 Creative Intelligence @ Your Service |
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Creative Intelligence @ Your Service |
Site Map +1 214 234 9283 | Send Email |
Video production is a group effort with many people contributing specialized parts to create a cohesive whole. A sponsor, for example, may fund a production to articulate specific objectives. A creative team may then translate these objectives into a treatment and script. Casting will map talent to the script, and a director will manage cast and crew to capture the script on raw footage. Finally editing will assemble the footage into a finished production, which may then be presented to the sponsor.
Because so many people are involved, failure to account for the inputs required, activities performed, and outputs generated by the contributing parties usually results in an inefficient production. It is discouraging, to say the least, to keep the cast and crew waiting on a shoot for the result of a decision that could have been made earlier in the production life cycle. It is also difficult for the director and producer to keep track of all the effort required during the entire production without defining that effort in advance.
This type of behavior is not limited just to video production: similar difficulties arise in any group project, including manufacturing and software development (to name two). Those and other disciplines have contributed to a body of work known as process science for the control and management of large scale group efforts. We have taken elements of process science and applied it towards production planning to achieve higher levels of quality in our video productions.
A process is a collection of inputs, activities, and outputs performed by some entity. Machines can execute processes: the web browser you are using to read this page took as input a text file formatted in Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), interpreted the HTML tag instructions to determine page formatting as an activity, and rendered an image in a window as an output. People also perform processes: an actress will gather information from the director and script as inputs, develop a mental model for her character's behavior as an activity, and emote that character within the framework of the production as an output.
All processes must have at least one input, one output, and one activity. However a process may have additional attributes: entry criteria, which are rules that define when it is appropriate to start executing the process, and exit criteria, which define when to stop. We call processes having entry and exit criteria well defined. Additionally, a process may have associated metrics, which are measurements that help us determine if the process is functioning smoothly or not. We call such processes that have these metrics controlled.
We have developed a field proven, well defined production planning process. The process, documented in a separate white paper, consists of different stages:
Each of these processes is expanded in a separate table documenting entry criteria, inputs, activities, outputs, and exit criteria. We follow the tasks specified in these tables throughout the production life cycle. Although some projects may require more tasks, our experience shows these tables do not contain fluff: we documented just the tasks necessary for all but the smallest productions.
This table describes the Develop Content process, which takes us from establishment of objectives via a project proposal through development of a final script.
This table describes the Design Production process, which takes us from the final script through visualizing the entire production from the audience's point of view.
This table describes the Plan Production process, which prepares us for actual shooting.
Want some ideas on how this process can be applied to your specific needs? Please contact us or request a quote for more information.
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