What happens when you decide to create a video with And Cut
We’ve seen it many times: A doctor makes a bold move, deciding to invest in a high quality, professionally produced video. Afterward, the boldness gives way to uncertainty, and the questions set in. How does this all work? What’s the next step? Where do we go from here?
What happens after you jump into the world of doctor videos—as a busy physician without video experience or time to spare, how do you go from “let’s do this!” to “done!” without derailing the rest of your schedule?
First, sharpen your focus.
After deciding to partner with And Cut for your doctor video, your next step is to identify your top goal for your video. While it can be helpful to envision other doctor videos that you admire, it’s more important to hone your strategic focus for your video. See our article After the Final Cut for more information on identifying and sharpening your objective for your video.
This will also help you identify your desired Call to Action, or CTA, which helps communicate to your viewers the action you’d like them to take after viewing your video. Clarifying your CTA is an important step, because it helps identify the information you’ll need to provide to And Cut for on-screen graphics or text (more on that later).
Next, schedule your shoot.
Fitting video into a busy physician’s schedule can be challenging, so we begin talking about scheduling early in the process. While we don’t want to rush the preparation phase, we also don’t want to schedule too far in advance, since calendar commitments can’t always be planned or anticipated months in advance. The ideal scheduling time frame is one to two months out. See How Long Will This Take? for more information about how to make the most of your valuable time and plan for a smooth, efficient, timely shoot.
Decide on hair, makeup, and wardrobe pros.
Once you have a video shoot on the calendar, it’s time to think about whether you want to hire hair and makeup professionals (often shortened to HMU on set). While we don’t require clients to use these services, we strongly recommend that they do. Investing in HMU pays off in a shoot that runs more smoothly and a final video you’ll be proud to share. And Cut helps simplify the process by working with reliable HMU pros from our production network in your local area.
Provide any practice logos, web addresses, or other marketing information.
And Cut’s video packages include logo treatments and lower thirds—a combination of graphics and text at the bottom of the screen—to market your practice. During the planning process, you or someone on your staff will need to provide logo files, doctor headshots, bio information, web URLs, and other applicable marketing material to And Cut so we can work our magic. It’s best if this takes place a few weeks before shoot day, so we can troubleshoot or obtain new files well in advance.
Think about what you want to say.
Your video shoot will include an interview segment, with the camera focused on (gulp) you and your expertise. Don’t worry—this may be the easiest and most fun part of the entire process, and we’ll work with you to make sure your expertise shines through.
To help with this, you can spend time beforehand thinking about what you want to say. Instead of compiling extensive notes or writing out a script, spend some time thinking about the key points you want to make during your interview. Then give these points some thought when you have time to reflect, during your morning commute, while walking the dog, or running laps at the park.
Confirm final details.
As your shoot approaches, And Cut will work with the point person you’ve designated on your staff (see After the Final Cut for more on this) to confirm final details. Making sure everyone needed for the shoot will be present and ready on shoot day, accounting for any last-minute schedule changes, confirming HMU professionals, and ironing out other details helps make for a smoother, more efficient shoot.
Rest up, hydrate, and eat well.
We know you’re busy, but you have to eat, right? In the days before your shoot, take care to choose nourishing food, drink enough water, and get adequate sleep. If you’re due for a haircut, manicure, or another grooming service, schedule it at least a few days before your shoot.
Exercise is great for calming nerves and stimulating circulation to give you a healthy glow on screen. While we don’t recommend running a marathon the day before your shoot, planning a light workout the day before or that morning can help you look and feel your best.
Finally, just show up!
Follow the steps above, and you’ll be exceptionally well prepared for a smooth, enjoyable shoot. From there, all you need to do is show up and get ready to have fun on camera. We’ll handle the technical side of things before, during, and after your shoot, so you can relax and enjoy the process. When you hear “And….cut!” to wrap your video shoot, you’ll be ready to celebrate a job well done. Cheers!
Still have questions? Ready to roll? Wherever you are in the process, we can help. Let’s make a video.