I often hear many questions during presentations at HSE DAYS regarding the implementation of various training projects. Lately, colleagues have been increasingly asking for simple and clear steps on organizing video briefing production. Colleagues, this article is for you. I hope my experience will be useful.
So, your manager has assigned you a task: organize the production of video briefings for key occupations. Where to start, which path to take, and how to avoid the mistakes many encounter along the way?
Let's take it step by step. This is a modern project with numerous benefits, allowing you to save time in production (which is always in critically short supply). Benefits of video briefings:
However, testing the trainee afterwards is still essential to ensure everything "sunk in" correctly and knowledge was retained. At this stage, it's best to reinforce knowledge and identify gaps through an engaging briefing format. Have you heard of it? I discussed it in one of my previous expert blog posts.
Now, let's look at the myths we encounter when deciding to launch a "Video Briefings" project.
Myth No. 1:
We can hire someone to do it professionally and cheaply FOR US. I can agree with the "professional" part, though with some reservations. They might simply lack the expertise you possess. I strongly doubt the "cheap" part. And the idea that someone will do it for you or without you is highly questionable.
Myth No. 2:
A huge team is required to implement the project. For example, a trendy producer, a cameraman, an editor, a graphic artist, a voice actor, a screenwriter, a director, an employee to work on the technical specifications, and so on. When we think this way, either our contractors have brainwashed us to charge more, or we simply don't know what to do. Let me share my experience. At Krastsvetmet, we pushed the "Video Briefings" project with just two people: myself and a contractor. I don't rule out that we were very lucky to be so productive. I was the project driver, scriptwriter, and essentially the director. The contractor filmed, edited, created graphics, and provided professional voiceovers. Later, once the pilot project was approved by management, we scaled it up by involving colleagues from the HSE department (to create scripts and supervise filming). Eventually, we transferred the entire process to the HSE department.
Myth No. 3:
You need to create a comprehensive technical specification for every video. But... no one knows how to do that. Let's think together. You can choose the hard way and write a technical specification for every video briefing, or you can (and should) take an occupational safety instruction and, with almost no changes to the content, turn it into a script. Why is it so important not to change anything (add, exclude, fantasize, or drastically change the wording)? You can simplify it, you can translate it from "legalese" into plain English, but you cannot change it. This is a local regulatory act, and there is almost no room for creativity here. The goal of a video briefing is to deliver information to employees' heads exactly as it is written in the safety instruction. Don't overcomplicate it.
Myth No. 4:
All of this can be filmed on a phone. Hypothetically, yes. It's cheap and cheerful. But it's unlikely to be a professional video that can be used as high-quality content. In my memory, I was asked countless times to change the format, but I remained firm.
Now, step by step. How to start the project? Naturally, with a pilot version.
Pilot project roadmap. Deadlines, resources. Defining resources: who will do what? Setting the budget: how much are you willing to spend on contractor services (filming, editing, voiceover, finished video)?
Finding a contractor. You may find an incredible number of offers on the market. But we need a "universal soldier": someone who not only knows how to film but also creates graphics, edits, and quickly grasps the nuances of the process and safety requirements. Ask for a portfolio; sometimes, even among young beginners, you find such gems that you'll be the envy of others. They won't overcharge and will learn how to create quality content alongside you. If there is no ready-made portfolio, organize a mini-demo video together and make a decision based on that: whether to embark on a long project together or look for someone else.
Contract with the contractor. Defining the cover in corporate style, transition colors, and graphics (rely on the corporate brand book). Voiceover: who? It's important to decide who will be the voice behind the scenes. You can do it yourself, or you can hire a professional voice actor. Such people definitely exist in your city; in our case, he worked with the contractor, and they had their own payment arrangements.
Creating the script for the pilot video briefing. See Myth No. 3.
Filming planning. Determine what we are filming, where we are filming, and who we are filming. Coordinate with the head of the structural unit: they must organize the workers for the shoot (clean, shaven, in proper PPE).
Filming. Film exactly according to the script text. Visualizing processes is the most important part of a video briefing. Workers perform for the camera, the operator films. The most common mistakes that will require reshooting later are missing or faulty PPE, dirty workwear, or violations of standards/instructions in the frame. Your task is to prevent such mistakes.
Editing by the contractor, with an agreement on what to show through footage and what through graphics. The most common post-editing mistakes: spelling errors, inaccuracies in graphics, footage not matching the voiceover, etc. Clean it up until it's ready.
Getting the finished pilot. Get approval from management. Fix any comments — there will definitely be some at this stage.
Scale the project based on the pilot. Use it as a template so that all video briefings are in a consistent style.
Plan your work for the year and don't stop: after briefings for key occupations, move on to briefings by type of work, secondary occupations, PPE, and cover all instructions. And... good luck in your fight against formalism!