Video production project management for a small team
A small video company runs three different businesses inside one job: planning, a shoot day with crew and kit, and weeks of post. Each has its own list, and the trouble starts where the lists meet.
The short answer
Run every job as one project with four phases: pre-production, production, post-production and delivery. Give each phase its tasks, owners and dates, and put the client's approvals in as dated items. Keep the call sheet, the footage location, the edit versions and the client notes on the same project, not spread across a chat, a drive and an inbox. Track crew and kit costs against the quote while the job runs, and invoice by milestone.
The four phases
Most video jobs, from a two-minute brand film to a series of social cuts, follow the same shape.
| Phase | Main work | Ends with |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-production | Brief, treatment, script, locations, crew, kit, schedule, permits | Approved script and a call sheet |
| Production | Shoot days, data wrangling, backups | Footage backed up in two places |
| Post-production | Edit, graphics, grade, sound, captions | Approved final cut |
| Delivery | Exports, versions, archive, invoice | Files delivered and paid |
Each phase has a different team. Pre-production is you and the client. The shoot adds a camera operator, sound, maybe a gaffer and talent. Post is an editor, possibly a colourist and a sound mixer. A plan that works for a small team keeps all of it in one place, because the same three people move between all four phases.
Pre-production: where the schedule is won
Most shoot-day problems are pre-production problems that nobody wrote down. Make a task for every decision that has to happen before the shoot, with an owner and a date:
- Script or shot list approved by the client
- Locations confirmed, with access times and a contact on the day
- Crew booked, with day rates and call times agreed in writing
- Kit list checked, rentals booked and insured
- Talent booked, releases ready
- Permits where needed
- Call sheet sent the day before
The script approval is the one that matters most. A client who changes the message after the shoot is asking for a reshoot, and the quote should say so. Put the date the script must be approved on the plan, and count back from the shoot date so the client sees why.
Production: one source of truth on the day
On the shoot day, the call sheet is the plan. It should live on the project, not as an attachment on a message thread that half the crew cannot find. Afterwards, record three things on the project: where the footage is (both copies), what was shot against the shot list, and anything missed that will need a pickup. That note is the editor's brief.
Crew costs belong on the project the same day. A shoot that ran two hours over, with overtime for four people, changes the margin of the job. You want to see that while you can still talk to the client about it, not at the end of the month.
Post-production: track by version, not by feeling
Post is where small teams lose the thread, because the work is long and looks the same from the outside for days. Break it into items you can see moving:
- Assembly and rough cut
- Client review of the rough cut
- Fine cut
- Client review of the fine cut
- Grade, sound mix, graphics and captions
- Final review and approval
Name every export with the version and the stage (brand_film_rough_v2) and keep each one on the project with its notes. When the client sends notes, turn them into a list against that version, one change per line, with the timecode. The editor works from the list and ticks it off. When someone asks "which version did they approve?", the answer is on the project with a date. The guide on the client approval process for video covers the review stages in detail.
Freelance crew and editors
A small video company is usually two to five people plus freelancers for each job. Give every freelancer a defined piece and a written brief: the shoot day with call time and kit, or the edit with the footage location, the script and the deadline. A freelance editor needs the shot list, the selects if you made them, the notes from the shoot and the client notes per round. They do not need the client's contract or the budget.
Agree rates before the work and record each freelancer's cost on the client's project, in their currency. A job quoted at 8,000.00 with 3,200.00 of crew in it needs to be seen as that job, not as 8,000.00 of revenue.
Budget and invoicing
Quote by phase or by deliverable, and invoice by milestone. A common split for a video job is a deposit before pre-production starts, a second payment after the shoot, and the balance on delivery of the final files. Each invoice should name the milestone it is for. Milestone payments for creative studios covers the split and the wording, and the day rate calculator helps when you price your own crew days.
Keep the budget visible while the job runs: what was quoted, what has been spent on crew, kit and freelancers, what has been invoiced and what has been paid. A weekly look at those four numbers is enough for a small company.
Many jobs at once
Video companies rarely run one job. The usual week has a shoot for one client, an edit for another and a pitch for a third. A plan per job is half of it; the other half is seeing all of them at once: which shoots are booked, which edits are waiting on the client, which invoices are due. How to manage multiple client projects covers the weekly routine.
Doing this in OIO
OIO is project management for small studios. Each video job is one project page with its tickets on a kanban or a timeline, the deadline, files, team chat and, on paid plans, recorded calls with transcripts. Pre-production tasks, the shoot day and each cut are tickets with dates, so the client reviews sit on the timeline with the rest of the work. Freelance editors and crew get a link to their ticket and work from it with no account and no seat.
Each cut goes up as a new version on its ticket. The client comments at the second, optionally on a spot of the paused frame, and clicks Approve this version when it is right; OIO keeps who approved which version and when. Crew and kit costs go on the project as expenses in any currency, and the quote and the milestone invoices come from the same project. OIO does not store terabytes of rushes, has no editing software integration and no frame-stepping player; keep the footage on your drives and put the cuts on the ticket. More on OIO for video production.
Questions
What are the phases of a video production project?
Pre-production, production, post-production and delivery. Each phase has its own tasks and often its own crew, so give each one owners, dates and a clear end point such as an approved script or an approved final cut.
What project management tool does a small video production company need?
One that holds each job's tasks, dates, files, client notes per version and budget in one place, and lets freelance crew and editors work on their piece without a paid seat. Footage storage and editing stay in the tools you already use.
How should a video production company invoice?
By milestone: usually a deposit before pre-production, a payment after the shoot and the balance on delivery. Each invoice names the milestone it covers.
How do I track client notes on video edits?
Keep notes against the version they were given for, one change per line with the timecode. The editor works through the list, and the approved version is recorded with the date and the name of the person who approved it.