Making a video with an outsourced team

We outsource a team when we plan to produce a complex video and aim at a large media coverage. The production of such clips is a large-budget affair, and all tasks from idea to post-production are taken care of by the agency. To hire an agency, we submit a tender.

Such cooperation with an outsourced production team allows us to realize all creative ideas we may have: we can employ expensive equipment, develop complex visual effects, book unique locations and work with almost any props we want. All this will be brought to life by the agency.

This is what the process of working on a video looks like if we make it with an agency:

1. Write a brief.
2. Submit a tender among agencies.
3. Approve the agency.
4. Agree the script.
5. Choose a director.
6. Prepare for the filming.
7. Filming.
8. Post-production.

Write a brief

The brief is the production designer’s responsibility. An agency that knows nothing about the brand or the product will be working on the video. Thus, the task of the production designer is to give a description of the purpose, audience and mechanics of the project in as much detail as possible.

We fill out the brief according to a template using it as a guide that helps us to keep everything in mind, but we do not necessarily follow 100% of it.

Submit a tender

At this stage, we approve the budget and submit a tender for agencies. We select the team based on two criteria.

1. Brand compatibility. We get acquainted with those who will film the video. We figure out to what extent we match in terms of vibes: how well the team understands our product, the way they communicate and what they say about us.
2. Portfolio. We look for works we could relate to in the portfolio, see how creative the clips are, if they are somewhat similar to Dodo in style. We need to understand whether we like the team's previous experience.

Approve the agency

We review the ideas provided by the agencies. In the end, we select the best 3-5. We contact agency representatives and discuss details. The final decision is made by the product designer, our team leaders and brand manager.At this stage, we also start the contract negotiation process.

Agree the script

When an agency sends us a final version of the script, we engage team leaders, brand manager and lawyers for approval. We assess the script figuring out if it meets the objectives and whether all the details described in the brief have been taken into account.

The lawyers check the script for possibly risky moments and determine the age rating for the video. If we plan to rotate the commercial on television, they start preparing the relevant documents.

Choose a director

Request portfolios and treatment from different directors or the one with whom the agency is already working. Check out whether the director has the proper experience and skills. The final decision is made by the production designer, team leaders and brand manager.

Prepare for the filming

At this stage we request a mood board from the agency. We approve the actors, location and props, sign contracts and negotiate the details of the video with lawyers. We divide the preparation into two stages: pre-production and due diligence.

Pre-production

Despite the fact that an outsourced team is responsible for the production, we take on some of the tasks ourselves. We provide location, the pizzeria, and all branded props: boxes, pizzas, toys and any other things related to our product. We prepare a contract and sign it with partners.

We are also responsible for how the brand and product are translated through the video. If we are filming a product, we hire a food stylist at least a week in advance and discuss the storyboard with them. The food stylist will help order ingredients and position the pizza in the shot.

If we plan to do the shooting in a pizzeria, we choose the location according to a brief from the agency. We coordinate the shooting process with our franchisee partners: for this purpose, we use a contract template and involve the accounting department.

Legal aspects

Again, let's get lawyers involved to draw up all the necessary paperwork and make sure we're not violating any copyright. What we do:

1. Sign contracts with actors.
2. Formalize the consent to process personal data, if the video will use the name, surname or any other information about the characters.
3. Discuss details with lawyers, such as "Easter eggs" that may be trademarks or intellectual property of another company.

Filming

The key figure on the set is the director. A product owner will be representing us on the filming set, and they are responsible for the correct representation of the product and brand. Still, we entrust all artistic decisions to the director.

Post-production

Our main task at this stage is to choose the best voiceover option, prepare the legal information, check the colour correction of the material and approve the final video.

• Legal information and age restrictions. We send the first editing copy from the filming site to our lawyers and ask them to draw up a legal notice. Together with the lawyers and the media team, we decide whether the video needs to be age-restricted. We pass the finalized legal information to the production team.
• Packshot. To create a graphic packshot, we involve the management company's designers.
• Voiceover. If it is necessary to involve a voice actor with whom we have already worked, we contact the brand team.
• Music. We specify where the music added to the video comes from: we know the author or we purchased a license to use the music. We pass this information on to the lawyers.

When the video is approved, we ask for digital versions: different sizes, with and without subtitles.

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