London video production services
BBC trained and with over 15 years of broadcast experience, I offer a range of professional video production services. Working as a freelance video producer I deliver high-quality broadcast standard films and videos for broadcast. In this case study, I explain the process behind a recent commission.
Commission brief
The Faculty of Public Health (FPH) and the Mental Health Foundation (MHF) commissioned my video production services to deliver three short educational films. The aim of each of the three films was to show public mental health services in action across the UK. Each of the films were to feature one of three shortlisted entries for FPH’s Public Mental Health Awards 2016. The films were due to be shown at the 2016 Public Health Conference as a way of illustrating new ways of thinking and best practice.
Starting the video production process
Early on in the production process, I met with representatives from the MHF and FPH to hear more about their plans. After this initial meeting, I submitted a budget for my video production services and an outline of a production plan for the project. Once the project had been given the go-ahead, I was sent a document for each of the three projects to be featured. I was also sent the contact details for each of the three teams so that I could start work on producing the films.
Two of the three projects which had been chosen to be featured were based in the South West of England while the third project was based in Lanarkshire. After speaking with each mental health project leader, I was able to formulate a filming schedule that everyone was happy with. With the filming schedule in place, a list of contributors to be interviewed was developed in conjunction with the project leaders in each area.
Location filming
For the filming of the projects in the South West, I hired a car for a few days so that I could drive down to film the two projects located in the Devon and Somerset areas. Having the car helped me access the more remote locations of the filming schedule efficiently and also enabled me to film a greater range of relevant cutaways and interviews that would have been impossible to do if being restricted by using public transport. For the third film for the project in Lanarkshire. I took the train up to the area from Euston with my filming kit and returned to London the following day. All three films were filmed in 4K with high-quality external sound recorded by the Tascam DR-60.
London video editing and post-production
Once all the filming had taken place I started to edit the videos back at my London base. Once the media is transcoded I then sync up the pictures with the digital sound files and then edit a long-form separate timeline for each film featuring all the sync interviews. I then watch and listen through all the interviews many times, progressively editing down the video timeline duration until I have the most relevant and succinct synclines that I think l will best suit the films’ brief. I edited the films together so that they were self-explanatory and would not need the addition of a voiceover.
Once the audio sync had been edited into the correct duration for each film, I then made the visuals work by editing in a combination of video cutaways, sound fx, music, still images, still photographs, logos and text elements details of which had been provided by each project’s co-ordinators.
Client sign off and delivery
Then, with each film edited to my satisfaction, I uploaded the three films to my own Vimeo channel and sent them, as password-protected private links for feedback. After their feedback had been received, the Vimeo link was then sent to each of the project’s team leaders also for their input and feedback. After a series of discussions, I actioned their required amendments. Each of the three films were finally signed off ahead of the original agreed time schedule. The films were then delivered to the client as both high-resolution ProRes 422 files for archive and as files suitable for uploading to YouTube at 1920 x 1080 resolution. All three films have been uploaded onto the FPH YouTube Channel.
If you would like any help or guidance with your video production, filming or video editing please get in touch.
