Reports and explainers - how it works

Job brief meeting - 30 minutes

The process begins with a remote job brief meeting using Google Meet, where you’ll meet your dedicated project manager, confirm the details of the project and generate a job brief.

Contract and assets

After the meeting, we’ll send an email containing a checklist of required assets: your branding, names / titles of participants as they should appear on screen and (for Co-production and Fully managed plans:) any supporting graphics you’d like included in the videos.

In the email, there will be a link to your secure cloud storage folder on our Google Drive, which will act as the long term archive of project materials and central exchange of supporting files / information. The email will provide direct links to the subfolders where you can upload branding, review your contract and job brief. You can also access final cuts and raw footage for future use:

You’ll also receive an invitation to your smartphone training session, along with companion guides for reference.

In a separate email, we’ll attach the contract of engagement and initial invoice for approval.

Smartphone training - 30 mins

When it fits your schedule, we’ll hop in a virtual 1-on-1 training session to check your tech and introduce you to your remote studio.

During the training we’ll optimise your smartphone for filming, familiarise you with your remote studio and discuss the stories you want to tell.

This session is specific to the films we’ll be producing together. For comprehensive training aimed at broader upskilling for smartphone production, see our Smartphone training page.

Planning

• Automated and Co-production: Before recording, you’ll need to prepare questions / bullet points to capture your messaging as well as plan when and where the filming will take place.

• Fully-managed - 1 hour: Your project manager will be available to talk through messaging, narrative and creative direction as either an extension of your training session or in a separate meeting. Together, you’ll produce a roadmap for filming and narrative structure that encompasses both individual films and the entire series.

Filming

When it’s time for our scheduled recording session, simply click on the link provided. Our producer will be waiting in your remote studio to help you find the best lighting and framing, check your sound and prompt your messaging. If there are any technical issues or you’d like to do multiple takes, we’ll be on hand to assist. After the session is finished, the recording(s) will upload automatically to our servers through your local Wifi / data plan.

B-roll filming and upload (Co-production and Fully managed)

If you choose Co-production or Fully managed, you have the option of filming additional background footage to enhance your videos. You can film this footage on your phone directly, not in the remote studio, and upload to your secure cloud storage either using the Google Drive app or through a direct link provided by us. Further details are outlined in the Remote studio guide.

Once the footage has uploaded, let your project manager know via email or WhatsApp and they’ll pass it along to the editors.

Post-production

• Automated: Once each recording session has finished, we’ll get to work processing the video through our built-in remote studio AI, which automates the process of selecting and editing short clips.

• Co-production: Once each recording session has finished, your project manager will send the files to our team of editors. They’ll enhance the audio, grade the image and make the first cuts, using your branding and any b-roll / graphics you’ve provided.

• Fully managed: Once each recording session has finished, your project manager will send the files to our team of editors. They’ll enhance the audio, grade the image and make the first cuts, using your branding and any additional content, such as any b-roll you’ve filmed, graphics and licensed stock footage. If you prefer, they can also output transcripts of the recording for your team to make selects from to guide the narrative (see below).

Transcript review (Fully managed only)

If your team would like full editorial control, we can provide transcripts and a guide to making selects efficiently for our editors to work from. Once transcript selects are complete, our editors will be waiting to begin the first cut.

Proofing (Co-production and Fully managed)

Once the rough cut of each film is complete, we’ll send a link to review it in Frame.io. There, all stakeholders can play the films, add their own comments and review the rest of the team’s directly on the video timeline.

• Co-production: 2 rounds of changes

• Fully-managed: up to 3 rounds of changes

Our editors will be scheduled and waiting to make any changes as soon as the notes are signed off, so we can deliver final cuts as quickly as possible.

Distribution

Once the final films are complete, we’ll upload distributable .mp4 master files to the deliverables folder of your secure cloud storage, where they will remain indefinitely, ready for you to distribute, along with the full-resolution master recordings for your archive.

• Automated: 2 delivery formats, archivable video files up to HD quality

• Co-production: 2 delivery formats, archivable video files up to 4K quality

• Fully-managed: up to 4 delivery formats, archivable video files up to 4K quality.