As we discussed previously, quality video production isn’t cheap. The more you are willing to invest financially into your project, the better the end product will be. There’s a saying in the production community–”spend your money in front of the lens”. This means we prioritize funds for costs that will make the biggest impact on your production. For instance, spending a few hundred dollars more for a makeup artist will make a substantial difference in the end quality of your project. The same money spent on nicer catering? You can guess the value that adds.

Any elements that improve the end quality of a video are referred to as ‘adding production value’.

Ultimately, the more attention to every detail surrounding the production, the higher quality your end product will be. Spending more time on each detail requires more effort, and increases production costs. Think of your props, wardrobe, setting and talent as core to your production. Even the best producers find it challenging to make everything look great if the resources aren’t there to help out.

When I first meet with a client I will usually ask if they have a budget range that they are wanting to work within for a project. It is helpful to know this. I always want to produce the best possible work, however if I know a small company or non-profit has a specific budget to work within, I am wasting their time (and mine) to propose something at double this rate. I would rather work to find a solution that fits within a client’s budget.

There are some factors that must be present to achieve a quality production. For me, this means having a skilled operator behind the camera, an audio engineer recording the sound, good lighting, makeup, and supporting crew to execute a good shoot. Below are two straightforward talking-head videos, one with all the fixings, one without. Which look would you prefer?

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