Video Production specialists are involved in all aspects of the video production process, including planning, creating, processing, uploading, editing, and managing video for a wide variety of distribution channels. They may create two-minute advertisements, 30-minute instructional videos, engaging promotional videos, commercials, highlight videos, or even product demos.
Video Production Specialists don’t always shoot the video – that may be a job completed by the Video Editor or Videographer, but they generally have a background in shooting video, and experience with a camera, using recording equipment, managing the lighting for a shoot, and understand how to set up a video shoot. Ultimately, the goal of a Video Production Specialist is to create video content that can help a company promote or sell its brand, product, and/or services.
What does a Video Production Specialist do, typically?
Project management
A Video Production Specialist should have excellent project management and organization skills because they are often involved in the pre-project planning of the video production process, working closely with Video Editors and Videographers, and the client or internal stakeholders. They may assist or provide input for those working on script writing or content planning, and also are involved with coordinating studio time or shoot locations, and working with the video editor and stakeholders to understand the various types of video that should be created for each project.
Strong technical knowledge
Video Production Specialists create videos for TV and movies, web-based programming, advertisements, on-demand webcasts, and social media. Video Production Specialists use programs such as Adobe Creative Suite Video Editing Software, Final Cut Studio, AVID, AfterEffects, and more, to add music, graphics, animation, and to develop, edit and upload/manage video content. They may also add special effects, animation, or graphics, while also ensuring the video meets brand and quality standards – is compressed for output, has proper lighting, the right encoded media and optimized for production, publishing, and distribution.
Post-production
Post-production is where a good Video Production Specialist can make their mark. This is the final stage in the video creation process and involves the final editing, proofing, and development of a recorded video. Post-production includes making editorial decisions – what to keep, what to cut, and ensuring all the above technical elements create a video that meets client or project goals, and provide the results outlined in the pre-project video planning meetings.
Videographer versus Video Production Specialist
The Video Editor or Videographer serves as the primary video “lead” capturing the video on camera or recording the video at the site of the shoot. The Video Production Specialist then takes that video to produce the “final” video or series of videos for production/distribution. The Video Production Specialist works in the field, and in post-production to edit, manipulate and prepare the final video. The Videographer captures the video and the Video Production Specialists applies the final changes as outlined in pre-project meetings, or with the client or stakeholder.
