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TEC-DIGI47-05 · Lesson 12 · 26 clock hours · practice

Integrated Project: 2-Minute Brand Video Production

Objective. Students will independently execute all phases of a 2-minute branded video—pre-production through final delivery—demonstrating competency across camera operation, audio, editing, motion graphics, color, and safe studio practice.

⚠ Pending professional review

This lesson, its worked examples and its practice questions has not yet been verified by an industry-certified professional or by a certification or approval body. It is a study draft and may contain errors. Do not use it as instructions for work on a job site or on live equipment. Always follow your instructor, your supervising professional, and current official references and regulations.

VoTechWorks program approval and accreditation are still in progress. Credentials are issued only by the certifying bodies named in each program, after their own exams.

Integrated Project: 2-Minute Brand Video Production

This lesson is your capstone practice for the Video Production & Motion Graphics course. You will move through every professional phase of production—pre-production, production, and post-production—on a single deliverable: a finished, client-ready 2-minute brand video. Think of this as a dress rehearsal for professional work.

Phase 1 — Pre-Production

Nothing goes in front of a camera until your pre-production package is complete and signed off by your instructor. That package must include five elements.

Script. Write a shooting script, not just a narrative outline. Each line of narration or dialogue should sit beside its corresponding visual description. Keep your total video at or just under 2 minutes; budget roughly 125–150 words of spoken copy per minute as a starting estimate, then adjust to your talent's pace.

Storyboard. Sketch or digitally illustrate each major shot. Storyboards do not need to be gallery-quality art; they need to communicate framing, camera angle, and movement clearly enough that any crew member could set up the shot without asking you.

Shot list. Number every shot, note the lens or zoom setting, camera movement, duration estimate, and the scene or storyboard panel it covers. Organizing your shot list by location rather than chronological order saves significant setup time on shoot day.

Production schedule. Block out time in realistic increments: setup, shooting, breakdown, travel between locations or sets. Padding 15–20 percent buffer time is standard professional practice.

Equipment request. List every piece of gear by name: camera body, lenses, tripod, lighting fixtures, audio kit, cables, batteries, and cards. Submit this in advance so nothing is missing on shoot day.

Your instructor signs off before any equipment leaves the cage. This mirrors industry practice, where a director of photography and producer review prep documents before a crew call.

Phase 2 — Production and Studio Safety

Before any power is switched on or equipment is moved, complete the class safety checklist and have it countersigned by your instructor. A missing or unsigned checklist makes the project ineligible for grading—no exceptions.

Key safety points for this production environment:

During the shoot, follow your shot list, but stay flexible. If a shot is not working technically, fix the root cause rather than planning to correct it in post. Good exposure, clean audio, and steady framing cost nothing extra on set and save hours in editing.

Phase 3 — Post-Production in Premiere Pro and After Effects

Editing. Assemble your edit in Adobe Premiere Pro. Sync your audio and video, build your rough cut, then refine pacing. Lock your picture before you begin color or audio work.

Color correction. Apply primary corrections first using Lumetri Color—set white balance, correct exposure, establish proper black and white levels. Secondary corrections (isolation of specific hues or areas) come after your primary pass is complete.

Audio mix. Your final mix must target −16 LUFS integrated loudness. Use the Loudness Radar or the built-in Loudness Meter in Premiere Pro's Essential Sound panel to verify your levels before export. Dialogue should be intelligible, music should support without masking speech, and sound effects should reinforce without peaking above your ceiling.

Motion graphics. Build at least one branded lower-third in After Effects. Name your layers clearly, use the project's brand colors and fonts from the client brief, and bring it into Premiere Pro using Dynamic Link. Dynamic Link lets you update the After Effects composition and see the change immediately in your Premiere Pro timeline without re-exporting.

Delivery. Export your final file using Adobe Media Encoder. Use the settings specified in the client brief handout. Common deliverable formats for digital brand video include H.264 or H.265 at the specified resolution and frame rate. Verify your exported file plays correctly before submitting.

Phase 4 — Screening and Self-Evaluation

Present your finished video in a 5-minute peer screening. After all videos are shown, write a self-evaluation of at least 300 words in your lab notebook. Compare the finished piece to your original storyboard and identify at least three specific technical or creative changes you would make in a hypothetical revision round. Honest, specific self-critique is a professional skill—use precise language about what went wrong and how you would fix it, not vague statements like "the lighting could be better."

Rubric Summary

Your instructor will score the project on a 25-point rubric: pre-production completeness (5 pts), technical image and audio quality (8 pts), motion graphics (4 pts), color correction (4 pts), and delivery file compliance (4 pts). You need at least 20 out of 25 to pass. The safety checklist countersignature is a hard requirement; without it the project cannot be graded.

Key terms8

Pre-production packageThe complete set of planning documents—script, storyboard, shot list, production schedule, and equipment request—that must be approved before shooting begins.
Dynamic LinkAn Adobe workflow feature that connects After Effects compositions directly to a Premiere Pro timeline, allowing live updates without intermediate exports.
LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale)A standardized unit for measuring integrated loudness of audio; a target of −16 LUFS is commonly used for online video delivery to ensure consistent playback volume.
Lower-thirdA motion graphics element placed in the lower portion of the frame that typically displays a person's name, title, or other identifying information.
Primary color correctionThe first pass of color grading, which corrects white balance, exposure, contrast, and overall tonal balance across the entire image before any selective adjustments.
Safety cable (safety bond)A secondary steel cable attached to an overhead lighting fixture and a structural anchor point, designed to catch the fixture if its primary mount fails.
Shot listA numbered production document describing every planned camera setup, including framing, movement, and estimated duration, organized to maximize on-set efficiency.
Adobe Media EncoderAdobe's dedicated encoding application used to export video projects from Premiere Pro or After Effects into delivery formats such as H.264 or H.265.

Worked examples3

1. Your exported video measures −20 LUFS integrated. Your target is −16 LUFS. How many decibels do you need to add to the overall mix?
  1. Identify your current integrated loudness: −20 LUFS.
  2. Identify your target integrated loudness: −16 LUFS.
  3. Calculate the difference: target minus current = −16 − (−20) = −16 + 20 = 4.
  4. You need to add 4 dB of gain to the overall mix to reach the target.
Answer: Add 4 dB of gain to bring the mix from −20 LUFS to −16 LUFS.
2. Your storyboard has 18 distinct shots. You have a 6-hour shoot day (360 minutes). Allowing 15 minutes of setup time per shot and 10 minutes of breakdown/transition time between each shot, will you complete the shoot? How many minutes remain or are you short?
  1. Calculate total setup time: 18 shots × 15 minutes = 270 minutes.
  2. Calculate total transition time: there are 17 transitions between 18 shots; 17 × 10 minutes = 170 minutes.
  3. Calculate total time needed: 270 + 170 = 440 minutes.
  4. Compare to available time: 440 minutes needed − 360 minutes available = 80 minutes short.
  5. You will not complete the shoot as planned; you are 80 minutes short.
Answer: You are 80 minutes short. You would need to cut approximately 4–5 shots or reduce setup time per shot to fit the schedule.
3. Your script contains 210 words of narration. Assuming your narrator speaks at 140 words per minute, how long (in seconds) will the narration run, and does it fit inside a 2-minute (120-second) video?
  1. Divide total words by speaking rate: 210 words ÷ 140 words per minute = 1.5 minutes.
  2. Convert to seconds: 1.5 minutes × 60 seconds per minute = 90 seconds.
  3. Compare to the 120-second maximum: 90 seconds is less than 120 seconds.
  4. The narration fits, with 30 seconds remaining for a music intro, outro, or pauses.
Answer: The narration will run 90 seconds, fitting within the 2-minute limit and leaving 30 seconds of room.

The math in this lesson1

Learners compute gain needed from -20 to -16 LUFS: -16 - (-20) = +4 dB.
7.NS.1
In class: Develop a pre-production package (script, storyboard, shot list, production schedule, and equipment request) for a provided fictional client brief, submitting it for instructor sign-off before any shooting begins. · Shoot all footage following the class safety protocol checklist, edit the piece in Premiere Pro with color correction, audio mix to −16 LUFS target, and at least one branded lower-third built and linked via After Effects Dynamic Link. · Present the finished video in a brief 5-minute peer screening, followed by a written self-evaluation (minimum 300 words) comparing the final product to the original storyboard and identifying at least three technical or creative improvements for a hypothetical revision round.
Materials: All previously used production equipment and software (cameras, lighting, audio kit, Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Media Encoder), client brief handout, safety checklist, pre-production templates, lab notebook for self-evaluation
Check: Instructor scores the finished video and supporting documentation on a 25-point rubric covering pre-production completeness (5 pts), technical image and audio quality (8 pts), motion graphics (4 pts), color correction (4 pts), and delivery file compliance (4 pts); minimum passing score is 20/25 (80 percent). Safety checklist must be countersigned by instructor or the project is ineligible for grading.

Practice check8

Answer each question, then check it. Nothing is recorded; this is your own practice.

Video Production Workflow
1. Which document in the pre-production package organizes shots by location to reduce setup time on a shoot day?
Audio Post-Production
2. A student's final audio mix measures −22 LUFS. The project target is −16 LUFS. What corrective action should the student take in Premiere Pro before exporting?
Studio Safety
3. Before shooting begins in the studio, the safety checklist must be:
Studio Safety
4. What is the primary purpose of a safety cable (safety bond) on an overhead lighting fixture?
Motion Graphics / After Effects
5. A student uses After Effects Dynamic Link to add a lower-third to a Premiere Pro timeline. After export, the client requests a font change. What is the most efficient next step?
Color Correction / Premiere Pro
6. In color grading, which correction should be completed first?
Studio Safety
7. Which of the following best describes the correct practice for managing power cables across a walkway in a studio environment?
Professional Practice / Critical Thinking
8. A student's self-evaluation states: 'The lighting could have been better.' Which revision makes this feedback meet the minimum standard of useful professional self-critique?
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