Everything needs a schedule. If we didn’t have schedules for school or work, it would be impossible to get things done in time. Even in our personal lives, whether for weekend activities or traveling, schedules make everything organized and easy. In fact, studies show that schedules make us more productive. It makes sense why schedules are so powerful in video production!
When working on a campaign, you’ll probably encounter a few different schedules. Big and small, these timelines ensure you create a high-quality product efficiently and, most importantly, on time.
Schedules are more than just putting times or deadlines on a piece of paper, though. Let’s review the types of schedules that are involved and video production, so you can understand why they matter so much!
What role does scheduling play in production?
While different campaigns will have different scopes and requirements, the role of schedules is always the same. Regardless of you project’s production process, your schedules exist to ensure you complete everything on time. More than that, strong schedules guarantee that you will make the most of each stage of the production process, from start to finish!
What does a strong schedule need?
On-time delivery of a campaign is impossible without a good schedule. But what makes a schedule good?
A good schedule is realistic. It supports your campaign by setting achievable goals within the overall timeline. Rather than being too ambitious, a strong schedule balances your ambitions with your abilities. What you can accomplish varies from project to project, but building realistic schedules means you’ll do your best work, no matter how big or small your campaign is!
Similarly, a good schedule balances multiple production stages. Typically, a schedule will be split into three parts: pre-production, production, and post-production. Even if these stages exist across projects, they may not always require the same amount of time. For example, if you have a campaign that requires a lot of VFX, your post-production stage will probably take up more of the project timeline. On the other hand, if you have a multi-location shoot with a lot of talent, that may take a larger section of your overall schedule. In the end, a strong schedule takes into account everything your production needs to be successful!
What happens when you don’t have a good schedule?
Simply put, a bad schedule leads to bad time management. If you don’t manage time well throughout your project, your work will be rushed and you risk missing deadlines. Additionally, you may go over budget or struggle to get client approvals because you and your team couldn’t work to your highest potential.
Moreover, the stress of rushing through stages of the production can ruin team morale. That is how you run into conflicts, less productivity, and poor collaboration. When those issues arise, it is even more difficult to produce a high-quality campaign on time.
Clearly it’s worth it to put energy into building a strong schedule. If you do, you can be confident your production is set up for success!
Benefits of Strong Scheduling
Strong scheduling leads to success. When your schedule is realistic and considers all the necessary steps to complete your campaign, all of your resources will be utilized properly. Whether the resource is talent or post-production workflows, you’ll get the most out of it every time.
Additionally, your team’s productivity will be high. This minimizes the likelihood of time or cost delays because the structure of the schedule is focused on efficiency. Ideally, everyone will have the right amount of time to complete their work, so the campaign will reflect everyone’s skills!
Lastly, a good schedule makes for a good campaign because you will be focused. When you take the time to build your schedule, you have to consider your project priorities and campaign goals. As you walk through the schedule, these will be at the front of your mind. This means that your goals will stay clear, and your team will have a solid shared goal. When everyone is working toward the same thing, roles and responsibilities are easy to keep track of. That means that there will be little to no confusion throughout the project. Talk about the best environment for a campaign!
On Track
We’re all about logistics at Plaid Pony Productions. No matter how complex some of our projects have been, we got through it because we knew how to manage time and resources. Scheduling is an essential tool for any production, especially when you need to balance competing priorities and moving parts!
At the end of the day, strong schedules make strong teams and even stronger campaigns. If you want to stay on track for any project that comes your way, all you need to do is build your best schedule. Trust us. It works every time!
