Production 101: How Production Shapes Social
Production.
What comes to mind? If you’re like most people, you’re picturing Hollywood glamour: the camera, the lights, the dramatic director’s chair, the infamous “Action!”
Here’s a little industry secret: in the social media world, it’s not all that different… except the red carpet is probably a roll of backdrop paper, and the catering might be a jug of coffee and pizza. The real magic of production happens before and after that red light blinks on.
The Truth About Production
At its core, production is about planning, intention, and execution. Three things that turn a “let’s just film something real quick” moment into strategic, scroll-stopping content.
We’re talking:
Finding the right equipment
Locking down the perfect talent
Securing the right location
Organizing props
Managing timelines and budgets
Making sure every element supports the story you’re telling
Without those? You’re basically just holding a camera up to chaos. And chaos rarely converts.
Why Intention Matters
Social-first content is a sprint, not a marathon. It’s fast, competitive, and sometimes unforgiving. You have seconds to grab someone’s attention before they scroll away. That means every creative decision has to be intentional. It needs to be engaging, relevant, and fresh, because trends in social media don’t just move fast… they move at the speed of light. Intentional production is the difference between a video that disappears into the algorithm void and one that makes people stop mid-scroll and think, “Okay, I’m listening…”
Does Story Still Matter?
Yup. Just because we’re working in 10-second bursts doesn’t mean story is optional. Story is the beating heart of your content. A little secret: it doesn’t have to be a full cinematic arc. Sometimes it’s just a single beat, a clever reveal, a satisfying punchline.
But without it? You’ve got noise, not content.
Think of story as your why. And if you don’t have a “why,” you don’t have a reason for your audience to care.
The Three Stages of Production
While every project is a little different, we break production down into three main stages:
1. Pre-Production (aka The Heavy Lift)
This is where the foundation gets built:
Aligning on goals, creative direction, budget, deliverables, and schedule
Casting talent, scouting locations, pulling wardrobe, and creating mood boards
Coordinating every detail from shot lists to call times
It’s the most labor-intensive stage and the most important. In showbiz they say: the more time you spend in pre, the less you spend in post. (And trust us...nobody wants a month-long post-production nightmare.)
2. Production (aka The Fun Part)
This is the part everyone pictures: filming, directing, capturing the content. The story comes to life here.
3. Post-Production (aka Polish It Up)
This is where we fine-tune the magic:
Editing footage together
Adjusting color and lighting
Cleaning up audio
Adding music, graphics, captions
Reviewing and refining until it’s perfect
Post is where your brand vision comes to life. And remember what we said earlier? The more time you spent in pre, the less you'll spend here. Trust us on that.
Brand Voice & Audience: The Unskippable Step
We sometimes get asked if knowing brand voice and who the audience is matters all that much. Well... it matters quite a hell of a lot. If you don’t know who you’re talking to and how your brand should show up, you’re basically throwing darts in the dark. Think about it...your brand voice and audience shape every choice:
Who you cast
How you style them
The pacing of the edit
The words on screen
The music you choose
When you nail both, your content feels authentic. When you don’t? Well... people can smell the disconnect from a mile away.
Social vs. Traditional Media Production
If you’re coming from film or TV, welcome to the wild west. In traditional media, you get months to prep. In social? You might have days… sometimes hours. Why? Because trends don’t wait for you to be ready. If you miss the moment, it’s gone.
But before you let that stress you, there's an upside (there always is). The upside? Social is more flexible, scrappy, and experimental. You can pivot, test, and get real-time audience feedback.
Do You Need a Huge Budget?
Ah... money. It makes the world go round. Do you need a lot of it for a social-first shoot?
Nope.
In the world of social production, strategy > spend.
A strong concept, the right talent, and smart creative decisions can stretch a small budget farther than you think. That said, you still have to be realistic. The dream shot with a helicopter flyover might not happen for $200 but an intentional, well-planned concept will still make magic.
At the end of the day, production is not about just hitting record. It’s about building a plan, executing with purpose, and crafting content that works as hard as it can in the fast, competitive world of social media.
And this post? It's just your appetizer. It’s the first peek into our Production Tentpole series, where we’ll share more tips, tricks, and behind-the-scenes intel to help you level up your own production game.
So bookmark this, follow along, and get ready. We’re just getting started.