video-production

Video Production

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Comprehensive guide for professional video production across all platforms.

Production Phases

The 3 Phases

Phase	Activities	Deliverables
Pre-Production	Planning, scripting, storyboarding	Script, shot list, schedule
Production	Filming, recording	Raw footage, audio
Post-Production	Editing, VFX, color, sound	Final deliverable

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Pre-Production

Script Format

SCENE 1 - INT. OFFICE - DAY

Wide shot of open office space. ALEX (30s) sits at desk.

ALEX
(looking at screen)
This is where the magic happens.

CUT TO: Close-up of computer screen showing code.

NARRATOR (V.O.)
In today's tutorial, we'll cover...

Shot List Template

#	Scene	Shot Type	Description	Duration	Notes
1	Intro	Wide	Office establishing	3s	Natural lighting
2	Intro	Close-up	Subject face	5s	Eye contact
3	Demo	Screen capture	Code editor	30s	1080p60

Storyboard Elements

┌─────────────────────────┐
│    [Rough sketch]       │
│                         │
│    ┌───┐               │
│    │ O │  ←Subject      │
│    └─┬─┘               │
│      │                  │
├─────────────────────────┤
│ Shot: Medium close-up   │
│ Action: Subject speaks  │
│ Audio: Dialogue + music │
│ Duration: 5 seconds     │
│ Notes: Eye-level angle  │
└─────────────────────────┘

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Camera Fundamentals

Shot Types

FRAMING:
┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐
│             │     │    ┌───┐    │     │   ┌─────┐   │
│   ┌───┐     │     │    │ O │    │     │   │  O  │   │
│   │ O │     │     │    └─┬─┘    │     │   │  │  │   │
│   └─┬─┘     │     │     ─┼─     │     │   └──┬──┘   │
│   ──┼──     │     │      │      │     │      │      │
│    /│\      │     │     / \     │     └─────────────┘
│   / │ \     │     │    /   \    │
│  /  │  \    │     └─────────────┘     CLOSE-UP (CU)
│ /   │   \   │
└─────────────┘     MEDIUM (MS)
WIDE/FULL (WS)

EXTREME CLOSE-UP (ECU): Eyes, details only
MEDIUM CLOSE-UP (MCU): Head and shoulders
OVER-THE-SHOULDER (OTS): Person from behind another
TWO-SHOT: Two subjects in frame

Camera Movements

Movement	Description	Effect
Pan	Horizontal rotation	Reveal, follow action
Tilt	Vertical rotation	Reveal height, power
Dolly	Move toward/away	Intimacy, reveal
Truck	Move left/right	Follow alongside
Crane	Vertical elevation	Epic, establishing
Zoom	Focal length change	Focus attention
Handheld	Natural movement	Documentary feel
Steadicam	Smooth handheld	Following shots

The Exposure Triangle

                    EXPOSURE
                       │
        ┌──────────────┼──────────────┐
        │              │              │
        ▼              ▼              ▼
   ┌─────────┐   ┌─────────┐   ┌─────────┐
   │  ISO    │   │Aperture │   │ Shutter │
   │ 100-12800│   │ f/1.4-22│   │ 1/30-   │
   │         │   │         │   │  1/8000 │
   └────┬────┘   └────┬────┘   └────┬────┘
        │             │             │
   Sensitivity   Depth of      Motion
   (noise)       Field         blur

Video Settings

Setting	Standard	Notes
Resolution	1080p, 4K	Match delivery target
Frame Rate	24, 30, 60 fps	24=film, 30=TV, 60=smooth
Shutter Speed	1/2x frame rate	180° rule (1/48 for 24fps)
ISO	As low as possible	Higher = more noise
Bit Rate	50-400 Mbps	Higher = better quality
Codec	H.264, H.265, ProRes	ProRes for editing

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Lighting

Three-Point Lighting

              KEY LIGHT
                 │
                 │  (45° angle)
                 │
                 ▼
    ┌────────────────────────┐
    │                        │
FILL │          👤          │ BACK LIGHT
LIGHT│       Subject         │ (rim/hair)
    │                        │
    └────────────────────────┘
                 │
                 │
              CAMERA

Light	Purpose	Intensity
Key	Main illumination	100% reference
Fill	Soften shadows	50-75% of key
Back	Separation from BG	Variable

Lighting Styles

Style	Key:Fill Ratio	Mood
High key	1:1 to 2:1	Bright, optimistic
Medium	3:1 to 4:1	Natural, neutral
Low key	8:1+	Dramatic, moody

Color Temperature

Kelvin Scale:
1800K  ████████░░░░░░░░  Candlelight (warm)
2700K  ██████████░░░░░░  Tungsten bulb
3200K  ███████████░░░░░  Halogen
4000K  ████████████░░░░  Moonlight
5600K  ██████████████░░  Daylight (neutral)
6500K  ███████████████░  Overcast
10000K ████████████████  Blue sky (cool)

---

Audio

Recording Guidelines

Element	Target Level	Notes
Dialogue	-12 to -6 dB	Peak at -6 dB max
Music	-18 to -12 dB	Under dialogue
SFX	Variable	Support the story
Noise floor	Below -60 dB	Record room tone

Microphone Types

Type	Best For	Pattern
Lavalier	Interviews, dialogue	Omnidirectional
Shotgun	Film, documentary	Super-cardioid
Condenser	Voiceover, studio	Cardioid
Dynamic	Loud sources	Cardioid

Audio Checklist

• Record room tone (30 seconds minimum)
• Check levels before recording
• Monitor with headphones
• Backup audio recording
• Sync audio/video with clap

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Post-Production

Editing Workflow

1. INGEST
   └─→ Import footage, create proxies if needed

2. ORGANIZE
   └─→ Label clips, create bins/folders, log selects

3. ROUGH CUT
   └─→ Assemble story structure, timing

4. FINE CUT
   └─→ Tighten edits, pacing refinement

5. PICTURE LOCK
   └─→ No more timeline changes

6. COLOR
   └─→ Correction, grading, look development

7. AUDIO MIX
   └─→ Levels, EQ, compression, spatial

8. TITLES/GFX
   └─→ Lower thirds, motion graphics

9. EXPORT
   └─→ Final render, quality check

Editing Software

Software	Best For	Platform
DaVinci Resolve	Color grading, full edit	All (Free tier)
Adobe Premiere	Industry standard	All
Final Cut Pro	Mac ecosystem	macOS
Avid Media Composer	Broadcast, film	All
iMovie	Beginners	macOS/iOS
CapCut	Social media	Mobile/Desktop

Essential Cuts

Cut	Description	Use
Hard cut	Instant transition	Standard, dialogue
J-cut	Audio leads video	Natural dialogue flow
L-cut	Video leads audio	Reaction shots
Jump cut	Same angle, time skip	Pacing, style
Match cut	Visual similarity	Transitions, meaning
Cutaway	Insert shot	Context, time compression

---

Color

Color Workflow

1. CORRECTION (Primary)
   - Fix exposure, white balance
   - Balance shots in scene
   - Create neutral baseline

2. MATCHING
   - Match shots within scenes
   - Consistent skin tones
   - Scene-to-scene continuity

3. GRADING (Secondary)
   - Creative look development
   - Selective adjustments
   - Style application

Color Scopes

Scope	Shows	Use
Waveform	Luminance levels	Exposure, contrast
Vectorscope	Hue, saturation	Skin tones, color cast
Histogram	Tonal distribution	Clipping, balance
Parade	RGB channels separate	Color balance

LUTs (Look-Up Tables)

Types:
- Technical LUT: Log to Rec.709 conversion
- Creative LUT: Stylistic look (film emulation)
- Calibration LUT: Monitor/display correction

Application Order:
1. Input LUT (log conversion)
2. Primary correction
3. Secondary grading
4. Creative LUT
5. Output LUT (delivery spec)

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Motion Graphics

Animation Principles

Principle	Application
Easing	Smooth starts/stops (ease in/out)
Anticipation	Setup before action
Follow-through	Motion continues after stop
Secondary action	Supporting movements
Timing	Speed conveys weight/mood
Staging	Clear presentation

Common Motion Patterns

/* Easing functions */
ease-in:      slow → fast
ease-out:     fast → slow
ease-in-out:  slow → fast → slow
linear:       constant speed

/* Standard durations */
Quick:   150-200ms (micro-interactions)
Normal:  300-400ms (standard transitions)
Slow:    500-800ms (emphasis, reveals)

Title Safe Zones

┌────────────────────────────────┐
│  ┌──────────────────────────┐  │
│  │  ┌────────────────────┐  │  │
│  │  │                    │  │  │
│  │  │    TITLE SAFE      │  │  │
│  │  │       (80%)        │  │  │
│  │  │                    │  │  │
│  │  └────────────────────┘  │  │
│  │       ACTION SAFE        │  │
│  │          (90%)           │  │
│  └──────────────────────────┘  │
│         FULL FRAME (100%)      │
└────────────────────────────────┘

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Export & Delivery

Platform Specifications

Platform	Resolution	Frame Rate	Format
YouTube	1080p/4K	24-60 fps	H.264/H.265
Instagram Feed	1080×1080	30 fps	H.264
Instagram Reels	1080×1920	30 fps	H.264
TikTok	1080×1920	30 fps	H.264
Twitter	1280×720+	30-60 fps	H.264
LinkedIn	1920×1080	30 fps	H.264
Broadcast	1080i/p	29.97/25 fps	ProRes/DNxHD

Export Settings (H.264)

Web Delivery:
- Codec: H.264
- Container: MP4
- Bitrate: 10-20 Mbps (1080p), 35-68 Mbps (4K)
- Audio: AAC, 320 kbps
- Sample rate: 48 kHz

Archive/Master:
- Codec: ProRes 422 or DNxHD
- Container: MOV
- Audio: Uncompressed PCM

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Best Practices

DO:

• Plan before you shoot
• Record more footage than needed
• Use manual focus when possible
• Monitor audio with headphones
• Shoot for the edit
• Keep organized project files
• Back up everything (3-2-1 rule)
• Color correct before grading

DON'T:

• Overuse transitions
• Rely on "fix it in post"
• Forget b-roll coverage
• Ignore audio quality
• Over-sharpen in post
• Export at wrong aspect ratio
• Skip the rough cut phase
• Delete original footage

---

Quality Checklist

Pre-Export

• Timeline resolution matches delivery spec
• No black frames or gaps
• Audio levels normalized (-14 LUFS for streaming)
• All graphics within safe zones
• Color consistent across scenes
• Exports without errors

Final Review

• Watch full export beginning to end
• Check on multiple devices/screens
• Verify audio sync throughout
• Confirm captions/subtitles accuracy
• File size appropriate for platform