I met Krystian Morgan [1] awhile back through Twitter [2]. He’s a really talented guy, from the UK, who openly shares everything about his work – I like that. That way we can all learn and grow through the process.Thanks so much for this Krystian I really appreciate it! I asked him to write a guest post illustrating his work flow process. It’s brilliant: take a look!
Thanks - Kathryn Jennex
Producing Video Workflow! by Krystian Morgan
This article is my own typical process of creating a video from conception to publishing online. I don't want to write a tomb of set in stone steps that everyone takes, as all designers and video producers alike tackle their projects differently (it's all personal preference). However here's my tried and true workflow, hopefully it may give you some ideas to adopt for your own.
Of course initially the first place to start is with an idea, although a few times in the past i have started work on a video with the intention of experimenting/ trial and error to define the narrative and design, i feel that the projects i have started with an original concept beforehand make for a much smoother, enjoyable process.
The following steps are what i usually adhere to when creating a video project (depending on what type/length of video it is):
Script- Most of the work i publish on my videoblog do not require scripts because there is no need for dialogue or direction as i create them independently. But when the video requires some more elaborate directions for both myself and others involved whether it be talent or crew a script is close to essential. If the writing is substantial i lean toward using Celtx which is a really intuitive script writing software, but some times i will just use a standard TextEdit .txt file to plot the basic ideas.
Storyboard- Most of the video i create involves alot of movement (regarding camera work and CG elements). Because of this storyboards can be a great way to pre-visualize the best way to shoot and/or composite. Storyboards are also beneficial when you're working as a group, they can really help in explaining your vision to all those involved in the project as an informed crew will be able to work better for the same goal. Also using a Wacom tablet to draw out the stoyboards can save the time of scanning in and can be quickly distributed via SpinXpress to your team.
Housekeeping- I could talk all day about this stage but to quickly summarize: 'Good Organization'. I used to be terrible at naming all my different documents, i'd save them in different areas of my computer and would spend as much time looking for files (some got accidently deleted) as i would actually working on a video, so i really enforce this stage no matter how small the project is. Firstly i'll start with a primary folder, which name is the title of the project. Then inside are further folders separating images from video, text documents from After Effects project files. Other folders i usually include are a 'test' folder for spur of the moment experiments that may or may not be implemented in the final and of course a 'render' folder for all the exports. I also try to keep file names very simple for instance i'll name a clip 'scene1_1.mov' meaning 'scene1-first export' so the likely chance of re-exporting an updated version of that same clip, i'll name it 'scene1_2.mov' and it's then obvious which is the most recent to me, and to anyone else who may be working on this project.
Filming- I wont go too into the details here as i don't consider it a very creative process in my workflow i think there's only one possible shot for any clip and it's obvious when it's in the viewfinder. Ideally for me at this time, the optimal set-up for myself is a HD camera with tapeless acquisition (hard drive), a fluid head tripod, and an assortment of lights, gels, diffusers etc... I don't rent or decide what my set-up for a project consists of until the full concept/design is set in stone as the importance of filmed footage in the composition will define the amount of kit i will take, whether i'm shooting indoors or out, there are quite a few things that should be taken into account, it's better to know that you don't need a particular tool(s) beforehand so you don't have to carry it around with you all day. If i'm creating a personal video for my videoblog i'll often just take my Canon XM1 lone, which usually means more work in the post production stage but is a lot easier for a video that i'm creating for myself and not for money.
Layout- For me this is one of the most important stages in the whole process. I adopted it from the workflow of cartoon studios with minor differences. Sometimes going from storyboard or filming straight into putting the project together in After Effects, Final Cut etc... can seem like an intimidating jump. In this step i open a test project in AE and try translating a prominent storyboard frame, i start this stage with the mindset of strategizing the best way of attacking the actual construction, i further play around with the composition of text (if any) and other elements trying out a number of different effects and filters to try and spur some new exciting ideas that can really take the final video to the next level. This stage usually yields some exciting new prospects, a number of times i've developed the ideas so far i decide to tighten up the quality and rename the test file to the project name to continue the rest of the video.
Post (construction)- Ok so here's the point where most of the work takes place- inside of applications. By this time i know what applications will be needed to work together towards the same goal. For me After Effects is the hub of it all, it's where i start and end every project, all other softwares (if required) come in between. Again, even within the software(s) organization is paramount. I follow a similar organization to that of the primary project folder on the computer's hard drive (in some cases you can just import that folder straight in to the software(s) to have all your files at hand, but i would recommend only importing what you need).
Scoring- When possible with a video i like to own all the rights, so i can later license it however i want. So i take this stage with almost all of my videos. I use either Garageband or Logic (Express) to create the sound/noise/music with guitars and microphones, i often take the abstract approach where i don't compose a song beforehand, i'll just sit in front of the render, press record and lay down a number of tracks composing the notes based on what's happening in the video. I like sporadic video that dynamics can go from 10 to 100 in a split second so by recording the audio myself i can tailor make what i believe to be the perfect match to the visuals (which is nice as editing/animating to already rendered audio can seem a little limiting at times).
Post (final output)- At this stage it's just the matter of having to import the newly created soundtrack and placing it in the timeline. I also add my short site ident at the end which includes my name and my websites URL. Then its exporting time, i like to first export the movie at full quality (for reference on my computer) and then export a compressed version for uploading to the web. Go to freevlog.org [3] to find some great looking compression settings that also play fast (i do however up the data rates on both the video and audio a little more than is stated).
Publishing- Now is either the exciting stage or the terrifying stage (depending on how you look at it) uploading to the web for people to check out your creation and throw in their opinion. I have a self hosted Wordpress [4] blog and upload the .mov files to blip.tv [5]. I also set up the permissions people have regarding my video by displaying a custom Creative Commons [6] license badge on my site.
So as you can see there are a lot of stages here but most of the time not every step is required and the order isn't necessarily always the same, for instance, i may start with scoring the music and then fine editing to the waveforms in the post production stage.
I hope you've enjoyed this long winded summary of my process, i hope you've gotten something new to try or look for from it. If you want to contact me directly my email address is krys@kmogvideo.net [7], or you can find me at my websites listed below!
Krystian Morgan
KMOGVIDEO.net [8]
KrystianMORGAN.com [9]
twitter.com/kmog [10]