Video Production Checklist

Save time, stress, and budget with this useful video production checklist

This checklist will help you plan the project and set expectations clearly, so that you can get the best results possible.

Enter your details here to download the checklist

Your producer wants to create the best video for you that they can. Using a checklist helps you communicate your requirements, project details and expectations clearly, so that your video producer can deliver the video content you need.

Most creative jobs go wrong when the communication breaks down. Usually it’s because of a miss-understanding of expectations. By knowing exactly what you want before you approach a production company, you can set expectations early on, even before the proposal stage. Your project will run smoother and there will be fewer adjustments, saving stress, time, and money.

Below is an explanation of each section, to help you understand what information to put into the video production checklist.

Branding

You should have a brand pack, if you don’t, you should create one. It needs to contain as much information as possible about your brand and technical information about logo placement, fonts, colours, etc.

At the very least include:

Logo
Fonts
Colours (with hex-codes)
Is this video part of an existing campaign?

Audience

Who is your target audience? Is it a segmentation of your wider audience or a new one? Be as specific as possible, the more information you can provide, the more relevant the video will be.

At the very least include:

Age
Gender
Culture
Location
Existing customer/new customer/Internal (I.E. Staff training video)

Also include if you can:

Interests (current affairs, media, sports, holidays, food and beverage)
Economic status (employed, unemployed, student, retired)
Social status (family, housing)
If you have detailed demographic data (I.E. Experian customer profile), include that too

Goals

What do you want this video to achieve? If it’s intended to drive clicks or downloads, include a clear CTA. If it’s social content, cite examples of what the type of video you want. If it’s part of a brand awareness campaign, include slogans and make sure your videographer understands your brand’s core values.

Social engagement
Brand awareness
Sales asset
Training video
Webinar
Product video
Advertising
Etc. (you may have your own goals)

Intended channels

Where is the video going to be distributed? This can drastically affect the way the content is filmed and edited.

Website (home page hero video/online course/etc.)
YouTube/Vimeo
Social platform (be specific)
Podcast
TV/Broadcast (which channels?)

Location

Where is the video going to be filmed? Have you identified and secured the required permissions and/or location release forms. Are you going to take responsibility for this, or is the videographer/producer expected to do so? If it’s in a public place, make sure the responsible parties have the appropriate insurance.

Location/studio address
Who is covering location expenses?
Who is acquiring permissions?
Have permissions been secured?

Production dates

Be clear about when you expect each stage to happen. You may want to add penalties for either party when they miss a deadline without prior authorisation. It sounds heavy-handed, but it really helps keep a production on-schedule.

Proposal/quote to be submitted
Proposal approval
Filming date(s)
First edit submission
Approval deadline

Finance

Be clear about who is paying for the production, whether expenses are covered, and what expenses qualify. Do you have a contingency budget should something unexpected happen (normally 10% of the total budget)?

Budget
Are expenses billable?
If so, what expenses are allowable?
Contingency budget

Talent (performers)

Does the video require performers? Does the talent need to be booked, or are they being supplied by the client?

Are performers required?
Type of talent
Who is responsible for booking?
Do they require specialist equipment/location? I.E. instruments/kitchen/studio/materials

Not all productions require this much detail, but providing as much as possible in the video production checklist will help make sure your producer is going to deliver exactly what you need, in the correct format, targeted at your specific audience & goals, delivered on time, and on budget.