If you're new to remote video production (or just want to get better at it), this practical guide is for you. We'll cover everything from pre-production planning and shooting remotely to post-production handling and mitigating potential hurdles. Before you know it, you'll be producing content like a pro - no matter how much of a novice your team may be!
With so many of us working from home these days, it's no surprise that video production has moved online. After all, even if we can’t be together in one room, we can still collaborate remotely to create compelling content. But how do you organize a virtual crew and make sure everyone’s on the same page?
If you're new to remote video production (or just want to get better at it), this practical guide is for you. We'll cover everything from pre-production planning and shooting remotely to post-production handling and mitigating potential hurdles. Before you know it, you'll be producing content like a pro - no matter how much of a novice your team may be!
Remote video production is the process of creating videos and content from a remote location. It's become increasingly popular in the past few years, especially due to the ubiquity of powerful software and streaming tools.
Whether you're creating a promotional video for your business, and interview series, a live-stream for your event, or an instructional video for your online course, remote video production can make the process more efficient and cost-effective. You can also optimize the entire remote production process by leveraging the right workflow technologies and tools.
By using a remote production workflow, you can keep track of individual creative tasks, collaborate remotely with other creative professionals, and get feedback on projects—all without ever having to step foot in a studio or editing room. And with the right technology in place, you can even produce large amounts of content in shorter periods of time.
Equipping yourself with the right gear is the key to success when it comes to remote video production. While you don’t necessarily need a lot of equipment, it’s important that you have the right tools for the job.
Before getting started, you should make sure that your laptop or desktop has an up-to-date operating system and fast processor. If your laptop is a few years old, you may want to consider upgrading it so that you can be sure of optimal performance. Additionally, having multiple monitors can be a great help in giving you more workspace for each project.
In terms of software, there are some great new options for remote collaboration at all stages of the production process. Some of our favorites include Airtable and Assemble.TV for pre-production, Zoom and Studiocloud for production and Frame.io and DaVinci Resolve for post-production.
Finally, having a high-quality cameras and microphones are essential in order to provide good quality videos and audio recordings. Investing in professional equipment will ensure that your videos look and sound like they have been produced by professionals. For remote production this could mean sending a remote kit like a Studiobox, or hiring a local crew and connecting their equipment to a computer for remote monitoring.
Now we're ready to get the ball rolling with remote video production. The key is to make sure you have all the right equipment and settings in place. So let's take a look at what you'll need.
To start, you'll need a high-quality camera that can capture high resolution video. You hear a lot about 4K and 6K these days, but most things on the internet are still broadcast at 1080 resolution. Companies like Netflix require everything to be shot in 4K for displaying on 4k TVs. Shooting at a higher resolution like 4k also allows you to crop video in and still maintain a 1080 resolution.
Depending on the type of shoot, the camera needs to be mounted to something versus handheld. A good tripod will help keep your footage stable and provide the perfect platform for capturing steady footage and smooth panning shots — even over long distances. Advances in remote production like our Studiocloud software allow you to remotely control the motorized mount, remotely panning tilting or elevating the camera to desired framing.
Remote video production might be a bit tricky when it comes to lighting and audio. The good news is, there are some tricks you can use to make sure your remote videos look and sound great. OUr Studioboxes have bi-color cinema lights built into them. Bi-color is the range of colors of light from blue to orange, or tungsten to daylight. This is used to match the color of the light in the location, whether it is from bulbs or sunlight.
The key to great lighting is to create depth. The best way to do this is to use natural light, the kind of light that comes from a window or skylight. If you need a more focused light source, you can use lamps and soft boxes, which mimic natural daylight. This will help give your videos more dimension and make them look much better. Our Studiocloud software can control lights using DMX, a computer language used in lighting. We can adjust intensity and color.
When it comes to audio for remote video production, the key is sound quality. You want the voices on your videos to be clear and audible. Investing in a professional microphone and lavaliers and recording in a quiet space can go a long way. We send Sennheiser shotgun mics and Sanken lavaliers out with all of our boxes. Our software is designed to be able to control and adjust the gain (volume) levels of remote mics attached to our Studioboxes or to a local computer. It’s always good to turn off air-conditioning or fans in the shooting space.
To ensure high-quality audio, you also need to pay special attention while editing. Remove any background noise or hums that may have snuck in, reduce the volume of any music you may have used in your video, and make sure all transitions are smooth so the audience isn't taken off guard by sudden jumps in sound levels or pitch changes.
Finally, you'll need editing software to give your remote video production project the professional touch it deserves. Popular software such as Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve are great options for editing. On all of our shoots, we record 1080 proxies to the cloud for immediate editing. This footage will sync up with the 4K footage that is shot locally in the editing software.
Recording your remote video production doesn't have to be a hassle, and that's why we created this practical guide. Whether you're just starting out, or you're an experienced pro, we've got you covered.
Once you’ve determined the equipment you’re using, it will need to be brought to location either by a local production person or by being shipped there. When using traditional gear, allow a few hours for setup. If you are using a Studiobox, setup can be a few minutes.
We recommend a virtual location scout of the space to determine the angles for filming. We look for depth by angling into a corner or out a doorway. The easiest way to do this is for the local crew or the talent to join a video conference call or the Studiobox software on their phone. Then they can show the space around to the crew. Getting photos or videos of the space ahead of time can also be helpful.
We’ve found that on many Studiobox shoots, rearranging the furniture or art in the background to specifications of the clients can take more time than setting up our boxes. We’ve even sent plants and decorations ahead of time. Some shoots use a remote production designer to make suggestions to a local production assistant of how to arrange the scene. We also recommend having a few different types of chairs available if it’s a seated interview.
Communicating with the crew and clients is essential for a remote shoot. Software such as Zoom, Unity and Slack Huddle are some options we’ve used. We’ve built video conferencing into our Studiocloud software so the team can collaborate remotely. It’s also helpful to be able to ‘backchannel’ during a shoot so that talent cannot overhear crew and producers.
Live streaming to destinations like TV control rooms, Zoom and Youtube are popular options for remote shoots. There are multiple encoding languages used by theses systems including RTMP and SRT so it’s important to do a test to ensure you can sync up with your video destination.
Using multiple cameras can create a more compelling final edit or livestream. This involves using separate cameras for each shot angle, then syncing them up during post-production. This method can provide more professional quality recordings — but it does require some extra research and know-how. Syncing up settings and timecode between the cameras ensure a smoother process in post production. At Studiobox, we’re big fans of Blackmagic cameras and our system can trigger multiple Blackmagic cameras to record at the same time.
There are some great remote collaboration tools for editing and distributing your footage. i
Editing your footage remotely isn’t too dissimilar from editing on-site. You’ll still use the same software, and have control over transitions, titles, music and more. Just remember that with remote editing, you’re limited by the speed of your internet connection—so it might take a little longer for you to see a full preview of your clip and make adjustments. Modern editing software can also allow for simultaneous editing between multiple people without needing to send large files back and forth.
Once your remote video production is edited to perfection, you need to distribute it effectively. It’s common now to edit one shoot multiple ways to distribute to different channels. Vimeo and Youtube are popular hosting sites for online video content.
Video production in the digital age has become a much more accessible endeavor and with the right tools and tips, you can produce something that looks professional and polished without ever having to go to set.
There have been some incredible technical advancements to accommodate this growing style of filming in the last few years.
With the right equipment and setup, you can craft compelling and engaging visual stories without breaking the bank or wasting hours in the editing suite. Whether you are a filmmaker, marketer, or content creator, there are a myriad of ways to make remote video production easier – and you don’t have to sacrifice on quality. Now is the time to get creative and make your remote video production dreams a reality. Feel free to reach out with any questions or to learn more about the remote production tools we’re building.
