Most “what is marketing video production” articles appear to be an alphabetical glossary of terms created by individuals who have no experience sitting in a pre-pro meeting. At Vidpros we manage the post-production crew finishing work on behalf of in-house marketing teams and agencies daily. Below are the steps necessary to ensure shoots do not go off track. This includes briefs, pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution. These are typically considered the dull aspects of creating a successful video production.
What Is Video Production & What Are Its Types?
Video production can be defined as converting a marketing concept into a complete, finished video file. However, the interesting thing about this conversion is how many flavors you have from which to choose.
Four formats cover almost everything.
Live Action utilizes real people, real cameras, and real locations. Live action is best utilized for creating branded content (such as employee testimonials), founders’ content, etc.
Animation encompasses all forms of animation (including but not limited to) 2D explainers, Motion Graphics and 3D Product Visualizations. Animation is best utilized when explaining software and/or abstract concepts.
Hybrid combines elements of both live action and animation. A hybrid may include a live-action interview being cut with animated data visualizations. Hybrid is most commonly used for B2B Explainer Videos.
UGC (User Generated Content) is simply the use of creator shot footage as paid social advertisements. UGC is cost effective and quick to produce. It has a lower level of polish than other options. As of now, it is one of the top performing ad formats on both TikTok and Instagram Reels.
In addition to the type of format, the reason why each of these formats were created is based on psychological principles of consumers. Specifically, Live Action provides a way for brands to build trust using human connections. The instant social proof provided by a person’s face is something that no amount of screenshots of software can provide. On the other hand, Animation is typically used as the means to take complex SaaS features that are intangible to the user (i.e., back-end data flows or cloud security layers) and simplify them so that they can be understood. In addition to providing an alternative method to visualize technical explanations, Hybrid models also serve as “visual anchors.” They help keep viewers engaged through the middle of a longer form video by resetting their attention every time they see an animation cut into a section where there was previously a technical explanation.
Finally, UGC works well because it mimics the natural content that your audience consumes organically. This reduces what we refer to as the “Ad Guard,” i.e. the audience’s guard against traditional advertising.
Once you have selected a format for your project, it dictates all other aspects of your production. For example, if you select the wrong format, the number of personnel required to execute your production, the number of shoot days necessary to capture your shots, the amount of post-production time necessary to create your final edit, the music budget available for licensing rights and/or original composition and even the scope of color grading available for your final video.
How to plan a marketing video strategy
Most marketers start off thinking about the video Format before understanding the objectives of their marketing video. “we need an explainer video.” who are we creating this video for? What platforms do we want to run it on?
Begin with the objective.
Do you need a marketing video that will drive top of funnel awareness and brand recall? Or do you have a mid-funnel marketing video that answers a customer’s questions as they move down the sales funnel. Are you looking for a bottom of funnel marketing video that drives a trial of your product. Each type of video has a different runtime, pacing and call-to-action.
Next decide upon the Format.
A 30-second product-service explainer for LinkedIn paid media has completely different requirements than a 4 minute YouTube hero film. Decide upon the runtime and aspect ratio based on where you’re going to run the video first. Then determine what Format best fits that runtime and aspect ratio. Square/1:1, vertical 9:16 for short form social media, square/4:5 for in-feed, and 16:9 for YouTube and connected TV.
Storyboarding your creative based upon platform
Once you’ve decided upon the Format you’ll be running your marketing video on, then you can focus on developing your storyboards. A 6-second bumper ad may require all of its storytelling focus to be placed around logo recognition and a single visual punch. While a 60-second YouTube ad will allow you to develop a full traditional narrative arc – hook, agitation, solution and proof.
Write your brief, not a Slack thread!
Developing your marketing video brief should include all of the information necessary for your production team to create your marketing video. Below is the Vidpros marketing video brief template. This template includes 9 categories:
- Objective and the metric you’ll judge by
- Audience (one sentence, one persona)
- Single core message (“If they remember one thing”)
- Format, runtime, channels, aspect ratios
- Mandatories (legal, claims substantiation, talent releases)
- Reference videos with timecodes
- Budget range
- Decision-makers and approval rounds
- Music sync needs and license budget
If a stakeholder can’t fill in field three in one sentence, the brief isn’t ready. For how production work plugs into demand generation, see our video marketing services pillar.
Step-By-Step Video Production Workflow
Production Workflow of Actual Process.
Marketing completes each field provided at top with an additional section that is called creative reference guide. The producer reviews the completed marketing form and decides to accept or reject.
Pre-Production.
Producer takes information from marketing document, creates shot list, location plan, talent selections/booking, list of props needed for shoot and call sheet. The director creates a treatment if there are shots other than one person speaking to camera. Legal reviews the claim(s) made regarding product being marketed as well as need to sync music. Talent and Image Releases are signed. Music License will be secured (required for all paid advertising).
In pre-production location scouting is not just looking for visually appealing locations. It is also finding a location where you have power available, ambient noise (air conditioning units, planes flying overhead), parking for the crew. Choosing talent is different depending on the objective. Choose “polished” when creating high-end branded videos. When creating user-generated content (UGC) or testimonial videos, your focus should be on choosing authentic individuals who can relate to the target audience.
Production. The Director will manage the crew, while the Director of Photography (DP) manages the camera and lights, and the Sound Mixer manages audio. The Producer manages the Talent and keeps an eye on the time. As such, always film as much coverage as possible — a wide, medium, close-up, cut-away etc…
The Producer’s Toolbox
A good producer has everything they need in their bag prior to stepping onto the Set. Hard Drives with lots of storage space for Quick DIT offloading, Spare Batteries for your V-Mounts, Gaffer Tape, A Multi Tool, Printed versions of all Talent Releases — if something can’t be found in this bag it will take longer than expected to get.
Post-Production. Where the majority of Timelines Slipping Happens.
Send the Editor a brief, Shot List, Reference Videos and Raw Footage in One Organized Folder NOT a Dropbox Link that doesn’t have any context. Once the Editor has completed a Rough Assembly, Marketing Reviews then Fine Cuts Color Grading, Sound Design, Music Sync, Captions & Graphics. Standard is two rounds of Revisions — five rounds means the Brief was Wrong.
Inside post-production we separate into Offline Edits (Story Pacing & Selects) and Online Edits (Color Grading, Sound Mixing & Visual Effects). Never Ask for Color Tweaks During Offline Phase — it disrupts the Narrative Flow.
Distribution. Upload video files natively to YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook (Meta) along with the Caption Files required by each Platform. Send specs for Paid Media Trafficking to Ad Agencies. Confirm UTM Tracking prior to making any Spend Live.
A well-produced 60 second Hero Spot takes anywhere from 3 to 6 Weeks to complete from beginning to end. Templates are the only thing that shortens it.
What sets apart good marketing video content from bad marketing video content
There are four elements of video that separate the performing videos from the non-performing videos.
Hook; the best hooks start with a question, an opposing viewpoint, a visually stimulating image, or someone speaking directly to the audience (camera) while animated/energetic. The Hook takes place within the first three seconds of viewing, either stopping the viewer from scrolling through their feed, or they do not. It does not contain logos.
Story; A story contains a beginning, middle, and ending. Regardless if the video is 30 seconds, problem/agitation/resolution is a simple story structure. Skipping the Agitation will result in listing features.
Cuts; While having fancy visuals is great, how many cuts occur in the first 10 seconds of a video is much greater as to why it performs. Watch your reference video with the volume turned down and count all of the cuts that take place during the first 10 seconds. This number represents your ideal cut pace. Most amateur editors cut every two to three seconds; most genres want a cut every one to two seconds.
Call-to-Action (CTA); The CTA should conclude with one call to action. This can include: visiting a website, scanning a QR code, commenting on a keyword, clicking a card. Only one ask, not multiple.
In general successful marketing videos are less than what was originally requested. In particular, the 90-second edit typically performs better at 60 seconds.
Creating compelling Video Ads and End Cards
Video Ad creation is a different form of video creation compared to creating Brand Films. With Video Ads the pacing is faster, the messaging is single-minded, and the end card receives far more attention than viewers realize.
End Card; Your end card consists of the last three to five seconds of your video ad. This includes your logo, value proposition, and one call-to-action. The common error made by advertisers is to create a static frame. Do not make this error. Create animation. Any type of animation, including a slow-motion zoom, keeps the viewer focused on the screen long enough for them to process the offer. When creating paid-social ads your end card should clearly convey its messaging regardless of whether sound is enabled or disabled. Prior to shipping test your end-card on a smartphone.
For paid-media-specific specifications/timing information and detailed processes of video-ad production visit our “video-ad-production page. For longer-form brand video and ongoing campaign work, see our guide to video production for marketing.
Tools and platforms for smoother video creation
The Four tools covered are 90% of the workflows used by in-house marketing video production teams and agencies.
Notion for all briefs, shot lists, and all revisions. Plus is $10/user/month billed annually; Business runs $18-$20/user/month and bundles AI, which stopped being a paid add-on in May 2025 (Notion Pricing).
Asana for tracking milestones for pre-pro, production and post. The starter level that will allow for automation of hand-offs from producer to editor is $10.99/user/month paid annually; advanced is $24.99/user/month (Asana Pricing).
Frame.io for reviewing and approving your content. Frame.io offers free usage for up to two users with the Pro plan being $15/user/month and the Team plan being $25/user/month (Frame.io Pricing). The Team plan has team only commenting and expiring links after a time frame set, that makes sense for NDA brand work.
Post Production Partner
This is where you can hire a post-production partner to assist your in house edit team to help meet their workload demands. Vidpros uses a fractional time model; the part-time tier is $1,000/month (2 hours/day on workdays, overnight turnaround, stock images, AI captioning), with full-time capacity quoted on volume (Vidpros Pricing). Your lead editor keeps a small client load and works from your Brand File, so the style is documented rather than held in one person’s head.
Asset Management
Any company with over 50 employees will need a digital asset management system to avoid “Lost Footage Syndrome.” Lost Footage Syndrome occurs when no one knows what footage they have recorded and versions get lost. Using a DAM will also help create standards around version control and how files are named (i.e. Project Name Version Date). When an editor leaves, another editor should be able to locate the original master project in less than 30 seconds.
How does this tool stack fit within your overall creative production workflow? In my experience working with multiple agencies, the biggest area of inefficiency is where the production and marketing functions intersect (the production to marketing hand-off).
The value of using a structured video production method
PREDICTABILITY. Having a structured approach to video development provides predictability with regards to time (a real production timeline will convert video from being an uncertainty to a line item in your budget), cost, and decision-making. This includes knowing how long each stage of the production (briefing, pre-production, shooting, post) typically take; who is responsible for approving each stage; and what potential issues may arise during the course of the project (e.g., “scope creep,” “revision spiral”) as well as where those issues can be mitigated.
Without a process you are subject to the experience of having worked on the same type of project numerous times before. Your shoot goes longer than anticipated because the shot list wasn’t finalized prior to filming. Your editor creates V1 of your project based on a brief that was provided via a Slack message. The CMO wants to view Version 6 of your project because they missed Version 3. Project timelines slip and finance asks “why did our budget increase by 300%?”
The Process Is Not bureaucracy – It’s the Cheapest Insurance Policy in Marketing.
Examples of Video Production Projects in Marketing
We will not reference any specific client work which has not received permission to be used as a case study. We do however want to highlight two anonymous common patterns we have seen:
B2B Software Company Creates Quarterly Product Reel:
The company produces a 60 second product reel and three additional 15-second versions of the reel for use on their paid social channels. In addition, they produce a 90 second feature length product reel for use on their product pages. The entire project is completed within a single shoot day and requires approximately three weeks of post production. Once the template is developed this project can be produced every quarter without any additional expense.
E-Commerce Brand Produces Monthly User Generated Content Ad Batches:
Each month, the company produces 12 user-generated content shots and edits each of these shots into 36 different versions of short-form ads. The volume of ads produced is intended to provide the company with multiple options for their paid social campaigns. Vidpros’ part-time tier supports that volume at $1,000/month and includes access to stock assets.
Identify the format for producing content, create a template, and then produce the same content repeatedly.
Pricing tiers and what they include
A working pricing structure to use in 2026:
The price range for $2,000-$5,000 will buy you a one-camera “talking head” video with simple cutaways and basic graphic overlays. Content used by founders or testimonials; videos are primarily for internal communications.
The price range of $5,000-$15,000 will allow for a multi-camera production with professional lighting, scripted talent, color grading and an original music licensing. Mid-range standard branded video work.
Price ranges from $15,000 and up can be considered as “full agency” engagement on a project including but not limited to: developing concepts, finding and booking talent, choosing locations and shooting at least two times (for multi-angle shots), creating motion graphics, obtaining a licensed soundtrack and completing a full visual effect edit.
The key to maintaining a long-term production capability, is the subscription model as opposed to project-by-project. With Vidpros’ Part-Time service being priced at $1,000/month that provides about 40 hours of editing time, and this would cost around $2,500-$4,000 using an agency’s hourly rate (compared to Vidpros’ and others).
Paying Agency Rates for Editor Hours When Your Strategy & Pre-Prod Are Done In-House
When there is no need to pay agencies for each hour an editor works after developing a strategy and doing all of the pre-prod work in-house – we believe in Value-Based Pricing.
Value-Based Pricing vs. Hourly Pricing
Pay for value – like “a campaign launch package.” This method promotes efficiency with video productions by giving the production team incentive to produce quickly rather than slowly. Clients tend to overlook some of the additional costs associated with producing video. Stock Music Licensing Fees, Color Grading Plugin Licenses and Render Farm Fees for Heavy 3D Animation. These should be included as line item costs in the client’s first budget so they do not receive invoice shock upon receiving their final product.
When to add a production-extension partner
You are unable to edit internally with either one of two methods.
Your editor will be booked three weeks from now and you’re shooting another project next week.
The team has the ability to capture media, however there isn’t a colorist to deliver captioning and platform specifications.
This is when a post-only partner can earn a place in the partnership. Vidpros does not work as a replacement for your Director, DP, or Strategist; we take over the post-production portion of your project and provide finished files on a reliable timeline.
For agencies creating multiple branded video campaigns at high volumes, this article on Video Editing for Marketing Agencies explains how the White-Label Model operates.
If your team is reaching that limit, then consider speaking with us regarding the cost of white label post-production resources at $1000-$4000 a month. We’ll receive your unedited footage and send you back your finished video within 24 hours.
