For me, this usually starts with an e-mail or phone call. More and more these days, these are from an existing client, or from someone I know. After over ten years in business, repeat business is how I usually get more work.
The e-mail/phone call will usually outline what sort of video is needed. This is often in general terms but as the call/e-mails progress, we’ll arrive on a fixed brief and timeframe.
Both these are important as they make sure both parties understand what is required and by when. At the end of this exchange, I will usually then e-mail the client an outline of the shoot days together with an estimation of finish date.
It’s also at this stage that I’ll assign a project number and prepare a budget. (Click here for a sample budget).
Because most of my work is repeat business, I already know that the client pays on time and they in turn know that I deliver on time and on budget.
For a recent project which involved a number of interviews, I suggested to my client that it would be helpful if the interviewees could prepare written answers in advance. This helps make sure that they are covering the subject with the sorts of words and phrases that the client wants.
It also means that during the interview, both the interviewer and interviewee (and me as Producer) know that we have the answers we need to communicate the right information to the audience.
Good preparation makes for a smoothly running shoot. Some people say that this is 40 percent of the project time.
Then it’s just a matter of shooting it …
