The Most Important Skill in Video Production

Ok so we’ve established that what we do is subjective, there’s no one right answer. So how do you navigate this?

Well you need to refine the most important skill a creative can have and that’s being able to effectively communicate vision. This happens way before you even think about picking up a camera.

This is basically you and the client explicitly defining the correct direction the project will take as well as laying out all expectations. Because there are so many avenues you can take, you can’t afford to go the wrong direction.

Effective communication looks something like this:

Discovery call- Don’t overcomplicate this. It’s just seeing if you and the client are compatible (I like to provide the potential client with an initial price range to see if we can work together).

Additional Meetings- These are mostly in person meetings on location or with additional team members. Here we further identify the goal and the different avenues to take.

Sending a Clear Proposal- This gets everything talked about at the meetings into writing. To recap, we’ve identified the problem, the goal, the price, expectations and deliverables.

Contract Time- Hard part is pretty much done, now all you need to do is wrap it up and put a bow on it… and get signatures so that all parties involved are protected.

Only then (when you and the client are on the same page) can you start doing the fun part… Creating

The Hardest Challenge

"How do you get clients in video production when you are just starting out?”

A question we get asked quite frequently.

All I can say is, It’s tough.

It’s tough to build a portfolio when you don’t have paying clients, but to get clients, you need a portfolio. It’s a paradox that almost everyone in a creative industry faces. So for us at Blu Dot Productions.. yes, we worked extremely hard - but listen - we also got lucky. And for whatever reason I never hear people admit that.

We got lucky because some people believed in our work early on, and that gave us the push we needed as well as the confidence to know that, “Hey I guess we can take on larger projects” Sometimes it takes that one person seeing your potential.

Now I don’t want to sell ourselves short though, you certainly need to focus and work hard. The key is to keep putting yourself out there. You have to network, you have to get used to talking about your business and you have to be excited about it. You have to do this all while perfecting your craft... personal projects, passion projects, whatever it takes to show your skills—because when that opportunity does come, you have to be ready. Luck plays a role, and I’ll be the first to admit that, but so does persistence.

So stick with it, don’t give up. This is our advice to anyone starting out but if i’m honest it’s also a reminder to ourselves.

A (Harsh) Truth About Video Production

Ok here’s a harsh truth about this industry... what we do is not a science.

At the end of the day what we create is art. And hopefully that doesn’t come across as pretentious, rather, it means that most of the time there’s no one right solution for a problem. Sure, there are wrong moves and definitely wrong directions you can make, but being a perfectionist doesn’t guarantee you’ll hit the mark- it’s subjective.

You can get every detail right, and it still might not connect with your client. Sometimes, your vision just won’t be someone’s cup of tea, and that’s the reality.

So, get comfortable with that. Not every project will land perfectly, and that’s totally fine. It’s about the creative process and being open to feedback. Remember, this isn’t a science, and that’s part of the beauty of it. Accepting that will help you grow as a creator.

But here’s the good news: there’s one skill that can help navigate this process. In the next blog we’ll break it down.