With a Wailing Banshee producer and client working as a team every step of the way, everything falls easily into place and the outcome is a very powerful sales, training or motivational tool that will quickly pay for itself many times over.

Through experience we've learned that to ensure that the process will go smoothly, staying on time and budget, the client must be an informed partner in the video production. Your approval is needed at each stage before we can proceed onto the next step. Since many clients aren't familiar with the process, we've summarized some of the key steps.

PRE-PRODUCTION: Define the Purpose

The video process begins by choosing the purpose of your video. Any effective communication is defined by clarity of purpose. Your corporate video should be created to convey one single message, promote a single product or service, or express one singular goal or intent. The key to a successful video is keeping it simple and limited to a solitary goal or intent. A cluttered disorganized video will leave the audience confused, antagonistic or wary.

Identify the Target Audience:

For your video to be right on target we must know exactly who we're trying to reach. Clients or employees? Management or rank and file? Young or old? Once identified we can choose the style, pacing and music that motivates that group.

Develop an Outline:

An outline can be developed in-house or contracted out to a professional writer or your designated producer at Wailing Banshee Ltd. The outline requires your concentrated attention. Now is the time to make revisions and offer suggestions. Pass it around to all the people who will have to approve the script and final video. Changes at this point in the production can be made easily. Later on, when production is under way, revisions can be costly, time consuming and laborious.

An outline should remain flexible. It is simply a good starting point for the ideas and message that the video will communicate. Ultimately, the outline should guide the video, rather than limit it.

Create the Script:

It is very difficult to shoot using the outline as a guide, although in a pinch it can be done. Shooting without a script adds immeasurably onto the production and editing time. A good shooting script for a video production is indispensable, like blueprints for a house: without a carefully designed script a project will wind up costing more than expected and be less than successful in conveying your message.

Scriptwriting for TV is different from other forms of writing. Visuals, not words, carry the message most strongly in video. Studies show that people learn most and remember more of what they see. We can either write the script or provide script consultation to help you write effectively for TV.

Additional Pre-Production Factors:

Meetings between the producer and client will determine a shooting and editing schedule. If talent (actors) are involved a casting and audition session will be arranged.

During this pre-production period we will arrange and book the Wailing Banshee crew, designing and building of sets, plan graphics, locate and rent props and scout locations etc.

PRODUCTION: Shoot Day:

The Banshee crew arrives at "call time" and establishes a centrally located "stash area" where equipment that is not immediately need is stored. We request that this room is secured since there are many valuable items left there. The crew must be totally wrapped within ten hours after their arrival to avoid overtime. A lunch break of thirty minutes to an hour is scheduled during the day.

Within a half hour to an hour of arrival we should be up and running, doing our first scene. Most clients are surprised to see how much time is involved in setting up each scene even though we work very fast. We believe that good videos are a result of craftsmanship, and rushing the job detracts from the final results.

Scenes are usually shot out of sequence which can be confusing for the uninitiated but is a more efficient use of time. We will rely on a representative from the client or location to keep us informed as to schedules, availability and arrange the cooperation of personnel. At this time they will guarantee the technical accuracy of what we are filming by watching the monitor or replays since it is prohibitively expensive to return for a re-shoot.

You may also elect to have top executives speak on camera. We realize this can be an unnerving experience and we are very experienced in helping the person relax. If the subject is expected to look and speak directly to camera, rather than be interviewed, we strongly suggest using a telepromptor.

POST PRODUCTION: Reviewing & Logging Footage:

The producer reviews the footage (rushes) to make sure we have everything in the can.

Off Line Edit:

This is a very rough version of what your final program will look like although it will not have effects or graphics.

If anything is incorrect or not to your liking we still have time to change. If you are comparing our cost estimate to others, please make sure that theirs includes an Off Line Edit. If they don't know what that means...run!

Some clients opt to skip this stage for budget reasons. And perhaps that is OK for a very simplistic video. However, your On Line Edit will take longer, which may mean going over budget. Worse, other executives and departments may want changes after the On Line Edit is completed and that is very expensive to do once the audio is mixed and effects are laid in. We strongly recommend the Off Line Edit to allow for creativity, save money and avoid time delays.

On Line Edit:

Here's the stage when everything comes together. You're invited, and sometimes requested, to sit in. We edit on a digital non-linear systems (Pinnacle Chrome and Targa 3000 realtime), quick creative editing machines.... oh and a quick creative editor is thrown in too!

We also provide 3D animators and tv graphics professionals to add sparkle to your programme.