In today’s digital age, using videos for marketing, branding and communication is no longer a luxury but a necessity. This presents a critical decision that companies must make: produce videos in-house or outsource to professional production companies. Each option carries its own set of advantages and disadvantages that can significantly impact a company’s output and bottom line. This blog post will delve deep into both methods, comparing costs, quality, flexibility, and turnaround time to help you make an informed decision about your company’s video production strategy.
In-House Video Production
Video production has become an integral part of every business organization striving to achieve effective communication with its audience. More than ever, producing video content in-house has become a preferred choice by most companies, thanks to the cost-effective and comprehensive control it offers. This guide will explore an in-depth understanding of what in-House Video Production is, why it is important, its benefits, and a step-by-step process on how to do it.
What is In-House Video Production?
In-house video production involves creating and producing video materials internally, rather than outsourcing them to a third-party production company. It involves utilizing the internal staff, resources, and equipment to create content that promotes the company’s products, services, or overall brand.
Why is In-House Video Production Important?
Having an in-house video production capacity can bring numerous benefits to a business. Apart from being cost-effective, it ensures direct control over the production process, allowing for quicker turnaround and changes if necessary. It also enables a deeper understanding of the brand, as no one knows the company’s narrative better than the internal team.
Moreover, in-house video production fosters creativity within the team as they experiment with different formats, content, and techniques. It also enables the comprehensive utilization of content as it can be repurposed across different platforms to reach a broader audience.
Pros and cons of In-House Video Production
In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, video content is gaining significant traction for its ability to deliver messages clearly and succinctly in a format that aligns with prevailing online consumption habits. Many companies are considering incorporating a video production department within their internal framework, eliminating the need to outsource these services to third-party agencies. However, before jumping the gun, it’s crucial to understand the pros and cons associated with in-house video production.
Pros of In-House Video Production:
1. Cost-Effective: In-house video production may work out to be less expensive over time compared to hiring professional video production agencies. Companies can invest in decent quality equipment and do not have to pay outsourcing costs for each video.
2. Complete Creative Control: Having your video production in-house gives you complete creative control over the production process. This can help ensure that the end product is fully aligned with your brand and its marketing objectives.
3. Faster Turnaround: Since there is a dedicated team working on the project, the final video can be produced in a much quicker timeframe compared to outsourcing.
4. Efficient Communication: In-house production means there are fewer communication barriers. You can directly liaise with the team, make changes, and provide feedback instantaneously.
5. Availability: As your team is readily available, you can create videos on an as-need basis without having to work around a production company’s schedule.
6. Intellectual Property: With in-house video production, all output remains the intellectual property of the company, which may not always be the case when outsourcing.
Cons of In-House Video Production:
1. Limited Expertise & Creativity: Your in-house team may lack the expert skills and diverse creativity of a specialized video production agency. As a result, your video may not turn out as professional or engaging.
2. Time-Consuming: Even with a dedicated team, video production can take up a lot of time. The process involves brainstorming, scripting, filming, editing, and promoting, which could divert resources and attention from other core business activities.
3. Cost of Equipment & Technology: Quality video production requires a certain level of equipment which can be expensive to purchase, maintain, and upgrade.
4. Lack of Variety: An in-house team could mean that all videos are highly similar. A lack of variety can cause fatigue amongst your audience.
5. Less Network: Professional production companies often have a vast network of talent and partners that they can use to elevate a production. An in-house team may not have access to the same resources.
6. Training: Your team may require continuous training to remain up to date with the latest video production techniques and technologies. This could be an added cost and effort for the company.
Step by step guide In-House Video Production
Step 1: Planning and Scripting
The first step to any video production is careful planning. Define your idea, set your goals, and research your audience. What is the video’s purpose? Who do you want to reach? Knowing these answers helps guide your production.
Next, create a script and storyboard that outlines your video’s flow. This step ensures all valuable information is covered and gives a visual guide for your shots.
Step 2: Budgeting
Identify your budget before production begins. Your budget will dictate the equipment you can afford, the location for shooting, the length and quality of your video, and if you’ll need to hire additional staff.
Step 3: Organize Your Video Production Team
An in-house video production can be a one-man-show or involve a large team. Depending on your company’s size, you could have a producer, a scriptwriter, cameramen, sound technicians, and video editors involved in the process. The size and exact roles of your team will depend on the complexity and budget of your project.
Step 4: Set Up Your Equipment
Video production requires several essential tools, including cameras, microphones, lights, tripods, and editing software. Research what would best suit your needs and fits within your budget.
Step 5: Film the Video
Now it’s time for the essence of video production – filming. The director should lead the set, ensuring that everyone knows their roles. Keep each scene as planned on your storyboard and make sure your footage is well-lighted and audible.
Step 6: Post-production
Once filming concludes, you move to post-production. In this phase, your video editors will cut, arrange, and clean up your footage. They’ll add music, sound effects, and graphics where needed. The key here is patience – editing can take a while, but it’s crucial for a high-quality video.
Step 7: Review and Revise
Before publishing, review your video. Look for inconsistencies, errors, or anything missing. Show it to a small group first, gather feedback, then revise if necessary.
Step 8: Publishing and Promotion
Once you’re satisfied with the final product, it’s time to publish! Upload your video to the platforms you’ve chosen, be it your company website, YouTube, or social media. Also, remember to develop a promotional strategy to reach your target audience.
Outsourcing Video Production
The concept of outsourcing has been making significant changes to the way companies manage their resources. Outsourcing video production can be a game-changer for businesses looking to create professional and high-quality videos while saving costs and resources.
Why Outsource Video Production?
There are several potent reasons as to why businesses are opting for outsourcing video production. One of the primary reasons is cost-efficiency. Renting or buying expensive video production equipment can put a significant dent in a company’s budget. Outsourcing eliminates this need and allows forward-looking companies to get high-quality videos at a fraction of the cost.
Moreover, outsourcing video production allows businesses to utilize professional video making expertise to their advantage, thereby potentially improving the quality of their output. The high-quality production makes them more appealing and relevant to the audience, resulting in an instant increase in customer engagement rates.
Another major reason why businesses are turning towards outsourcing video production is time efficiency. Outsourcing allows companies to focus on their core competencies and tasks, leaving video production up to skilled professionals who can deliver projects within the stipulated deadlines.
How to Outsource Video Production
When it comes to outsourcing video production, the first step is identifying a capable and suitable video production agency. It’s important to evaluate different agencies based on their portfolio, previous work, client reviews, and team expertise.
Once an agency has been chosen, it’s essential to communicate the objectives, goals, and requirements of the project clearly and effectively. Ensuring that the agency fully understands the video’s purpose, target audience, primary message, and desired outcome is crucial to the video’s eventual success.
Following this, contractual details should be finalised, including deliverables, timelines, and payment terms. Effective communication and maintaining a flexible approach towards changes and feedback can facilitate a smooth partnership and successful project execution.
Pros and cons of outsourced Video Production
Pros of Outsourced Video Production:
1. Access to Expertise: Outsourcing video production means you get access to individuals and teams who specialize in creating high-quality video content. These experts stay up-to-date on the latest trends, techniques, and technologies in the video production industry.
2. Saves You Time: By outsourcing, you eliminate the need to spend time learning how to produce a video or managing a production team. Instead, you can focus on core business activities, leaving video production to the experts.
3. Reduces Overhead Costs: Building an in-house video production team can be expensive, as it requires purchasing equipment, hiring personnel, and providing ongoing training. Through outsourcing, you can avoid such investment and only pay for the services rendered.
4. High-Quality Equipment: Production companies often invest in top-of-the-line video equipment to ensure the best possible quality. When you outsource, you get to benefit from this advanced technology without having to purchase it yourself.
5. Flexibility: An outsourced video production team can adapt to your specific needs, whether it’s 3D animation, live action, or a blend of various styles.
Cons of Outsourced Video Production:
1. Less Control: When you outsource your video production, you might lose some control over the final product. You might not always get exactly what you envisioned, even though you’ll have the opportunity to provide input.
2. Possible Communication Issues: There might be misunderstandings or lack of clarity on project specifics, schedules, and changes especially if you’re dealing with a remote team or different time zones.
3. Variable Costs: The cost of outsourcing video production can vary widely depending on factors such as the complexity of the video, length, and the standard rate of the production company. This variability can make budgeting a challenge.
4. Reliability: You might find inconsistencies in video quality, style, and delivery timelines if you switch between different video production companies.
5. Intellectual Property Concerns: If not handled correctly, outsourcing may create issues around copyright or intellectual property use and ownership. It is crucial to ensure these aspects are covered in your agreement with the video production company.
step by step guide of outsourced Video Production
Step 1: Identify Your Video Needs
Your video needs will dictate what kind of video production service you should contract with. Define the type of video you need; it could be a promotional video, tutorial video, product demo, or corporate documentary. Your target audience and the platform you will use for distribution should also direct your needs.
Step 2: Set a Budget
Video production can range from economical to costly depending on factors like video length, animations, special effects, talent involved, etc. Setting a budget helps you avoid overspending and narrows down your choices. Remember to emphasize more on quality to yield a high return on investment.
Step 3: Find a Reputable Video Production Company
Begin with an internet search for video production companies. Consider their online reviews, quality of past work, clientele, and years in business. Reach out to some of your preferred options to gauge their customer service. You may also ask for referrals from business associates.
Step 4: Assess Company’s Portfolio
A production company’s portfolio can tell a lot about their quality of work, creativity, and style. Look for companies that have previously done work similar to what you’re looking for. Watch multiple videos from their portfolio to ensure consistency in quality.
Step 5: Communication and Briefing
Once you’ve selected a video production company, communicate your expectations clearly. Provide a brief including objectives of the video, target audience, preferred length, and style, any specific requirements, and deadline.
Step 6: Review The Script and Storyboard
The production company will typically return to you with aIn today’s digital age, using videos for marketing, branding and communication is no longer a luxury but a necessity. This presents a critical decision that companies must make: produce videos in-house or outsource to professional production companies. Each option carries its own set of advantages and disadvantages that can significantly impact a company’s output and bottom line. This blog post will delve deep into both methods, comparing costs, quality, flexibility, and turnaround time to help you make an informed decision about your company’s video production strategy.
In-House Video Production
Video production has become an integral part of every business organization striving to achieve effective communication with its audience. More than ever, producing video content in-house has become a preferred choice by most companies, thanks to the cost-effective and comprehensive control it offers. This guide will explore an in-depth understanding of what in-House Video Production is, why it is important, its benefits, and a step-by-step process on how to do it.
What is In-House Video Production?
In-house video production involves creating and producing video materials internally, rather than outsourcing them to a third-party production company. It involves utilizing the internal staff, resources, and equipment to create content that promotes the company’s products, services, or overall brand.
Why is In-House Video Production Important?
Having an in-house video production capacity can bring numerous benefits to a business. Apart from being cost-effective, it ensures direct control over the production process, allowing for quicker turnaround and changes if necessary. It also enables a deeper understanding of the brand, as no one knows the company’s narrative better than the internal team.
Moreover, in-house video production fosters creativity within the team as they experiment with different formats, content, and techniques. It also enables the comprehensive utilization of content as it can be repurposed across different platforms to reach a broader audience.
Pros and cons of In-House Video Production
In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, video content is gaining significant traction for its ability to deliver messages clearly and succinctly in a format that aligns with prevailing online consumption habits. Many companies are considering incorporating a video production department within their internal framework, eliminating the need to outsource these services to third-party agencies. However, before jumping the gun, it’s crucial to understand the pros and cons associated with in-house video production.
Pros of In-House Video Production:
1. Cost-Effective: In-house video production may work out to be less expensive over time compared to hiring professional video production agencies. Companies can invest in decent quality equipment and do not have to pay outsourcing costs for each video.
2. Complete Creative Control: Having your video production in-house gives you complete creative control over the production process. This can help ensure that the end product is fully aligned with your brand and its marketing objectives.
3. Faster Turnaround: Since there is a dedicated team working on the project, the final video can be produced in a much quicker timeframe compared to outsourcing.
4. Efficient Communication: In-house production means there are fewer communication barriers. You can directly liaise with the team, make changes, and provide feedback instantaneously.
5. Availability: As your team is readily available, you can create videos on an as-need basis without having to work around a production company’s schedule.
6. Intellectual Property: With in-house video production, all output remains the intellectual property of the company, which may not always be the case when outsourcing.
Cons of In-House Video Production:
1. Limited Expertise & Creativity: Your in-house team may lack the expert skills and diverse creativity of a specialized video production agency. As a result, your video may not turn out as professional or engaging.
2. Time-Consuming: Even with a dedicated team, video production can take up a lot of time. The process involves brainstorming, scripting, filming, editing, and promoting, which could divert resources and attention from other core business activities.
3. Cost of Equipment & Technology: Quality video production requires a certain level of equipment which can be expensive to purchase, maintain, and upgrade.
4. Lack of Variety: An in-house team could mean that all videos are highly similar. A lack of variety can cause fatigue amongst your audience.
5. Less Network: Professional production companies often have a vast network of talent and partners that they can use to elevate a production. An in-house team may not have access to the same resources.
6. Training: Your team may require continuous training to remain up to date with the latest video production techniques and technologies. This could be an added cost and effort for the company.
Step by step guide In-House Video Production
Step 1: Planning and Scripting
The first step to any video production is careful planning. Define your idea, set your goals, and research your audience. What is the video’s purpose? Who do you want to reach? Knowing these answers helps guide your production.
Next, create a script and storyboard that outlines your video’s flow. This step ensures all valuable information is covered and gives a visual guide for your shots.
Step 2: Budgeting
Identify your budget before production begins. Your budget will dictate the equipment you can afford, the location for shooting, the length and quality of your video, and if you’ll need to hire additional staff.
Step 3: Organize Your Video Production Team
An in-house video production can be a one-man-show or involve a large team. Depending on your company’s size, you could have a producer, a scriptwriter, cameramen, sound technicians, and video editors involved in the process. The size and exact roles of your team will depend on the complexity and budget of your project.
Step 4: Set Up Your Equipment
Video production requires several essential tools, including cameras, microphones, lights, tripods, and editing software. Research what would best suit your needs and fits within your budget.
Step 5: Film the Video
Now it’s time for the essence of video production – filming. The director should lead the set, ensuring that everyone knows their roles. Keep each scene as planned on your storyboard and make sure your footage is well-lighted and audible.
Step 6: Post-production
Once filming concludes, you move to post-production. In this phase, your video editors will cut, arrange, and clean up your footage. They’ll add music, sound effects, and graphics where needed. The key here is patience – editing can take a while, but it’s crucial for a high-quality video.
Step 7: Review and Revise
Before publishing, review your video. Look for inconsistencies, errors, or anything missing. Show it to a small group first, gather feedback, then revise if necessary.
Step 8: Publishing and Promotion
Once you’re satisfied with the final product, it’s time to publish! Upload your video to the platforms you’ve chosen, be it your company website, YouTube, or social media. Also, remember to develop a promotional strategy to reach your target audience.
Outsourcing Video Production
The concept of outsourcing has been making significant changes to the way companies manage their resources. Outsourcing video production can be a game-changer for businesses looking to create professional and high-quality videos while saving costs and resources.
Why Outsource Video Production?
There are several potent reasons as to why businesses are opting for outsourcing video production. One of the primary reasons is cost-efficiency. Renting or buying expensive video production equipment can put a significant dent in a company’s budget. Outsourcing eliminates this need and allows forward-looking companies to get high-quality videos at a fraction of the cost.
Moreover, outsourcing video production allows businesses to utilize professional video making expertise to their advantage, thereby potentially improving the quality of their output. The high-quality production makes them more appealing and relevant to the audience, resulting in an instant increase in customer engagement rates.
Another major reason why businesses are turning towards outsourcing video production is time efficiency. Outsourcing allows companies to focus on their core competencies and tasks, leaving video production up to skilled professionals who can deliver projects within the stipulated deadlines.
How to Outsource Video Production
When it comes to outsourcing video production, the first step is identifying a capable and suitable video production agency. It’s important to evaluate different agencies based on their portfolio, previous work, client reviews, and team expertise.
Once an agency has been chosen, it’s essential to communicate the objectives, goals, and requirements of the project clearly and effectively. Ensuring that the agency fully understands the video’s purpose, target audience, primary message, and desired outcome is crucial to the video’s eventual success.
Following this, contractual details should be finalised, including deliverables, timelines, and payment terms. Effective communication and maintaining a flexible approach towards changes and feedback can facilitate a smooth partnership and successful project execution.
Pros and cons of outsourced Video Production
Pros of Outsourced Video Production:
1. Access to Expertise: Outsourcing video production means you get access to individuals and teams who specialize in creating high-quality video content. These experts stay up-to-date on the latest trends, techniques, and technologies in the video production industry.
2. Saves You Time: By outsourcing, you eliminate the need to spend time learning how to produce a video or managing a production team. Instead, you can focus on core business activities, leaving video production to the experts.
3. Reduces Overhead Costs: Building an in-house video production team can be expensive, as it requires purchasing equipment, hiring personnel, and providing ongoing training. Through outsourcing, you can avoid such investment and only pay for the services rendered.
4. High-Quality Equipment: Production companies often invest in top-of-the-line video equipment to ensure the best possible quality. When you outsource, you get to benefit from this advanced technology without having to purchase it yourself.
5. Flexibility: An outsourced video production team can adapt to your specific needs, whether it’s 3D animation, live action, or a blend of various styles.
Cons of Outsourced Video Production:
1. Less Control: When you outsource your video production, you might lose some control over the final product. You might not always get exactly what you envisioned, even though you’ll have the opportunity to provide input.
2. Possible Communication Issues: There might be misunderstandings or lack of clarity on project specifics, schedules, and changes especially if you’re dealing with a remote team or different time zones.
3. Variable Costs: The cost of outsourcing video production can vary widely depending on factors such as the complexity of the video, length, and the standard rate of the production company. This variability can make budgeting a challenge.
4. Reliability: You might find inconsistencies in video quality, style, and delivery timelines if you switch between different video production companies.
5. Intellectual Property Concerns: If not handled correctly, outsourcing may create issues around copyright or intellectual property use and ownership. It is crucial to ensure these aspects are covered in your agreement with the video production company.
step by step guide of outsourced Video Production
Step 1: Identify Your Video Needs
Your video needs will dictate what kind of video production service you should contract with. Define the type of video you need; it could be a promotional video, tutorial video, product demo, or corporate documentary. Your target audience and the platform you will use for distribution should also direct your needs.
Step 2: Set a Budget
Video production can range from economical to costly depending on factors like video length, animations, special effects, talent involved, etc. Setting a budget helps you avoid overspending and narrows down your choices. Remember to emphasize more on quality to yield a high return on investment.
Step 3: Find a Reputable Video Production Company
Begin with an internet search for video production companies. Consider their online reviews, quality of past work, clientele, and years in business. Reach out to some of your preferred options to gauge their customer service. You may also ask for referrals from business associates.
Step 4: Assess Company’s Portfolio
A production company’s portfolio can tell a lot about their quality of work, creativity, and style. Look for companies that have previously done work similar to what you’re looking for. Watch multiple videos from their portfolio to ensure consistency in quality.
Step 5: Communication and Briefing
Once you’ve selected a video production company, communicate your expectations clearly. Provide a brief including objectives of the video, target audience, preferred length, and style, any specific requirements, and deadline.
Step 6: Review The Script and Storyboard
The production company will typically return to you with a