Lights. Camera. Jargon! A Guide To Understanding The Top 20 Video Production Terms

Video production is a powerful and rewarding process, but it often involves technical language and terminology that can be daunting to those who are new to using video in their marketing plans.

Whether you’re a beginner, a seasoned pro or you’re about to work with a video production crew for the first time on a client project, having a basic understanding of the language used will help you navigate the world of video production with ease.

So, to help get you started, here’s a blog to demystify the 20 most commonly used video production terms.

Top 20 Video Production Terms

Footage or Rushes:

Raw, unedited video that has been recorded.

Frame:

A single still image in a paused moment in a video.

Frame Rate:

The number of frames recorded or played back per second. Generally, videos are between 24 and 30 frames per second

Aspect Ratio:

The proportional relationship between the width and height of a video image. This is often different between social platforms so knowing where you’re posting is important in choosing the right aspect ratio.

Resolution:

The number of pixels in a video image, typically measured in width x height. The higher the resolution, the higher the quality, but also the higher the file size, which might mean viewers online with slower bandwidths might experience buffering issues.

Keyframes:

Frames in a video that contain complete data and are used to define the starting and ending points of a change. These are particularly essential in animated videos.

Green Screen:

A technique used to replace the background of a video. Filming takes place against a solid colour (usually green but can also be blue) and everything of that colour is made transparent in post production.

Compositing:

The process of combining multiple video layers into a single image. For example, adding a text title over footage or replacing a background in a greenscreen video

Non-linear Editing:

The process of editing video using a computer-based system, as opposed to traditional linear editing methods where reels of physical film were cut with scissors and glued together

Render:

The process of creating a final video file from an edit.

Sync Sound:

The process of synchronizing audio and video tracks in a film or video production.

Audio Mixer:

A device used to adjust the balance of audio signals from multiple sources.

Boom Mic:

A long, handheld microphone used to capture audio on location.

Cut (or edit point):

A transition between two shots in a video, typically achieved by cutting the image and audio abruptly.

Fade:

A transition between two shots in a video, in which the image and/or audio gradually fade in or out.

Dissolve:

A transition between two shots in a video, in which one image slowly fades out as the other fades in.

Pan:

A shot in which the camera moves horizontally from one side to the other.

Tilt:

A shot in which the camera moves vertically, either up or down.

Zoom:

A shot in which the camera’s field of view appears to be getting closer or further away from the subject.

There are many technical terms used in the world of video production, but hopefully this short list provides a start for anyone looking to communicate with professionals in the industry.

If you would like to discuss how Dead Ready Productions could help with your video production requirements, please feel free to get in touch via the button below or by calling +44 (0)208 339 6139.

The Ultimate Planning Guide To Filming Your Conference Presentation

When organising videography for your conference, you first need to be clear on the type of video you want to create.

To ensure your video delivers above and beyond, there are some key considerations you should take into account beforehand, which will help your production crew both on the day and during the editing process afterwards.

Providing your production crew with certain information before your event, will ensure they are as prepared as possible for the big day!

In this article, we explain the key considerations you should take as well as the information you should supply to your production crew, in advance of your conference, to ensure you get the most out of your event.

Pre-Event Key Considerations

Confirm Your Objective

It sounds obvious, but knowing exactly what you want to achieve by filming your event is hugely important, and yet often overlooked. Are you looking to record the event for an audience unable to attend on the day?

Provide a recap for those who were in attendance? Or are you looking to create a promotional video to boost sales and marketing for your next event? Just three examples, but all benefitting from a different filming approach.

Create A Filming Schedule

Try to avoid ‘winging it’ on the day and deciding what to film while the event is actually in progress. Working with your video supplier to develop a filming timetable beforehand that corresponds to your event programme will help you to make sure that you’re getting all you need and can highlight any logistical issues – particularly when multiple cameras are involved and more than one type of video is being created.

It’s not unusual for requirements to change on the day and the crew will need to be flexible, but a schedule provides an important starting point.

Consider Combining Videography And Photography

One of the challenges of running an event is having to deal with many different suppliers. Using the same team for both video filming and for stills photography can help with this, saving you time when it comes to briefing people on what you need, and generally simplifying the process.

Of course, you need to be absolutely sure that the team you’re working with has the capability to deliver on both fronts.

Decide How To Use And Distribute Your Video

Many don’t think about this until the video has been created, but it’s worth considering – will it go on your webpage, social media channels, how will you notify people when the video is ready?

Knowing the answers to these questions beforehand can influence the filming approach taken by the crew, and will lower the risk of hold-ups and delays in post-production since the distribution strategy has already been agreed.

Review Previous Experiences

If you’ve worked with video production teams at events before, make the most of this and think about what worked and what you would like to do differently. Focus less on the process but more on the outcome of the video – did it achieve what you wanted it to and why/why not? Refining the process is an important part of ensuring that each video surpasses the one before.

Having provided video and photography services for a wide range of events, both across the UK and Internationally, the team at Dead Ready Productions are no strangers to working with a brief that’s less than fully developed, but we can work with you to ensure the end result exceeds your expectations.

Pre-Event Information To Supply Your Production Crew

Nine times out of ten you will have an audio visual team at the venue operating a sound desk and managing microphones on the stage, in addition to the camera crew. Clean, high quality audio is absolutely essential when filming a conference presentation, so ensuring everyone involved shares their contact details prior to the event is key.

Arranging a pre-conference call between the camera crew and the audio visual team is also the simplest way to ensure that both parties are aware of what’s needed and can communicate with each other without any issues both pre and post the event should they need to.

Agenda And Slide Content

It’s useful for the production crew to know the event agenda in advance as it will allow them to plan the day with maximum efficiency. It’s also helpful to give them as much information as possible about the content of the slides – how intricate and detailed are they; are there animations and/or videos involved? Are they in a format other than PowerPoint? Will the crew be able to get hold of the original PowerPoint files on the day?

The answers to these questions may affect the filming approach. Of course, not every presenter uses slides, so it’s useful to know if that is the case as well.

Number Of Presenters

If there will be more than one speaker talking at a time, or a panel discussion, this will have implications for the number of cameras needed, the positioning of those cameras and the approach to audio recording on the day.

Be sure to confirm the number of presenters prior to the event and update your production team if there are any changes, no matter how last minute, so they can make the necessary alterations to the set up.

Audience Involvement

Everyone loves an interactive presentation, with the exception of an unprepared camera crew! If there’s a great deal of audience involvement and you want to feature this in the video, then you need a minimum of two cameras and you need to consider how audio will be handled.

A roving handheld or boom microphone is the most common solution as this type of microphone is critical to getting clear audio for the video – you just have to make sure there are people in position to move these microphones swiftly to where they are needed.

Lighting

A common misconception is that the biggest lighting challenge for the camera crew is the amount of available light in a conference venue. In practice, it is usually the contrast between a very bright screen and a dimly lit lectern or podium that causes the biggest challenge.

A regular occurrence at conferences is having a very narrow spotlight on the stage, which in most cases the presenter will promptly step out from under and then deliver the rest of their presentation from the shadows. There are various ways to deal with these issues, so knowing the lighting set up at the venue will allow your production crew to come prepared.

Room Layout

Knowing the layout of the room is very useful, particularly for multi-camera shoots, as it allows different camera positions to be considered. If time permits, a pre-shoot location recce, where the room is set up as it would be on the day, is the best way to do this.

Filming Notices

Check if any of your presenters have any sensitive or copyright material in their presentations which should not be recorded. It also helps to inform them if you are filming their presentation in full, or simply capturing a few snippets for inclusion in a short promotional film.

Ask anyone who is filmed directly at the event to sign a release form as this will help avoid any issues at a later stage when you come to share and promote your event. Template release forms can be provided by the production company in advance, which you can tailor to your event.

If you are in the process of arranging a conference and you were considering filming the presentations, then we hope these useful tips have been helpful.

If you would like to discuss how Dead Ready Productions could help with filming your event, please feel free to get in touch via the button below or by calling +44 (0)208 339 6139.

Video Production For Event Organisers During Challenging Times

Dead Ready Productions chats to events organiser Jamie Chapple about the exciting ways the events industry is responding to the Coronavirus crisis.

Jamie takes us through some ambitious and innovative suggestions about how to create immersive remote events through the power of video, creating a whole new event experience that can be delivered directly to audiences at home.

If you would like to find out more about the services Dead Ready Productions can offer your business, please feel free to get in touch via the button below or by calling +44 (0)208 339 6139.

The First Month of Lockdown – What We’ve Learnt As A Video Production Business

Well that escalated quickly.

In late February, we were looking towards a spring and summer full of filming at international events. But on the 23rd March, the first UK Coronavirus pandemic lockdown began and everyone was confined to working from home.

Since then, like every other business, we’ve had to quickly adapt to the ‘new normal’ – and while a lot of uncertainty lies ahead, some things are already becoming clearer to us.

So as a video production company, what have we learnt over the last month?

1. Self-shooting is going to be important

It’s already evident that self-shooting is going to be a big feature of the coming months. Some of our upcoming projects have now changed approach with this in mind, with interviewees or presenters now filming their own footage and then supplying to us for postproduction, rather than relying on us to be their film crew.

It’s been interesting to see how television has adapted in this way. It’s been noticeable that many presenters and news journalists have already improved their self-filming technique massively over the last month! It was a highlight for me when an isolated Robert Peston managed to finally get his camera to focus on his face rather than his bookshelf.

The below Tesco advertisement is an example of something that in the past may have been shot with a film crew but instead uses self-shot content (or shot with the assistance of a family member) – and given the subject matter, the personal touch this provides is really effective:

2. The type of videos we’re making will change

It’s clear that things aren’t going to suddenly go back to how they were, and we can expect some form of social distancing in our lives for a long time yet. This obviously has implications for video production. But the bottom line is that content marketers are still going to need content, and the benefits that drive them towards video are still as relevant as ever. It’s just that the form that content will take, and the production process involved to create it, will change.

Animated Content

With fewer opportunities for live action filming, it’s likely that animated content will become increasingly important, in the form of explainer videos and animated infographics. 3D animation was already an area of increasing demand for us prior to the lockdown, a trend which may accelerate in the current climate as we see it used more in product videos, software tutorials and e-learning content.

Stock Footage

Videos based around previously shot footage, or drawing from stock libraries, may also become more prevalent. Fortunately, stock libraries these days are awash with high quality content, and tied in with the right voiceover script and music track can make for a truly compelling brand video.

Live Events

Live events may be off the menu for now but even with social distancing, filming with smaller crews will still be possible. Interviews and presenter-based content remain viable with the right preparation and planning, and will give clients access to the high production values needed when self-shooting won’t quite go far enough.

Drone Footage

Drone filming is another service that may become more prominent. Keeping away from people is generally a requirement of aerial filming anyway, and the locations we do this in tend to be more sparsely populated. So it’s well suited to the situation we’re in!

Aerial filming is something we love to work into projects but has always felt under-utilised, so we’d love to see more drone projects ‘get off the ground’.

3. Our role in the video production process will evolve

We’re already beginning to see how our clients needs are changing when it comes to video, and how we can better support them.

With self-shooting set to become so prominent, we’re providing more advice and guidance on how to do this to best effect – useful not only when creating publishable video content, but also for the vast amount of video calling we’re all now doing!

We’ve all been carrying very capable cameras in our pockets for many years now, and those who can learn to use them most effectively will really reap the benefits. And so we’ll be looking to support people with this as best we can – shifting from being the camera crew to offering remote guidance and direction.

A lot of live events are now moving to a virtual format, so we’re helping in ways such as supporting on podcast production for live debates that can no longer be filmed, and in helping to make webcast content as polished as possible. With everything being online for the foreseeable future, it’s all the more important that content is professionally packaged in order to stand out from the crowd.

Lastly, with clients keen to keep creating content but maybe unsure what’s possible or what approach best satisfies their objectives, it’s likely that our role as video consultants will become even more important. This means suggesting ideas on the type of videos you can make and how you can distribute them, and how to maximise the reach of your budget at a time when marketing spend may be particularly restricted.

4. Remote working is working for us

Because lots of our work requires instant access to huge 4k footage files, and we love the collaborative benefits of being face-to-face, we’ve always preferred to work together from our office. Until a month ago, working from home was generally reserved for specific tasks like scriptwriting and proposal creation.

However, it’s been really satisfying how quickly our team has adapted to a remote working setup. By setting up remote access to office-based computers, and providing everyone in the team with portable hard drives, we’ve become less reliant on being permanently connected to our main footage server. And by having regular team meetings over Skype and Microsoft Teams, we’ve realised how well we can still collaborate on projects, bounce ideas around, and enjoy each other’s company.

It’s been great how quickly we’ve overcome some of our perceived barriers to remote working, and it’s exciting to think how what we’ve learnt over this past month could provide us with more flexible working practices in the future.

5. The future is exciting

We’re under no doubt that challenges lie ahead, as they do for all businesses. But alongside those challenges lie opportunities that we’re excited about. We’re being forced to take a step back and re-examine the way we do everything, and make sure we’re best prepared for the future. We’re learning new skills that will benefit both us and our clients. And we’ve been reminded what a great team we have, and how ready we are to work through these challenging times together.

It’s still early days but as we move forward, video is going to be used in new and innovative ways. We’re looking forward to seeing what people and businesses do, and playing our own part in that. Not only will we find new ways to create the kind of video content we’ve always done, we’ll also see innovative approaches and new types of video content that may not have ever happened before the lockdown. And a lot of what we learn will have a lasting impact well beyond the point when things return to something resembling ‘normal’.

So with the first month of lockdown behind us, we may not have left our homes much but we’ve learned a lot! Please do share your own experiences with us – we’re all affected in different ways and it’s both fascinating and enlightening to hear how everyone is responding to the situation. In the meantime, stay safe!

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