Video Production: Create

If you are following along with this guide, you now have:

• An objective statement and purpose for your video
• An idea of the content that you will present in your video and the intended audience
• A written video script
• A visual storyboard

Next, you will have to start to do the work of collecting the visual elements which you will use in your video. These visual elements may include video captured with a camera or smartphone, still photos, charts, graphs, screen-recordings, or animations that you have created.

Remember that the audio is also a very important part of your video production and you may have to record voiceover, sound effects, or find music which sets the tone for your video.

Lastly, you will assemble the collected video and audio clips into your final video using an editing program.

Once you have established a purpose and collected all the pieces that you need for your video project, it is time to start assembling them into a coherent whole.

The following tips can be used to assemble the pieces of your video footage into a final video production. However, there is no single right way to assemble your video, and using your creativity will help make the final product more memorable. 

1. Import - Any video footage, photos, or other visual elements that are going to be part of your video should all be imported into the editing program of your choice.


2. Create a timeline - Drag each of your visual elements into the timeline of your editor in the order that you want them to be viewed. Experiment with different ways of assembling and arranging the visual elements. You can also consult your storyboard.


3. Watch - Once you have created a timeline, take the time to watch it from start to finish. You will probably need to do this several times throughout the editing process. It can be tempting to scroll back and forth or scrub through all the footage quickly, but in doing so you may miss something that needs work.


4. "Ins" and "Outs" - The interesting parts of your video footage probably don't line up perfectly with the beginning and the end of your clips. So, what you need to do is to mark the start point of each clip and the end point of each clip. This is called marking your ins and outs. You can do this either on each clip itself or in the timeline.


5. Audio - Many editing programs have some music and sound effects that you can use for your video. These are often built into the program. When using different kinds of audio such as recorded interviews, voiceover, music, and sound effects, check to ensure no single audio recording is too loud or distracting. Lower the volume of background music, or remove it entirely, when someone is speaking. You can also increase the volume for someone who has a quiet voice and decrease it for someone who as a loud voice.


6. Open and Close - You will want to create titles to introduce your video to your audience. These can be created directly within video editing programs and usually have various options for fonts, colors, and animations. At the conclusion of your video, you will add your credits. These will include your resources, names of anyone who was involved in the project, and anything else you might want your audience to know, such as a URL that they might visit for more information.