Research & Planning - First Video Production Skills Audit

Although I feel comfortable and capable with my skills in producing both print and video work, I would like to improve on all aspects in order to achieve a higher level of professionalism and quality to my work. Despite this there are 5 areas I would particularly like to learn more about;

* Animation, this would give a unique feel to my video project since few other videos incorporate it. With animation skills I would be able to reduce continuity errors, create scenes which would otherwise be impossible and not be dependant on props, weather or actors. This would be a very interesting aspect to my video, although I feel that the animation skills I would lean will not be of a high enough quality in time to be key features within my video. I would still like to learn this skill for future use, but feel I may be too unfamiliar in time for my production.

* Although I am relatively confident in video editing, further transitions, filers, effects and editing skills will be useful to me in production, since it gives a wider range of techniques to choose from. This would lead to a far more professional outcome and can make me avoid using less suitable options.

* The rules on privacy are extremely important and is something I have not encountered before. These will pose as major obstacles in my project, and therefore must know the appropriate procedures to execute. This includes using images of people and their consent, using songs and being given copyright permissions as well as using appropriate locations for filming. These are highly important aspects to consider.

* I am a creative and resourceful person, but would like to learn current tried, tested and successful techniques for make shift equipment such as a dolly and track in order to save time. Once I am familiar with these designs I can develop them to be suitable for the jobs I need. Ideally these techniques should be as smooth as possible to achieve a high outcome quality.

* Finally I want to learn about current, professional music video time scales and how they are divided/allocated to specific tasks. Even though my video production scale will be far shorter, I will be able to scale the professional plan down to fit my time span, giving me a rough idea of the times I should spend on aspects of the production. This should result in a consistent and thorough piece, leaving me with a professional product.