Remote collaboration is a trend widely observed due to the onset of COVID-19. Even before that, it is hardly ever possible that your entire team is present in one close vicinity.
It presents a unique challenge for those in the video production industry. How do you communicate effectively and have your team perform efficiently?
They could be commercials, explainer videos, internal communication videos, testimonials, tutorials, or demos. Nothing can stop you from churning out the best content in remote collaborations too.
It may not be as glamorous as a live video shoot, but efficient communication can work in your favor well enough to make a product just as good and overcome virtual team challenges.
More often than not, it is about the correct delegation and collaborative task management. Set up as many video calls as you need to direct the talent and to manage the team.
MotionCue has done quite a few remote video production projects. We might have a pointer or two about remote collaborative project management.
Producing videos remotely without live shooting
It is not necessary to produce a live video. Other methods of video production may prove to be easier to execute.
Often, using stock footage is much more convenient in video remote collaborations video projects. You can find stock footage for almost any topic online.
You can make a video entirely out of stock footage or use stock footage to fill your live recording gaps.
You can also get ones with sound effects and background music options. Whatever suits you the best according to your project requirements.
It is a better idea to go for a website that allows unlimited downloads rather than a pay-per license option. It will enable you much more creative liberty.
Where to find a good stock footage
Adobe Stock, Artgrid, and Envato Elements are some of the right options for purchasing stock footage.
Videohive is a favorite with our team and is a great place to get footage in the form of ready-made templates.
Remember that you need to be consistent in your visuals. Your footage can look like it is all over the place with stock footage that does not sit right when joined together.
They should fit well together and not affect the look and the feel of the footage. Don’t let your viewers be distracted by uneven footage.
You can use the existing footage that you have made in the past. However, be careful that you are not repeating anything that you have already used before.
You may also have some footage lying around that has not worked in the past, and you had to discard it. Using it as the B-roll of a new video may be a great way to repurpose them.
There is an entire assortment of online collaboration tools that you can choose within. They can assist you with design, illustration, animation, and video editing.
However, sometimes project calls for a live video shoot. When almost every communication gadget comes with a webcam, it is easy to do a remote collaboration shoot.
Video production in remote collaborations
Collaborative task management is all about relentless resourcefulness and planning. There is a range of resources that you need, from equipment to software for remote video production.
However, there is no need to break the bank for any of that. You can get utterly affordable stuff that can help you with your entire video production team’s remote collaboration.
TD Bank had a very popular commercial pre-quarantine in which the bank’s employee was trotting about in an empty branch.
During the lockdown, that same employee remade the video but at his home. This campaign aimed to promote online banking
This remotely produced has gained popularity, aired on TV and online.
Brainstorming
The part where you are trying to get your break with an idea is significant from a creative aspect.
You can look for inspiration ideas on online sources of famous brands, podcasts, and TED Talks and create a whole slack channel where people can share their opinion for the shoot.
Make the entire team have eyes on the feel you are going after by sharing the popular content with them and documenting it.
This material helps everyone get on the same page about the rough mockup of the video.
You will need specific tools to get a handle on the planning, strategizing, and communication. Some of the things that you should have at your hands for smooth flowing conversation are:
- Slack
- Google Hangouts
- HipChat
Pre-planning
Ensure that every related person is informed about every single step on the way. From brainstorming till editing, map all of your efforts out.
Collaborative task management in the pre-planning stage needs to go optimally. Here are some of the tools that you may already have.
- Jira
- Trello
- Asana
- Shared Calendars
You must also have a platform to be able to share reference media like photos and videos. Pinterest, Slack, or Google Drive are great for photos. SproutVideo is a good idea for video sharing.
Ensure that you are mindful of the time difference for all the different team members in remote collaboration. Make sure that everyone is allowed enough time to keep up with the developments.
You may also need professional marketing tools distributing and marketing your video for it to perform optimally.
It is good to assign specific roles and be clear about them to avoid confusion during the execution.
Communicate everything
Be as open and detailed about the video-making process and, this is important, document everything. If you have one to spare, assign personnel for this purpose alone.
It may sound like something very obsessive, but trust me. You and your entire team will be very grateful later that these detailed notes were there when they were.
Not only that, they remove confusion along the way. They also are evidence and paper trails for every action.
It ensures that the least amount of lost detail in translation and the vision communicated correctly.
Scripting
Some video shoots work out without a script. Not remote ones. Not even by a long shot. Remote video production requires a substantial amount of forethought and very meticulous planning.
It is a widespread belief that scripting is a one-person job. However, it is a very collaborative activity with input flowing in from all sides.
You will also need a stable and well-formatted script to avoid any confusion. Below are some of the popular ones.
- Adobe Final Draft (Writer’s Duet)
- Google Docs
- Atlassian
Initially, only one person develops the first draft of the script. Then they can upload their copy to one of the above-mentioned collaborative software for the entire team to react.
The reason for this is that to be able to have your video production team work effectively
Don’t forget the time difference aspect.
Storyboarding
A storyboard is what breathes life into your script. It is the insurance of your script, executing seamlessly and adequately.
It is the shot-by-shot visual representation of the script. It will help in the recording process, but it also comes in convenient during the editing process.
It constitutes the frames, vital elements of the scene, and the camera angles. There are reference points laid out in a good storyboard.
It streamlines the standpoint of all the team members about how the execution is going to play out.
Location scouting
When you have a clear understanding of your final video and what you want it to look like, you will need the locations you want to shoot in.
The easy way to go about it sharing the location photos in the Slack channel meant for design purposes. You can add pictures of examples of what you want your set to look like potentially.
Remember your most preferred choices on the top of the channels. You could also make a private board on Pinterest.
Some people also like making videos of all their potential locations. You can do that and use a SproutVideo folder in it.
Talent hunt
Actors in the video can make or break the whole deal. I believe that meetings and actors are crucial before deciding on them.
However, if you are shooting remotely, you can always hold video call auditions and meetings with your potential talent and look at the reels to give a moment of thought.
It can also come in handy for team members that are not part of the video call but could have input.
You can use just about any video-calling tool for this purpose.
Equipment and set up
You will need (and probably have) the basics: lights, camera, and a mic. Which ones you get depends on the scale of your project.
A Saramonic USB Lav Mic, Logitech Webcam, and Lume Cube Portable Webcam Light are some of the essentials when it comes to remote production on a webcam.
However, if you are using a smartphone to shoot your remote collaboration video project, you may need a different set of equipment entirely.
You have to have an Audio Technica Lav Mic, a ring light, a light stand, headphone adapters for Apple or Android as per the requirement.
An HDMI-to-USB converter/adapter can make directing a live video shoot remotely a lot easier. That coupled with a wire loop to connect to the computer monitor and a preferred choice for a video conferencing app can do wonders for you.
It is possible to broadcast live footage from a video camera on any screen anywhere in the world.
You can use this set up to get collective feedback about the set and action from multiple people like you would be able to do on the spot.
Your HDMI adapter makes the video transmitted to your computer as something shot on that computer’s webcam and can be shared via any video conference call app to anyone, anywhere in the world.
Here are some of the tried and tested HDMI-to-USB adapters.
Why is it a good idea?
Strategically speaking, it is an excellent idea to broadcast your video and involve the entire production team in the process of getting an idea about important stuff.
It is because they could have valuable input about a lot of things, including framing, on-screen action, avoiding shot-blocking, set design, and lighting.
More eyes on the shoot mean a lot of complications getting out of the way. What one person misses, the other person has a chance of catching.
Keep the video conference call going for an entire day of the shoot if you have to. It gets the work done a lot more seamlessly.
Execution
Unfortunately, during a remote collaboration, it may not be possible for your entire team to be present on set during the recording process.
You can set up check-in times with your camera crew to see how the shoot is going. Assign personnel for it is possible. They can connect you and brief you about what is happening after decided intervals.
Planning these intervals can prove very fruitful because they can help you resist the urge to stay in the loop and unnecessarily bother the crew.
Still, shots from the shoot can also help you form clear feedback about what you like and what you don’t like.
Post-production
Don’t think that if the shoot has ended, your work has finished. There is a lot more that you still need to oversee to get the right product.
The editor must share the footage before they have color graded and processed the audio.
The director will have a very crucial input. SproutVideo can prove to be your excellent friend here.
You can enable the protective setting allowing only a limited number of people to watch the video. In this way, you can also keep your footage secure, saving it from theft.
Instead of making the whole thing very confusing by sending various links to the clip, the editor can use the replace option.
SproutVideo also has the option of viewing the engagements. You can know that who has been watching the entire clip and who has been slacking off.
You can also connect your SproutVideo account to Slack. A notification will be sent out to all the channel members whenever the video link is updated.
No one will miss out on different cuts of the video that need feedback this way.
Wistia has outdone itself in remote collaboration. See for yourself.
Some remote collaboration video project tips
One must always bear in mind some things to perform optimally in a remote collaboration project.
- Consider the given scale, timeline, and process. Take a moment to reflect if you can pull it off remotely.
- There is no such thing as over-planning in a video project executed in remote collaboration.
- Video calls are imperative in picking up the non-verbal cues and things that you are probably missing about your team’s concerns.
- Pay close attention to staging and give importance to lighting early on during the shoot.
- Request test-shots. It helps make the crucial adjustments you need.
- Always ask for more time than you might have estimated. It can save your product from looking rushed.
- Always make sure you have free disc space before you launch into the shoot.
- Always record more footage than you need. Excess footage saves you a reshoot. You can repurpose it for social media ads.
- Organize your footage! You don’t want your resources to be all over the place.
Remote collaboration is quite possibly the future of video production. There are a lot of benefits to it.
You can save a lot on travel costs and time while shooting remotely. You can repurpose that budget for something like marketing and branding.
You can also choose to loop in your client during some parts of the production process and incorporate their feedback.
Considering how COVID-19 limited mobility to a considerable extent, this is a very effective contingency plan if you tread very carefully.
If you plan to shoot a video with remote collaboration and need some skilled and experienced people to help you out, MotionCue is happy to help.
Schedule a free consultation call with our video strategist