Industry Perspectives: Strategies for Successful Video Collaboration

And what is the content they’re providing? If there are multiple files to review mistakes are frequent in citing which file is referenced, if any attempt to specify is made at all. Moreover, the comment may not cite or may be inaccurate in terms of the portion of the video within the timeline, or what area on screen is relevant. Comments can be as vague as, "I don’t like the part of the video where the guy sounds very uncertain talking about our product."

As feedback comes in, someone has to take on the punishing responsibility to interpret what it all means, what is referenced, and what consensus is there or if not which opinion should carry the day. That then has to be assembled and passed on for editing in a manner that is coherent and well correlated with the content.

And the entire project can still go awry due either to this lack of coordination, or the emergence at the eleventh hour of a key executive, previously unknown to the producer, who decides that the entire project was executed off-target. Video tends to be subjectively assessed and there’s no planning for certain people’s tastes.

I believe that the source of these problems frequently encountered in video production lies in the fact that the projects are taken on by parties who bring different areas of expertise, and know little about each other’s areas, and don’t have time to close that gap during the project’s duration. The producer does not have time to learn about the product, service or operation being highlighted and likewise those commissioning the project don’t have time to develop appreciation of the nuances of video.

But, taking the best aspects of technical collaboration for other types of projects and blending them with video’s distinctive considerations may do the trick.

At the outset of a project, a client could consider a briefing document based on the kind of production planned. This could allow people to lay out their thoughts on what’s being covered and what are project objectives within the context of considerations that help prepare for video projects in particular.

Throughout the project the scheduling, task assignment and messaging tools that are prevalent in project management applications could be utilized. This way everyone keeps abreast of status of the project, what’s expected of them personally, and when to anticipate next deliverables from teammates.

The scripting exercise could be more collaborative, even wiki-like, including the kind of track-changes and integrated commenting that’s part of other collaborative document exercises. If a producer and other video professionals are involved, they could provide guidance on the brevity and linguistic style that work best on camera while the client makes sure that all key points to express are contained.

Joint access to script early on can allow other benefits in addition to a well crafted verbiage. The production crew can consider how to plan the shoot and even develop story-boards to reach consensus with client and assure an efficient and economical day on set. Anyone appearing on camera could rehearse lines in advance with understanding of how much time those lines are to fill.

Benefits of technology could be even stronger at post production. Consider how much video is consumed on-line these days. People watch entire movies streaming at high quality. There is no reason why video footage still has to be exchanged by FTP or DVD. Get it onto a streaming server.

Beyond the fact that this allows more convenient access, it could also allow for more effective feedback conversations. Just like on many video sharing services, the comments could be connected to the content itself, even with specificity of when within a stream they pertain; or where on screen. Every project participant could see and react to every other one’s comments, and clear consensus could be constructed this way. Involvement of key participants could be assured by making access to content convenient for them with clear indication of the project’s direction.

There may be good reasons why video production has been a laggard compared to other types of creative projects in the embrace of leading edge collaborative practices. For one thing video is still in early stages of proliferating from a few niche enclaves towards widespread organizational use. Also the medium itself doesn’t fully lend itself to established collaborative techniques. Incorporating written feedback into a document is easy because that document’s medium is writing. Video’s x, y and time dimensions are more challenging in this regard.

But professionals in the video world don’t have the luxury of falling back on excuses of their medium being a younger and more exotic one than others. If video projects continue to run over-time, over-budget and produce results of inconsistent quality, they will not fully realize their potential for widespread organizational usage.

How to collaborate on creative projects is clear and it’s established across a range of undertakings. Adapting those practices to video may not be simple, but it is achievable. Moreover it is necessary for the video production by corporations and professional organizations to truly flourish.