About Project Development
Project Development is the fi rst of three
chapters on the preproduction phase of video.
The second chapter, Chapter 10, Program Creation,
addresses the creative process of writing scripts
(or storyboards) for popular video genres, such
as fi ction, instructional, and documentary. The
third chapter, Chapter 11, Production Planning,
covers the nuts and bolts of preparing for
actual shooting.
In this chapter, Chapter 9, we are concerned
with the fi rst steps in the preproduction phase:
the process of developing a video project—of any
type—for scripting and eventual production.
In Hollywood, a movie being prepared for
production is said to be “in development.” Why
not just say that it is being “scripted” or simply
“written”? The reason is that no matter how
important a script may be, it is only an end-
product in a much larger creative process—the
process of project development.
For simplicity, “project,” as used here covers
the development process of all types of videos.
“Production,” the subject of the following chapter,
is used in creating specific types of videos.
This chapter covers the fundamentals of
this vital process. We will start with a common
sense approach to defi ning the video project you
wish to produce. Then, we will look at various
ways to create a design for your project—a design
intended to guide you and your colleagues
through production and postproduction.
If you propose to shoot a short simple video,
you may be tempted to skip the development
process. If, for example, you are making a music
video about a garage band, you may feel that all
you have to do is record the group playing a
song and then edit the results. But, this approach
is almost guaranteed to produce a less than
satisfactory program. Even a simple project
like that garage band video can benefi t from
the process of development. You begin this
development process by defi ning the project.
Even spontaneous videos shot with mobile phones
or other portable devices will benefit from some
planning, as explained in Chapter 19, Directing
for Form.
Defi ning the Project
The fi rst step in the development process
is to describe exactly the video that you want
to make. This may sound obvious, but far
too many programs suffer because they were
poorly defi ned to begin with. By developing a
detailed blueprint of your proposed program,
you provide the information you need to plan,
shoot, and edit your video.
To illustrate the steps in defi ning a project
we will use a promotional video for a fi ctional
product. Imagine that you have been hired
by Acme Power Tools, Inc. to produce a short
program that features their new cordless electric
drill, the Sidewinder. Acme Power Tools, Inc.
will publish your video on its corporate website
and on general video websites, as well.
At fi rst, the approach appears obvious: simply
show what the Acme Sidewinder drill can do.
But, there is much more than that to defi ning
this program. To draw a detailed blueprint, we
need to specify the program’s subject, objectives,
audience, delivery system, and length.
Defining a program also involves selecting a
genre (such as story, training, documentary, etc.).
Program genres are covered in Chapter 10,
Program Creation.
Subject
The fi rst step is to identify the subject matter,
and the easiest way to do this is by assigning
your project a temporary working title that
announces its topic, such as Our Camping Trip, Ed
and Darlene Get Married, Warehouse Operations,
or The Lions Club in Your Community. Each
of these titles summarizes the content of the
proposed video.
For your finished program, you may want to replace
the literal working title with a more imaginative
alternative.
Later, you will further limit and refi ne your
subject; but even at this fi rst step, your title may
suggest that your topic is too unfocused. For
instance, the title Warehouse Operations may tip
you off that your topic is too broad for a single
training program. To reduce it to a manageable
160 Video Digital Communication & Production