What is video production?

Every professional video, from a 30-second ad to a feature film, moves through the same three stages.

• Pre-production: everything before the camera rolls — concept, script, storyboard, casting, locations, crew booking, and the shooting schedule. This is where most of a project's success is decided.
• Production: the shoot itself. A crew captures the footage according to the plan — typically one to three shoot days for corporate and brand work.
• Post-production: editing, color grading, sound design, music, motion graphics, and subtitles. The raw footage becomes the finished film here.

Skipping or rushing any stage shows up in the final result. A weak script cannot be fixed in the edit, and great footage can be ruined by rushed post.

The size of the team scales with the project, but the core roles stay consistent:

• Producer: owns budget, schedule, and logistics — your main point of contact.
• Director: owns the creative vision and directs talent on set.
• Director of Photography (DOP): responsible for camera and lighting.
• Editor and colorist: shape the story and the look in post-production.

On smaller shoots, one person may cover several roles. On larger productions — the kind Viven runs for clients like Siemens, UBS, and FIFA — each role is a dedicated specialist.

Your involvement is heaviest at the start and at review points. Expect to approve the concept and script in pre-production, be available (or send a stakeholder) on shoot days, and give consolidated feedback on the edit. At Viven, a first cut typically lands about two weeks after the shoot, and final films are delivered in 16:9, 9:16, and 1:1 so one production covers your website, LinkedIn, and paid social. The clearer your goal — one audience, one message, one action — the better every stage performs.

For a typical corporate or brand video, plan four to eight weeks from kickoff to final files. Pre-production usually takes two to three weeks — longer if locations, permits, or executive calendars are involved. The shoot itself is short: one to three days. Post-production takes another two to four weeks depending on feedback rounds and the amount of graphics work. If you have a hard deadline — a product launch, a trade fair, a hiring campaign — say so in the first conversation. Timelines can be compressed, but only if the production company knows before planning starts, not after.