Thursday, June 19, 2014

Consistency & Standards in Production

Consistency creates a level of standards, and standards breed consistency. Of course, you can have one without the other, but it is the power of the two together which create a level of professionalism and trust which keeps clients coming back again and again.


Consistency We have come across clients who ask us if we can hire freelancers to film at their different locations or events across Canada, instead of sending our own crew. The answer is of course we can. However, it is not something that we recommend. Here’s why.


At Key West Video we have have a certain level of standards which we apply to our everyday interaction with clients. Whether in a meeting, on a shoot, or during the editing process. We want our clients to feel well taken care of, and want them to be assured that they will get the premium quality service which they have been delivered in the past. One of the salient ways we do this is maintaining a level of consistency throughout all of our projects, and throughout the projects life cycle.


Maintaining consistency means training our staff in our specific branded fashion. Above all else we ensure our employees understand that great customer service is at the heart of our business. Creativity and attention to detail are important as well, but being able to accommodate and be flexible with our clients is one of our top priorities.


Elizabeth Halford wrote in her post on Consistency in Post Production, on the Digital Photography School website.


“It is less likely that you will be hired as a photographer if your potential clients can’t look at your work and know what they’re hiring you to do. By all means, experiment experiment experiment! But keep your portfolio of work easy to ‘read’ so there is no confusion about what you have to offer.”


Ms. Halford perfectly sums up just why we find it so integral to keep our work consistent. We want our clients to feel comfortable that every time they come back to us, or advise a colleague or friend to use our services, they will be provided with the same experience they previously had.


Zak Pines in his article Why Consistency and Standards are so Important – Production and Production Management, details his thoughts on the matter. He provided a great list which explains the why. Why are consistency and standards so important? This list can practically be applied to any industry, but I believe it is especially relevant in video production where costs can be great, and timing is often crucial. Here is his list:



  1. Standards ensure customer expectations are met around the quality of deliverables

  2. Standards give customers predictability of deliverables that allow them to better plan programs – critical since our goal and measurement of success is always around customer outcomes

  3. Standards reduce turnaround time (by reducing the amount of cycle time spent on revisions and rework) – faster content time to market

  4. Standards ensure our costs are managed carefully on projects, resulting in the best possible rates for customers – cost savings

  5. Standards ensure our customers’ time is well-managed on projects – and our customer’s time is incredibly valuable, particularly when working with subject experts

  6. Standards ensure consistency (of brand, of voice, of presentation, of formats) across communications channels and content types


Standards and consistency should go hand in hand. When they do, they create a formula for a successful business which is able to deliver on it’s promises to their clientele, and build lasting relationships.


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