As video editors or production managers, you don’t always have the luxury of working with a storyboard or script.
You may have to create a short promo video from pre-existing footages. This could involve re-purposing your subject’s past TV appearances or putting together interviews from respondents who shared their candid feedback.
See how InVision puts together a powerful 2-minute promo video based on original interviews in the example below:
It’s very easy to underestimate the work required to edit that video, yes?
Now, video production agencies are also often asked by clients to edit video content that they haven’t even seen yet.
Consider the typical shooting ratio or the total hours of footage shot in relation to the eventual runtime of the promo video. Raw footage (to be condensed to a less than 5-minute final cut) can run for over two hours!
This means spending loads of time sorting through every piece of footage after production has wrapped before you can even begin editing. We also lose our flow and productivity when we have to switch between context and tasks.
Stick to your budget, save time, and create a top-notch promo video for your clients through transcription.
Without a pre-existing script, transcripts are a post-production lifesaver.
What Can You Expect from a Transcript?
So, what is a post-production transcript in a nutshell? A transcript gives you a highly-accurate, word-for-word account of your video footage. It’s essential to a fast and smooth post-production process.
They include many elements that make life easier for the storyboarding artist or video editor, such as onscreen captions, music cues, scene details, timestamps, and speaker turns.
How do these transcript elements cut editing time in (at least) half?
You can add on-screen captions from automated or manual transcripts, without having to determine every word yourself first.
Transcripts also provide music and applause cues. With a transcript, you’ll be able to catch specific details, scene-by-scene.
Timestamps, aka time coding, are used to sync text in the transcription with specific frames or scenes. This speeds up locating segments for editing during post-production.
If you have more than one person on the footage, speaker turn tracking allows you to identify the different speakers in your file. You’ll also have the option of having each speaker identified by name.
Speed up your video editing workflow with a transcript. Upload your file on Scribie.
3 Post-Production Tips to Create High-Converting Videos
As content moves towards more video-based mediums, which increase conversion rates, more brands need professional promo videos on a shoestring budget.
After all, video content is dominating the online market. Cisco shares that video traffic will account for 82% of all global internet traffic by 2021.
Studies also show that the audiences’ attention spans are getting shorter when it comes to consuming online content. Not many folks will hunker down to watch a 20-minute video nowadays. We need to get to the gist of the matter, like ASAP.
Check out this 2016 study by Wistia. As video length increases, you’ll notice a huge decrease in engagement levels.
If you look closely, the average engagement of video lengths beyond two minutes decline sharply. Wistia’s study suggests videos lengths within the 1-2 minute and 6-12 minute mark retain the most attention.
Keep It Short and Sweet
To keep your promo videos short and sweet, it’s necessary for you to efficiently sift through hours of footage to find the relevant footage in the reel. A transcript helps editors zero in on what matters for audiences.
Tailor Videos to the Message
As video editors, time is money. And the more time you spend on a single project for a client, you could lose out on other projects. You may be tempted to save time and cram everything in the reel to a single promo video, but for high-converting videos, you’ll need to clarify the message.
A tailored video with a clear message and a specific goal will be much more effective. Transcripts help you stay organized and on top of things. You’ll be able to have a clear overview of the entire contents of the raw file and highlight important points from any long footage.
Immediately Grab the Audience’s Attention
A transcript on hand also lets you create videos that get to the point within seconds. The average attention span is only 8 seconds. Knowing that viewers would click away if you don’t grab their attention immediately, you need to get the message across right away.
A goldfish’s attention span is 9 seconds, a second more than the typical viewer.
A transcript helps you quickly figure out the “why” of your video, and how to immediately captivate and entrench viewers into the middle of things from the onset.
Process and Workflow
Editing can be daunting. A documentary involving multiple interviews, for example, can amount to 30 hours of footage. Reduce your video edit time and cost.
Here are the steps to efficiently create promo videos out of your raw interview footage.
- Upload all “rushes” or unedited material on Scribie to convert your video file into a text document or transcript.
- Scribie’s transcription software adds a timestamp to your file to help you identify any point in the video, even by the second.
- You can edit the automated transcript yourself through our browser-based editor, or delegate the task to our transcription specialists.
- Transcripts are then downloaded and used to assist in the video editing process.
Over to You
Transcripts save time, money, and effort.
Whether you had a hand in the shoot or were brought in during post-production, transcripts guarantee that you have total control over your raw interview footage.
Efficiently produce an attention-grabbing and high-converting promo video that perfectly aligns with your client’s goals.
