The most important pointers would be:

Who writes the script - the ID or the video director?

Both the ID and the script writer should be involved in the script, with the ID identifying key learning points, and the script writer turning those points into visual information. The ID should review and advise on the script, which should go through numerous drafts. However, it’s important you have an experienced script writer. Video is a visual medium, and people without experience are likely, for example, to create a boring and non-effective talking head video.

Should an instructional designer play any part during the actual shoot?

It’s essential to involve the ID as early as possible, from the very beginning of the planning stages. There are 3 stages in video production: pre-production (including script), production (the shortest part of the process), and post production (the longest part, which includes editing and graphics). The ID should advise on each phase.

How much "say" does everyone have in what the final product looks like?

An instructional designer might have one perspective on how a video should look and the director another. That said, only one person can be the chef - too many cooks spoil the stew. In the case of videos, it’s usually the producer. In movies, it’s usually the director.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kirk Lott,

I agree that both the ID and Script writer should be involved in creating the script. In our business we usually like the ID or trainer(s) to provide an outline of what needs to be covered. Then we turn our script writer loose with the training folks. Our director gets involved up front as well. We all get together and determine the budget range, the goals of the video, information about the audience, etc. We work with our clients in whatever way they feel most comfortable. We believe in "partnering" with our training clients. It's important to hire a production company that understands how adults learn. You're right about saying to many chefs spoil the stew, but if our clients are involved in the process, they are more likely to get a video that's effective and accomplishes their goals.

Regards,

Greg Ball, President
Ball Media Innovations, Inc.
(954) 432-1274
www.ballmediainnovations.com

quote:

It's important to hire a production company that understands how adults learn.

This is another extremely important point.

And the best way to accomplish this is with clear structure and concise learning points. A training video ideally has 3 to 5 main training points; each of these should be summarized in a few words.

It's fine to have "sub-points" attached to each main idea, but again the emphasis should be on the 3 to 5 primary training points.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kirk Lott,

Ever seen one those really lousy television commercials for a local business? More often than not they wrote it themselves, acted in it, and made lots of production decisions. They may be experts at what they do...but they are not multimedia/film producers.

One way to go about this is to hire a Director / Producer that has experience with this sort of project. They will put together the appropriate crew and logistics for your needs. While working with a production team either in pre-planning or in production, it is your critical role as an instructional designer to always keep the content and your goals for the student / user in your mind at all times.

Work closely with the director or producer to translate all of your key objectives and goals into a script. The most important part of pre-planning is generating a script and then a shooting script based off of that script. If you begin a production day without a SHOOTING script you will fail.

Steps:
You generate a rough script
Director or producer reviews and makes suggestions
You refine the script
The director or producer extracts a shooting script
You review the shooting script for any inconsistencies or misinterpretations
Plan your logistics
Plan your production day(s)

My best advice is to build strategic partnerships with a director or producer to deliver production content. You should be focusing on the quality and nature of the content. It is near impossible to do both and get an outstanding product.

IDKes....check in with Chris at www.entropyworkshop.com. He may be able to add more to your knowledge base.

One of the first steps (and I remember this from Bill Van Nostran's book) is to clearly articulate the objective of this video. In simple terms, answer the question "what do you (I) expect the person to do as a result of this video?" (Notice that I did not say, "what do you want this person to know?")

The next step is to define either how you intend to measure the results or, if you are not going to measure or test, how would you do it?

By keeping this objective and its measurement in front of you during the design and "treatment" or "rough script" part of the process, you are more likely to achieve success than if you don't.