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Our Process

Our agile approach to program management enables us to create video that drives results. 

We pair fastidious organization with award-winning creativity to create visually stunning content that moves the needle. 

Backed by nearly two decades of industry experience, rigorous recruiting standards, and our 5Cs operating principles, our teams are poised with the right mix of expertise to be the best partner for the world's most influential brands. 

Brief us now

Our Process

Our agile approach to program management enables us to create video that drives results. 

We pair fastidious organization with award-winning creativity to create visually stunning content that moves the needle. 

Backed by nearly two decades of industry experience, rigorous recruiting standards, and our 5Cs operating principles, our teams are poised with the right mix of expertise to be the best partner for the world's most influential brands. 

Brief us now

Our Process

Our agile approach to program management enables us to create video that drives results. 

We pair fastidious organization with award-winning creativity to create visually stunning content that moves the needle. 

Backed by nearly two decades of industry experience, rigorous recruiting standards, and our 5Cs operating principles, our teams are poised with the right mix of expertise to be the best partner for the world's most influential brands. 

Brief us now

What does it take to get a video?

It depends on your project, but generally, it'll go something like this...

Brief

You reach out to us, and one of our team will reach out to you for a call. We'll unpack your brief, understand your goals, and delve into what you're hoping to achieve with your video or campaign. 

Creative Proposal

We'll provide you with a proposal that outlines 1-2 creative approaches that respond to your brief. These approaches will outline different filming styles, visual through lines, and describe the look and feel of your video. At this stage, we'll also provide detailed project schedules and quotes.

Scripting

Once the project is signed off, we'll move into scripting. We'll usually go through two rounds of the script before finalizing it. If your project is an interview-led one, we may instead draft a content outline and share drafts of the questions we want to ask, to create the desired narrative.

Shoot Prep

Simultaneous to working on the script, our team will be busy behind the scenes booking locations, crew, actors, props, transport, and all the other elements needed to bring your production to life. 

Filming

The fun part! Enjoy a fun day on set with our team, capturing all the footage needed to bring your video to life. Our producers will be the main point-person on set, directing the crew and interviewing the subjects to elicit the best responses. 

Editing

Once everything is shot, we'll then move into post-production. Our editor will put a V1 together, working closely with the producer on the project to unpack the best version of what was captured on set. Then, we'll share that V1 with you to feedback on. We'll go back and forth for 2-3 rounds until your team is happy with the video.

Final Finishing

Lastly, we'll send the video off for color grade and sound design, and make any social cuts needed for final delivery. 

Brief

Every video starts with a clear brief. We understand your business needs, KPIs, and how your video fits into your communications strategy.

Creative Proposal

We then provide 1-2 creative approaches to execute your brief. We'll propose concepts that will yield effective outcomes and align with your desired budget.

Scripting

Once the creative approach is signed off, we'll begin scripting. The script will provide visual descriptions that pair with each moment of the voiceover. We'll usually go through 2 rounds of the script before calling it final. 

Style Frames

Then, we'll move into style frames. These will be 3-5 test frames, taken from different portions of the script. We'll design these frames in 1-2 different ways, both within the creative approach that you've selected. This is where we work with your team to fine-tune the style that you'd like to see throughout your video. 

Storyboarding

Once the style frames are aligned, we'll then take that style and extrapolate it for the entire script. This is where you can see your animation come to life on paper. This is the right time to consider whether you're happy with the overall flow, look, and feel before we get into animating. We'll usually go through 2 rounds of storyboarding before we move into the animation. 

Animation

The most time-consuming part of the process! Our animator will take the signed-off storyboard and bring it to life. Animation can take a while, as it's quite labor-intensive. Usually, we estimate a pace of animating about 15-30s of the animation per day. We'll communicate when you can expect a V1 and again go through two rounds of review before finalizing. At this stage, since everyone has seen the visuals, most of the feedback should be on flow, timing, and movement. At this stage, we'll also add a music track and select the VO. 

Sound Design

Once the animation is signed off, we'll move into sound design. Sound design means adding subtle sound effects and mixing the music and VO to an amicable level. Sound design adds a lot to an animation, elevating the imagery and giving it a further sense of depth and finesse. 

Final Delivery

Finally, we'll deliver you the final assets! At this stage, we'll also create any social cut-downs needed. 

We own the challenge, no matter how complex

Production involves a lot of moving parts. And that’s before we’ve factored in the moving parts on the client side. So, our approach has to be flexible. We adapt to each customer and collaborate on their terms.

To avoid ‘flexibility’ becoming a byword for ‘chaos’ however, we’ve built our own production platform. Smart Casual rolls all of production into one place. Intuitive project management, fast access to global crew, and creative solutions for budgets high and low.

Smart-Casual

Our Smart-Casual™ production platform – operating at speed and scale.

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