Documentary production must be one of the most celebrated cinematic art forms seen in the world today, with the likes of Planet Earth and Blackfish leaving ripples in the lives of viewers long and a cult following the world over after the credits have rolled. That said, there is far more to documentary production than what simply ends up on our screens, with clever planning, budgeting, and research being of paramount importance to the success of any documentary. That’s where the help of a production group or multimedia company like Chicago-based The Michael Group can come in handy – here’s how:
This is important for budgeting, storyboarding, and project time planning. Is your documentary taking place in a national park? If so, do you need permits to film and, if you do, how much do they cost? What time is the best time of year to go to the park and does where it appears in the original storyboard correlate with the seasons and goals of the documentary? These are important questions to ask and ones that will take a lot of time to answer. A production company helps with these aspects of documentary production.
The extensive research that a production company can perform isn’t only limited to budget and project timelines. It can relate to location scouting which can be an incredibly important factor for documentary productions if they’re relating to nature and wildlife or following up on true stories in their original location.
Not only can a production company help you identify if your documentary needs a permit or not – it can organize the permit for you. The same applies to other fees and any insurance that may need to be taken out.
There’s someone you would like to interview but they’re across the country. A video production company manning your documentary’s production will take care of all the travel and itinerary requirements such as this that may crop up during the pre-production, production, or post-production process.
Because production companies such as The Michael Group specialize entirely in production, they have teams of experienced and professional camera crews, producers, and cinematographers who can lend their expertise and eye-for-detail during the production process.
Once everything is caught on film, the production company involved with your documentary production can help with post-production such as sound recording, music composition, and editing, to make sure that everything comes together just the way you want it.
The defining factor which should influence potential documentary filmmakers about whether or not they should make use of a production group for their documentary production purposes is that they not only take care of all your requirements, but they think of all your requirements before you do, too.
The Michael Group is a Chicago-based multimedia and production company with offices in Los Angeles and New York and years of experience in video production, particularly relating to documentary production. Contact us today to start put your documentary in production today.
