Our Process

Creative Concept

When it comes to marketing your business, video content is a very powerful tool! However, in order to properly harness that power you need a strong foundation. This underpinning is built through the creative concept process. And this is where a professional video production company can really help take your business to the next level. So what exactly is Creative Concept? Some would say it’s the “genesis” the beginning idea. While true, in reality, it’s so much more than that. Ultimately, it’s determining how we tell your story in an impactful and effective way! The way we achieve this goal is to start by looking at your business from a holistic viewpoint. Everything from how your business functions to how you’re currently positioning your brand. We need to have a unique and creative idea, but we also need to look at your target audience. We need to understand where they live and where they get their information. In addition to high visibility, the video also needs to connect with your target. As a boutique video production company, we’ll be working very closely with you to understand the full scope of your business and the audience you’re looking to attract.

When building a house, you would start with a firm foundation and work your way up. Video production is the very same. Having a creative concept meeting is the beginning of that construction. That being said, you don’t necessarily have to come in with an idea already in place. After all, that’s sort of why we’re here, right? If you have an idea, that’s fantastic! If you don’t, that’s also not a problem. We meet clients where they are in the video production process and take them where they need to be.

There’s a lot more that goes into the creative concept process that we’d be more than happy to discuss with you, but for now, start brainstorming!

Produce

Within video production, the first phase of any project starts with pre-production. Unlike creative concept which lives solely in pre-production, producing transcends all three phases of the video production process. However, it does initially start within pre-production and so this is where the rubber meets the road! In order for a video to be successful it requires three things. Planning, planning, and more planning! Before a video shoot can take place there are many, many steps to take. But fear not! We simplify the video production process by taking this difficulty out of your hands. Our job is to make every video production a white-glove experience for our clients. Producing is a major part of that so take a look at this list below of everything we’ll be managing as the producer of your video.

Create and implement video production schedule, hire crew, casting, hire talent, hire craft services, choose locations to scout, scout locations, book video shoot locations, arrange transportation for talent, crew, and gear, reserve additional equipment, set budget, manage the budget for video production, assist in script development, assist in storyboard development, contingency planning for project disruptions, work with editors for final delivery, quality control videos.

Each video is custom-tailored to fit your business so not every one of these jobs may apply.

Cinematography

When hiring a video production company, the client expects a high-end camera, quality lenses, and tools of the trade that really bump up the production value of the video. We bring all of that to the table! However, any Boston Video Production company can go out and rent or purchase gear. The thing that really separates Edge of Story Films from the rest of the pack is our level of talent and attention to detail. A director of photography may not want to hear this, but in reality, the camera is just a tool. Any painter can have access to any paintbrush, but it takes a true artist to create a masterpiece. The art of capturing moving images using cameras and production techniques is called cinematography. It’s our job to choose the right camera angles, composition, and framing in order to visually tell the story. The cinematographer works closely with the director and client to bring their concept to life on screen. Cinematography augments the storytelling process by using color, light, shadows, and camera movements to develop visual interest. Video production is art that meets technology. Thankfully, we have the artistic skills and high-level gear to tell your story!

Editing

We’ve planned, we’ve filmed, and now we finally arrive at post-production! During post-production quite a few things take place, but video editing tops the list. This is the process of ingesting your raw video files and reassembling them into the final story. It is often a tedious and time-consuming process, but it’s well worth the effort. This is where the video truly takes shape! Your story is conceived during the pre-production phase, but video editing brings that story to fruition.

Overall there are many steps to the video editing process, many of which are technical and too complex to delve into here. From a high-level standpoint, during the video editing, we’re crafting the overall tone of the video, the way the music and color play into the tone and message, and of course the story flow. We once again look at the video holistically and how every single aspect of the video will connect with the viewer.

Our video editing service meets clients where they are in the video production process. This may mean that we’re editing a video we filmed for you, but sometimes that’s not the case. If you have pre-existing footage that you’re looking to have edited into a new video, please feel free to contact us. We’d love to help you out!

Animation

Animation may be the most misunderstood part of the video production process, but once understood, it is truly awesome! When thinking of animation, the first thing that often comes to mind is the classic “animated cartoon.” These cartoons may be a part of a video production or possibly the production itself. What some people may not realize is that there are actually many styles of animation. At Edge of Story Films, we work mostly with the animation style of motion graphics. Motion graphics are generally used in almost every single video production and are incredibly popular. This style of animation is used in a myriad of ways, but where it really shines is in its ability to take complicated subjects and simplify them in a visually stimulating method. This is why explainer videos are typically animated. Simply put, Motion Graphics refers to the animation of graphic elements, typically things such as shapes, text, icons, and illustrations, to create dynamic visual content. Motion graphics utilize movement, timing, and visual effects to animate static elements, infusing them with energy, rhythm, and captivating visuals.

Most people are visual learners and motion graphics do an amazing job of helping to conceptualize an idea. It’s possible to have an entire video created with motion graphics, but they are an integral part of every live-action video as well. Check out this list below of a few different ways motion graphics can be incorporated into your next video.

Animated typography, animated icons, logo animations, lower thirds (text ID title), animated seamless transitions, self-drawing lines, animated titles, graphic loops, UI animations.

Media Management

Media management may not be the most exciting video production topic, but it is incredibly necessary! Managing your media runs from the very beginning of the project, all the way through to the very end. Video production can be quite involved so it’s important to properly manage all of the data during production. Everything from scripts and storyboards to project files and footage. Media Management involves efficiency in the organization and retrieval of video files, graphics, audio, and other media elements. Media management demands that all assets are properly labeled, broken into categories, and stored in a well-thought-out manner, making them editable and easily accessed for post-production responsibilities.

Effective media management involves various tasks, including file backup, media ingestion, transcoding, logging metadata, and creating proxies for faster Video editing. Media management while not the most interesting part of the Video Production process, not only saves time but also makes for a smooth Video Production workflow. As a courtesy to our clients, this is a service we provide. Video files are only getting larger and larger so managing data is not only cumbersome but expensive! However, we’re fully equipped to not only handle the data but to make sure it’s safe and secure as well.