their current attitudes about the subject? (i.e., eager to know, apathetic, neutral, antagonistic)

Defining Program Usage

This can greatly impact how your video is shot. Will people view it in their homes? From the back of a 50 x 50 conference room? On small portable viewers?

Style Your Video

To the extent of your knowledge, define the production values or standards expected. Broadcast quality? Straightforward information? Fast-paced, with lots of edits? Just a basic studio set –up? Animation required explaining technical or clinical information? Particular special effects needed? Out –of –town shooting locations required?

Establishing Timeframes

As with any production schedule, the more time you have to plan and produce a video, the better. It is especially important in medical companies to allow sufficient time for internal review by everyone who will need to do so, of the script, the cost estimates, the rough edit, the final edit. To an extent, the total length of the program and other requirements, such as fixed dates for location shooting, may drive the schedule. Sometimes a “drop-dead” date, such as a convention, drives the schedule. In general, it is advisable to allow at least eight weeks from the initial meeting to discuss the project to the delivery of the final program. Excellent programs can be done, and have been done, in considerably less than eight weeks, but they usually require significantly more devoted attention by everyone involved, and rely on a degree of luck in avoiding unforeseen problems.

Establishing Cost Estimates

With video production, as with just about anything you buy, there is a very wide range of prices depending on the “features” you need. The first instinct of anyone on a tight budget is to say, “We don’t need more features-what’s the least it could cost?” However, the appropriate way to approach this question is “what’s the least it could cost to accomplish its objectives effectively?”. Think about buying a car. All cars serve the same purpose, they get you from point A to point B, however, if you want style, speed or status the dollar amount increases with the amount of features you add. The same is true with video. The production quality of a program that will only be shown a few times to a few audiences inside the company does not need to be at the same level as a 60 second infomercial that will be seen at a major convention. The important thing is to match the production quality of the program to its goals and intended audience. Within this range there may be less expensive and more expensive ways to approach various aspects of the production.

For estimating video production costs, it is generally useful to have a rough idea of how long the finished program is expected to be. If you are shooting an in-service that usually takes 20 minutes in person, you can estimate that it will probably take about the same amount of time on video. An industry rule of thumb is to estimate $1,000-$1,500 per finished minute of any program that lasts at least 6 or 7 minutes. This can vary considerably depending on factors such as number of locations for shooting, animation or other special effects required, whether professional actors are needed, etc.

In general, the most accurate estimate comes after the script has been written and approved. However, most companies must know and plan for total production expenses before script writing even begins. A fairly accurate estimate can usually be developed from what is called a script treatment. After meeting with the company to discuss the programs objectives and requirements in detail and perhaps doing some preliminary research, the script writer will prepare a treatment- a descriptive, specific outline of what the script will do and how it will do it. The treatment is then presented to the company and together the company and the writer modify it as necessary. The program is then estimated from the approved treatment.

For more information, feel free to visit www.veritefilm.com or contact Kent Y’Blood directly at info@veritefilm.com