Reviewing a video: what are the benefits?
Before getting into the how, let’s remind ourselves why it’s so good to review videos. There are 4 benefits directly related to video annotation.
Reviewing a video means being:
- Precise in time > we review directly at the chosen timecode.
- Precise in space > we pin the comment directly onto the video image.
- Precise in management of comments > if needed, we can add replies to the comment to have a conversation, and mark the comment as “done”.
- Precise in the production history > the feedback is dated and documented with the name of the reviewer.
Reviewing a video therefore prevents mistakes, saves time and adds convenience.
With that, let’s move on to best practices.
Reviewing a video: best practices
- Get straight to the point.
One annotation = one point of content. When we try to cover everything, we end up all over the place. For greater clarity, it’s better to review the same video image several times, rather than trying to fit everything into a large paragraph.
- Add specific comments.
Short, but to the point. There’s a certain amount of information we have that the person reading does not have. The overall efficiency of the production is increased if the person with the information provides it directly. This avoids multiple exchanges to get the required info (details of an asset, folder where it’s stored, etc.) and allows everyone to relax – both the people looking for the information and the ones asked to provide it.
- Be precise in time and space
Sometimes when we’re in a rush, we can be a little vague… The tools for reviewing a video are well-made, so use them well! It is important to annotate the exact moment, i.e. at the right timecode, and in the right place on the image – that helps!
- Drive out misunderstandings.
When we’re absorbed in our idea, our logic always seems infallible. Taking a step back allows us to assess whether what we’ve written could be wrongly interpreted.
- Direct instructions.
– Write clearly and directly, without the frills.
– Provide examples: there’s no clearer way to be understood.
Then, add something to motivate the troops, and the application does the rest for you!
The tools to review a video
Reviewing a video is a must-have! In the current landscape of Vimeo and the like, there are more platforms that offer tools to review video.
However, the mainstream video reviewing solutions are not integrated with a production scheduling tool, and the platforms are not well suited to managing creative projects, because they are not specialised. That’s why there’s Skeem 😉
