Few industries move as fast as screen-based media, and the brands, for broadcasters and organizations that have realized this truth, things are changing as far as their approach to content is concerned. The TV film and video production services involve all that it takes to take an idea from inception to presentation, and selecting the best team to get this done can be considered among the most important decisions to make in any communication strategy. 

Regardless of whether the aim is primetime advertisements, documentary films, or digital campaigns, everything about the production of such will define its impression.

This guide has been developed by Insignia Productions for marketing directors, brand managers, and communications executives who need to understand what professional production entails and how good production companies differ from the mediocre ones.

What TV Film and Video Production Services Actually Encompass

The term encompasses far more activities than what the majority of clients usually envisage when coming across the phrase. One end may be represented by an interview of a single person for an in-house communication piece. The other extreme may involve a multi-site broadcast documentary with music, visual effects and worldwide distribution rights. Both examples fall within the sphere of TV film and video production services, with the pre-production, crew, equipment, and post-production required for the two tasks lying far apart from each other.

Pre-production, production and post-production are the main steps common for any level of complexity of the process. Pre-production includes all activities that happen before filming starts – from the script development and casting to location arrangements and schedule setting. 

Production stage is filming itself, with a director, cameramen and soundman, lighting crew and producer ensuring everything goes according to the plan. Post-production involves the transformation of raw material into final product through editing, colour correction, sound design, music, graphics and delivery encoding.

At Insignia Productions Global, our full-service production team operates across all three stages for every project we take on, which means the strategy, the shoot and the final grade are held together by the same creative vision from the first brief to the last delivery.

Pre-Production: The Stage That Decides Everything

Every seasoned producer recognizes that the decisions made in the pre-production phase determine the overall success of a project. Scripting determines the elements of the project that will be filmed. Casting determines the people that will play out the story. Locations determine the world of visuals that will be presented to the audience. The schedule determines the level of stress the team will have to work with on the day of the shoot.

The pre-production process in a TV film and video production services usually begins with a discovery stage. The production company meets with the client in order to understand the brief, the audience, the distribution channel, and the constraints of the project. After this discussion, a creative direction is developed which then needs to be tested via mood boards, reference materials, scripts, and storyboards before anything can be finalized.

Next comes location scouting. Great locations are products of weeks of research. The best production teams usually have connections with location providers, permit offices, and community representatives before they actually need to.

Production: Managing the Shoot With Creative and Operational Discipline

It is on the shoot day that the extent of the preparatory process becomes clear. The properly prepared crew works fast, makes decisions confidently and shoots according to plan, yet remains flexible enough to deal with unforeseen elements. The ill-prepared crew wastes its first hour of work on resolving issues that ought to have been solved in pre-production, with the consequence of a rushed production process affecting every frame thereafter.

A professional TV film and video production services team consists of the director accountable for the creative side of the process, the director of photography accountable for the visual language of the film, the camera operator, sound recording specialist, gaffer taking care of the lighting design, producer taking care of the timing and the budget in real time and any additional specialists necessary depending on the format.

A professional shoot also depends on less glamorous aspects such as backup of all the footage shot on a daily basis ensuring the safety of the whole production process and accurate call sheets giving the edit team the precise information on what has been shot. Such processes set apart the professionals from the rest.

Post-Production: Where Footage Becomes Film

Of all the phases of television film and video production, post-production is one that is least understood by clients unfamiliar with the process. It’s not about joining up video clips. It’s about telling a story, bringing the emotion to life, setting the pace and ensuring everything technical works for the viewer.

The initial stage and the cornerstone of post-production is editing. The editor needs to be creative in choosing the best takes, putting the sequence together and setting the tempo that will make the piece flow rather than seem put-together. An effective edit can enhance even mediocre footage while a bad edit can ruin excellent footage. Editing is a creative process where the editor’s intuition and taste can be just as important as their skill with the technology.

The integration of these two fields is what distinguishes decent TV film and video production services from something which has impact. Whether it’s an original composition, licensed music or custom sound design, each fulfills different needs and budget. The last step in the process of post-production is delivery encoding.

Formats Covered by TV Film and Video Production Services

A look at the range of formats that fall under TV film and video production services shows just how much the environment in which screen media exists has evolved. Television advertising continues to be among the most effective ways of reaching mass audiences and building a brand, but it now exists alongside digital video, long-form content, documentaries, live streaming, social media content, and training videos – all of which benefit from high-quality professional production.

TV film and video production services encompass television commercials, which require the most craft per unit of time spent. Creating a 30-second advertisement requires as much skill and care as creating a 30-minute documentary, but within a much more compact timeframe. The script, the cast, the setting, the directing, and the post-production all have a much larger effect on such a small piece of film.

Choosing a Provider for TV Film and Video Production Services

Choices in TV film and video production services are plentiful, but the range of quality of providers available within the same pricing tier is substantial. Choosing the right provider first and foremost involves getting an idea of the actual needs of the project and not the potential of a particular provider.

A portfolio of completed projects is the best indication of capability. Seek providers with evidence of work done in the form you require, on behalf of clients in markets similar to yours. A good commercial director might not be ideal for a documentary project, just like a great corporate production team won’t necessarily excel in a brand film. Finding the right fit in terms of experience and skills to the requirements of the project is more crucial than choosing a branded provider.

The process of a provider is the second indicator. A good provider would be able to provide insight into their preproduction process, on-set protocol and post-production process. A good provider would also be able to identify and manage risks involved in the execution of the project of your size. If a provider can’t do that, it probably didn’t ask itself these questions before.

TV Film and Video Production Services for International Clients

In regard to international brands and organisations producing TV film and video production services in African markets, there exist a particular set of challenges that only a locally embedded production company will be able to deal with. Systems of permits, community liaison protocols, climatic requirements, logistics of filming in remote places, as well as cultural competence in casting and directing a film are skills that can only be gained through experience.

An international client, therefore, would find a lot more in a production company other than logistical arrangements. For instance, access relationships, cultural competence and knowledge of local broadcast media platforms are some of the things that make a difference. A production company embedded in the market it is serving is quite different from those that come, film, and leave.

Currently, Kenya stands out as the main production hub for East Africa with good infrastructure, experienced film crews, and post-production facilities. The choice of such a production company is not a logistical but a creative one.

Getting Started With Your Next Production

The initial interaction with a production partner sets the tone for everything else that happens. The more precisely the client knows what the content should achieve, who it is targeted at and where it will be used, the more constructive the feedback he will receive. A brief which describes the problem to be solved by the content will be much more useful than the brief which tells how the problem should be solved, since the experience of the production company should come into play.

The team of Insignia Productions Global has been established through years of effort to produce TV film and video content for our clients in Kenya, East Africa and internationally. Regardless of the nature of the work, be it broadcast commercials, documentary series, brand films or any other,  we apply the same rigour in preproduction, discipline on set and artistry in postproduction.

When you are ready to move from brief to production plan, get in touch with our team and we will respond within one business day with a considered proposal.