Production planning

Production workflow

The product video production process from brief to delivery

Define the job, lock the product facts, plan the proof, choose how to create each shot, then review and deliver with a record of what was approved.

Every production stage ends with a concrete output and an approval question.
01

Six stages and six approval gates

  1. 01

    Brief

    Output audience, buyer question, placement, deadline, and owner. Confirm that everyone agrees on one job.

  2. 02

    Facts and rights

    Lock the product sheet, approved claims, assets, talent, music, and locations.

  3. 03

    Shot plan

    Approve storyboard, shot list, ratios, sound, and poster plan.

  4. 04

    Production

    Capture camera originals, generated shots, screen records, or a hybrid.

  5. 05

    Post-production

    Complete picture, sound, captions, graphics, color, and review.

  6. 06

    Delivery

    Package the master, channel versions, poster, captions, and rights record.

02

Give every decision an owner

Marketing owner

Owns the business goal, audience, channel, and deadline.

Product expert

Owns physical behavior, parts, claims, labels, and included items.

Creative lead

Owns story, visual direction, script, and storyboard.

Producer or operator

Owns schedule, capture method, files, and version control.

Approver

Owns consolidated feedback and final acceptance.

A long feedback thread is not an approval system. Name one consolidating approver and record which version was accepted.
03

Choose the capture method shot by shot

Film

Use when exact behavior, talent performance, sound, regulated proof, or complex interaction must be captured.

Image to video

Use when an approved image supports a concise reveal, simple action, scale cue, or product-led atmosphere.

Screen record

Use when the experience is genuinely digital and the real interface can be captured safely.

Hybrid

Use when different shots carry different evidence, rights, and cost needs.

04

Keep the product fact sheet beside the storyboard

  • Approved source images and exact model, color, and dimensions.
  • Parts, controls, opening direction, materials, and included items.
  • Permitted and prohibited claims.
  • Packaging text, logos, and known failure risks.
05

Review picture, sound, copy, and rights separately

Picture

Check product identity, action, continuity, crop, and result.

Sound

Check intelligibility, license, levels, and silent fallback.

Copy

Check claims, captions, names, prices, and localization.

Rights

Check people, music, locations, sources, marks, and usage terms.

06

Deliver a package that another person can use

  • Approved master and channel-specific exports.
  • Poster frames and captions where needed.
  • File names with version and approval status.
  • Source and prompt records for generated shots.
  • Rights, expiration notes, upload owner, and destination.
07

Adapt the same process to product, explainer, and corporate video

Video typeWhat changes most
Product videoProduct facts, physical behavior, scale, variants, and the buying question.
Explainer videoScript logic, examples, screen accuracy, narration timing, and comprehension.
Corporate videoStakeholders, locations, people, interviews, legal review, and long-term use.

Frequently asked questions

Production workflow FAQ

Practical answers for handoffs, feedback control, AI shot selection and final delivery.

What are the main stages of video production?

Before a shot list, lock the buyer question, product fact sheet, approved claims, variants, usage rights, placement, owner, deadline, and deliverables. Missing facts discovered after production create more rework than missing gear, so the brief should end with one accountable approver and a written definition of done.

Where does AI fit in the production process?

The sequence is brief and facts, shot plan, production, post-production, review, versioning, and delivery. Each handoff needs a named artifact—for example an approved shot list before production and an approved master before resizing—so teams do not keep reopening decisions that were already made.

How do I stop product-video feedback from becoming endless?

Ask one person to consolidate feedback and classify every comment as factual error, buyer clarity, brand preference, or new scope. Review against the agreed shot job and limit each round to named decision makers; contradictory taste notes should be resolved before they reach the editor.

Which shots are suitable for AI production?

AI fits controlled reveals, atmosphere, camera movement, scale cues, and simple actions that an approved source image can support. Use capture for exact mechanics, complex hand contact, hidden interiors, regulated claims, or any result that must be demonstrated rather than inferred.

What should the final delivery package include?

Include the approved master, placement-specific ratios and durations, captions or subtitle files, poster frames, clean versions without platform overlays, naming conventions, rights records, and a short manifest of where each file belongs. Keep source and project files only when the scope includes them.

Create with MakeAD

When the shot plan is ready, create the product moment you still need

Use an approved product image and a clear shot direction to create a short product clip, then return it to the same fact, rights, and review process as every other asset.

Create the missing planned shot