7 Video Production Misconceptions
There was a time not too long ago when it was looked down on to pursue a career in the arts, more specifically video production. I went to Full Sail University and ended up getting a traditional degree as a backup because the job outlook and prospects were just nonexistent. Today, just about every company wants a piece of video production action. Companies and businesses are finally seeing the benefits of video production and the value it can add. However, the increase in demand also means an increase in unrealistic expectations and misconceptions. As a video editor for the past 7 years, I’ve encountered these misconceptions time and time again, and I’m here to set the record straight.
1. “Video Editing Isn’t a Realistic Job“
As an editor myself, I have dealt with this misconception time and time again, and it’s far from the truth. Video production is an amazing career choice, people just like to put down creative fields without knowing the facts. Recently, the demand for video content has skyrocketed and is at an all-time high as every business “needs” video editing to have an online presence. Let me blow your mind, 86% of companies rely on video for marketing. Take a moment to realize that video content carried consumer entertainment on its back during the pandemic. Videos are capable of sending powerful messages causing consumers to take action. There is a reason 28,000 editors are currently employed across the country according to U.S. Bureau of Labor.
2. “Great Videos Aren’t Affordable“
Production companies are really good at putting up a front. High prices don’t always mean quality or original products. There are many video production companies that charge an absurd amount of money, just to deliver average content. Take the wedding industry for example. Have you ever noticed how all wedding highlight videos are starting to look the same? There’s no originality, no personality, and as someone who has filmed weddings before, I can guarantee that these types of videos are just run through a template. Yet somehow, wedding videographers can charge upwards of $10,000? If you’re paying that much, you should expect a documentary of your wedding week and nothing less.
This applies to marketing and video production companies as well. Yes, equipment and subscriptions are expensive, but companies think that with a high-end office and fancy espresso machine, they can charge whatever they want for video production and editing. This doesn’t apply to every company, but don’t be fooled by the illusion that more money equals better videos. An individual creative or freelance videographer, who has put in the work learning techniques and has a unique perspective can most of the time, deliver better quality for cheaper than an entire team.
Perfect time to plug my work. If you’re interested in working together, send me a message.
3. “It’s a Simple Project. We Don’t Need a Plan“
This is for all my marketing managers… having a “let’s just wing it” mentality is possibly the most destructive mindset you can have. First off, this is just stressful as a video editor. If there is no plan, no clear vision, or no end goal for the project, video editors have no direction. Believe it or not, editing involves an incredible amount of planning and strategy, so being asked last minute to create a video for an event or product diminishes the quality of the video, and sometimes just is not possible. Not to mention, the planning for pre-production, production, and post-production all involve different things, so depending on where you are on the project, planning these steps can and should take time.
4. “We Can Do It Ourselves“
At the basic level, I have no doubt anybody can grab an iPhone, an inexpensive lighting setup, and decent audio equipment to put a solid project together. However, what’s defined as professional video production is much more than just grabbing a camera and slapping some clips together in iMovie. Video production involves creative planning, capturing clips from unique camera angles, intricate lighting, audio capturing and editing techniques, color palettes, video editing techniques, and so much more. This craft can take years to perfect, and even then professional video editors are still growing and learning every day. Even making short-form video content like TikToks and Instagram Reels takes an incredible amount of work. Audiences are becoming more and more selective with the type of content they consume, with audiences agreeing that the quality of content is just as important as what the content actually is.
5. “Editing Will Be Quick and Easy“
Ha. False. Video editing or post-production is actually the most time-consuming part of the video production process. This is the part of the process where the story comes to life. A lot of times, people think that post-production is just taking the raw footage, adding some music in the background, and calling it a day, which is so far from the truth. The editing process involves reviewing footage, finding music, adding sound effects, clipping videos, and so much more. As a video editor, I look at every project as a piece of art, and the editing process brings the art to life. Just don’t underestimate the time needed for editing and be sure to convey clear expectations to your client or marketing manager.
6. “Audio Isn’t Important“
We’ve all heard the one person who talks during a Zoom meeting that has the worst audio quality. It’s hard to care what they have to say even if their camera quality during the meeting is stellar. My point is, audio is extremely important. If there’s one thing that you should focus on, it’s audio. Capturing clear audio is important because it’s one of the most difficult things to edit in post-production. If there’s an echo, background noise, or muffled voices, the whole video project could be jeopardized.
7. “Just Upload The Same Video To Every Social Media Platform”
Remember how I mentioned earlier that video editing and production involves strategy? That includes how, when, and why you post to social media. You could have the best video production skills in the world, but not curating the content for each specific platform destroys the quality and purpose. If you’re a social media manager or marketing coordinator, for the love of god please don’t cross-post the same video on different social media platforms and come back to the video editor wondering why the videos are not performing well on all platforms.
Content needs to relate to specific demographics since each platform has different personalities and users. THe same video that speaks directly to older millennials, gen X, and baby boomers on Facebook, will not translate well to gen Z over on TikTok. Even video dimensions need to be taken into consideration. All platforms favor different video dimensions like horizontal, square, or vertical. These days posting the same content on every platform is the quickest way for a brand to lose value and credibility. Nothing sticks out more to social media users than content that doesn’t fit into their favorite platform.
