Video production

The production phase is the most important phase in a video production

This is where you form and record the content and figure out the exact pictures we need for the final video – since real life not always reflects the storyboard or the manuscript.

When you have to film something it is very important to have the right equipment. Which camera are we gonna use? How much light do we need? Do we need a Dolly or a slider? And which camera opticians do we need? Do we need a 24-70 mm or a 70-105 mm to get the best interview pictures?

These thoughts is something our clients and partners don’t have to think about. This is the choices we make for them with our expertise, to give all our clients and partners the best product in the end.

Video production requires the right equipment

When the script and sometimes the storyboard has been approved the planning phase starts where we allocate equipment for the production. In this process we take into mind where we have to film. If we gonna need a drone an approval process starts and we are planning a time schedule for when we have to go and film.

At Make Sense we use different cameras e.g., Blackmagic and Sony among others. It depends on the assignment and the situation we need the camera for.

When we have chosen the equipment package, we load the production truck and then we are ready for takeoff. It doesn’t matter if it’s a video production in Odense, Hilleroed or Copenhagen.

We arrive at the location

When our video journalists arrive at the location, they take contact to the contact person at the location.

Typically, we arrive 20-30 minutes before the actual shooting starts so we have the possibility to find the perfect place for the interview and where we can get some coverage with some extra features that we have to have in mind during the filming.

It’s important for Make Sense that the people who has to be in front of the camera are feeling safe in the situation and that’s why we use some time to talk through the interview, small talking and clarify any doubt questions.

Few people has experience with journalistic film productions and that’s why we want people to feel safe and calm before the interview starts.

Interview first – coverage after. Sometimes…

Depending on the video production we will make the interview first. We will do that to optimize the time at the location. We don’t want to waste our clients time more than necessary. We know that time is money and therefore we try to optimize the process as much as possible by working fast and focused when we make the interviews.

But we know that things can change. That’s why we are flexible and can change our production around so we can film the interview later. It’s very important for us to be calm and not be stressed when we start on the interview.

The interview situation

When we have found the perfect sport for the interview, we start setting up our equipment. We put a microport on the interviewee and maybe set up some light if it’s too dark in the room.

Normally we look for rooms with corridors, long rooms, or places with nice backgrounds when we make interviews. We do that to create a more interesting background for the interview.

The interview, depending on the topic, takes approximately 10-15 minutes. Before the interview starts, we make a small briefing, we set the lights and make the last adjustments on the camera, which will take us about 25-30 minutes. This can of course vary a lot – depending on the size of the interview.

Beforehand we will give you an approximately time slot we need to shoot the interview and the rest of the video production.

A guided interview

We always run through the interview before we start on the real one, so both parts know which questions we are gonna ask and the interviewee don’t have to feel nervous to make mistakes during the interview. We know which quotes we need and that’s why we can ask the same question in different ways to get it right one.

Most of the interviewee will be interrupted by our journalist when they start on a sentence. We don’t do it to be annoying but it’s very important that the interviewee answer the question with the question in the beginning of the sentence. This will ease the editing process.

So, for example if the question is: “Why is it tough to live with cancer?” the answer should be “It’s tough to have cancer because…” and not “Because it’s tough”.

When we are finished with the interview, we say thank you to the interviewee and ask if they have any more comments that they have in mind. If not, we will remove the microport and take the next interviewee in line, if we have more people to interview.

Coverage, B-roll, second unit – Success has many fathers

Everything else than the interview is typically called coverage. It could be pictures of the exterior, which is pictures of the building from the outside, artifacts, or other interesting things inside or a process which can support the interview.

Sometimes the video journalist asks you to repeat some movements to get it from a better angle – again it’s not to be annoying, it’s just to make sure we get the best coverage. It’s often at this point we change the camera opticians to get the subject in focus and the background blurred.

During a production we can have multiple video journalists working at the same time. They are often under supervision of a production leader who has the full perspective of the production.

The production leader will often be the project leader during the production – so if there are any question, wishes or something else, always ask the project leader.

… and, CUT!

When we are done with the filming, we always double check our shooting list and storyboard to make sure we have everything that we need.

If we have everything, we start packing the equipment and say our goodbyes. Often, we will bring the raw material to either Odense or Copenhagen and the next step in the video production line starts – post-production.

Read more about: Post-production of video and editing ▶️

We deliver a final version of the film and any subtitles.