How does the filmmaking process work?

You don’t need any prior filmmaking knowledge to work with Fresh Ground Films. We don’t baffle our clients with industry buzzwords or assume you understand the inner workings of the video production process. Why should you?  You’ve got your areas of expertise and this one is ours. We’re here to guide you. No hidden costs, no bossy directing, no crossed wires – just brilliant, cinematic filmmaking.

We’ve written this blog to give you an idea of what to expect when you commission us to create a video for you. Some shoots might not require each of these steps but this provides a rough guide.

5 Simple Steps to a Brilliant Video

Step 1: Tell us what you want

You talk, we listen.  You’re the expert on your business and what you want to achieve, so our first phone or Zoom consultation is a chance for you to share your vision with us.  Have a think about your goals for your video; the target audience; your budget; timescales and how you’ll use and promote the finished film.  We’ll ask all the right questions to help focus your brief. Then we’ll provide you with a proposal and quote that reflect the scope of your project. 

You might ring us up a few days later and want to tweak or rethink certain elements of what we discussed.  That’s fine too. 

Step 2: We plan your video together

Once we’ve got a good brief, it’s time to get planning. Good pre-production means a smooth, cost-effective shoot so we always spend time getting this bit right.    

This is when we map out all of the creative details of your video including the contributors and interviewees; the filming locations; the script and the storyboarding. (storyboarding means the look and feel of your video). Do we expect you to know how to do all this? Not at all.  We call ourselves ‘full-service filmmakers’ meaning that a dedicated member of our team works with you throughout the planning.  Towards the end of this stage, we create a production schedule with your input.  We make sure that filming will work around the day-to-day running of your organisation. 

Step 3: Lights, camera, action

Now for the fun bit we’ve all been waiting for – we film.  We’re proud and passionate video production geeks and we continually invest in the highest-quality professional filming kit. This includes cinema-class cameras, LED location lighting, and discreet sound-kit to capture your footage in crisp 4k.  

There’s a chance that some of your interviewees are getting sweaty palms about appearing on film so we’ll spend time coaching any nervous participants to feel more confident on camera.  Depending on the size of your shoot, we can provide anything from a one-person crew to a full video production team.  The one thing that never changes is the high quality of the service we provide.   We’re a friendly, approachable bunch and our clients tell us that we create a relaxed, collaborative atmosphere on our shoots.  We know we get the best results when everyone is working as a team.

Step 4: We work our post-production magic

Once we’ve shot lots of great footage, we retreat to our studio and make your vision come alive in post-production. This is where a lot of the magic happens. 

We’ll consult with you to select the best footage and then cut it together seamlessly for a cinematic feel.  Your film will tell your story and reflect your brand in its style and tone.   Our state-of-the-art software means you’ll get to see and approve the edits as we progress via our online platform.  At this stage we can add graphics and text, music and use our archive of stock footage if we need to.

Step 5: Grab your popcorn, here’s your finished film

Once we’ve done all the edits and you’re delighted with the end results, your final film is delivered to you through a secure download link.

We’ll create as many different assets as you need – that might involve a longer version of your video for a presentation; a shorter version for your website; bite-size snippets for social media and more.  Your video is there to work hard for your organisation – it has an important job to do and we’ll ensure you have every version you need to maximise the results. 

The footage we shoot is a valuable resource not just for your current project, but for future campaigns as well.  That’s why it doesn’t end up on the cutting room floor. We backup & safely archive client footage for 2 years as standard, for all those ‘do we still have that footage?’ moments.  

We hope this gives you a clearer sense of how the video production process works at Fresh Ground Films.  We’d love to talk to you directly about your project, so do get in touch with us to find out more and discuss your goals and your budget.

We work across all sectors but our particular specialisms are environment; healthcare; education; charity; heritage, arts & culture and business.  We love working with purpose-led businesses to tell their stories with soul.

We’re based in Exeter in the beautiful South West.