How to use When to use For whom Planning pitfalls Reaching deadlines

FREE Video Planning Template

Master video planning project plan timelines with our intuitive video planning template project plan Gantt chart template.

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Gantt chart template

Why use our Video Planning Template instead of Excel or Google Sheets?

Get started with our Video Planning Template in seconds while skipping the hassle involved with Excel or Google Sheets.

Build Gantt charts in minutes, not hours.

Build Gantt charts in minutes, not hours.

No project management experience? No problem. Tom's Planner offers a user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface that's intuitive and easy to learn. Creating Gantt charts is a breeze, saving you time and effort. Compare that to the time-consuming, frustrating, manual formatting-intensive process of building a Gantt chart in Excel or Google Sheets.

Create a Gantt chart in minutes, not hours

Move at the pace of modern business with no learning curve or Googling formulas.

Good luck figuring out how to make a Gantt chart work in Excel or Google Sheets. Excel’s user manual weighs in at a hefty 500+ pages. It takes just five minutes with Tom’s Planner to start planning your first real project plan.

Create a Gantt chart in minutes, not hours

Headache-free collaboration and sharing.

Tom's Planner offers powerful options for sharing and collaborating on Gantt charts, including public links, PDF exports, and team access with customizable permission levels. It’s never been easier to communicate or ensure everyone’s on the same page. Compare that to Excel, where sharing and collaboration mean jumping through hoop after hoop and dealing with confusion and chaos.

How to use Tom’s Planner’s video planning template to build and share your multimedia project.

Getting your project off the ground is as easy as 1-2-3.

Step #1

Click the 'start with template’ button to open the Video Planning Template.

Step #2

Register for a free account and watch a short video on using Tom’s Planner. The account is free forever, with no strings attached.

Step #3

You’re all set to use the Gantt chart template. Need additional help? Our AI assistant can create a custom Gantt chart Video Planning Template based on your project description.

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What is a video planning template?

Creating a video production involves many steps. The actual recording portion is usually the shortest. Planning your video takes much longer and begins long before anyone says, “Lights, camera, action!”

What we’re talking about here is often referred to as “pre-production” because the activities generally take place before the project goes into production. A video planning template can help streamline this process and ensure that everything goes to plan.

A video planning template is a flexible, powerful tool that helps ensure organization, communication, and accountability across the entire project. It lets you plan things like the filming process, team members and their responsibilities, and a great deal more.

A video planning Gantt chart is a better option

The right video production planner will make a major difference in your results. While you can use a video planning template PDF, a better option is a video planning Gantt chart, like Tom’s Planner. This ensures complete customization, along with ease of use, and the ability to plan in detail.

When to use a video planning template

You require the right tools at the right time. So, where does a video planning Gantt chart come in? The answer might surprise you.

During the Ideation Stage:

Video planning doesn’t begin after the script is written or once you’ve found a location. It starts at the very beginning of the process. Use the video planning template to outline everything you need to accomplish, from scriptwriting to casting to marketing.

Throughout Pre-Production:

You and your team(s) will refer back to the video planning template throughout the pre-production process. It will act as a guide for the entire process while fostering communication and accountability.

During Production:

Don’t assume that once production starts, your video planning template is thrown out. The information in this document will act as guide rails all the way through post-production.

Who should use a video planning template?

A well-executed video production planning template can be an invaluable tool for many people during the process. Some of those who’ll need access to the document include:

Filmmakers:

Filmmakers should have access to the video planning template early on, as they’ll have a hand in most of the decisions regarding the production. They can also use it to communicate with other stakeholders, assign tasks, and track progress.

Marketers:

Video marketing begins long before the production wraps up, and marketers can use the video planning template to sync their tasks with other professionals, identify when they need to begin specific tasks, and more.

Editors:

Editing begins as soon as shooting starts and doesn’t end until well after shooting wraps up. Editors can use the video planning template to track progress, understand what needs to be edited and when, and communicate with others on the project.

A Gantt chart like Tom’s Planner ensures that everyone involved has access to critical information and the ability to communicate, sync roles, and contribute to a successful project.

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The top three pitfalls to avoid when planning a video

You want to create a video that moves the needle with your audience. Skip these pitfalls to help ensure that’s possible:

  1. Not Defining a Goal Early On

    What’s the point of your video? Everything else should serve this point, but it can’t if you don’t have one. Be prepared to set a primary goal and then several supporting goals or create a chain of milestones leading to your final goal.

    Solution:

    Define your goal early on in the planning process so that all your efforts can be geared toward achieving it.

  2. Not Considering Your Audience

    While you certainly have a vision that’s uniquely yours, you cannot neglect your audience. If you do, they’ll neglect you. And, while video production is at least somewhat about the artist, it’s more about the audience.

    Solution:

    Make audience identification and segmentation part of your early planning so that you can keep them in mind at every stage.

  3. Not Starting with a Solid Script

    Resist the urge to wing it here. You need a solid script before you move into the production phase or you’re very likely to miss the mark.

    Solution:

    Scriptwriting should be one of the first objectives set in your planning process.

What does a video planning template include?

Just as every video project varies, so too will your video planning template. That said, most of them include a few common elements that require significant planning, such as:

  1. Project Scope:

    The scope of your project will affect everything from the number of team members you need to the location you ultimately choose. This phase includes reviewing the project brief, clarifying objectives, identifying your target audience, specifying deliverables, and settling on a style and tone for the project. use your video project plan template to map this out.

  2. Team Assemblage:

    You’ll need the right team behind the production. Your video planning Gantt chart lets you plan this in great detail, including role identification, assigning tasks like job description creation and recruitment ad posting, final team selection information, and more. Put all this information in your film planning template.

  3. Budget Planning:

    Your budget dictates so much about the project. Budget planning will include things like cost itemization, expense estimation, budget drafting and review, tracking approvals given, and setting up financial tracking.

  4. Equipment Gathering:

    Without the right equipment, you can’t produce a video. You’ll need to identify the equipment you need, identify potential suppliers, compare prices and lease/rental terms, arrange for delivery, test and set up equipment, and more. Highlight these details within your video production plan template.

  5. Location Scouting:

    The right locations are key to creating your vision. Location scouting includes researching potential sites, visiting those you’ve shortlisted, comparing and evaluating your options, finalizing sites, and documenting the location details.

  6. Casting and Auditions:

    Your production will certainly need a cast, and they’ll need to audition for their roles. This stage involves everything from creating character profiles to sending out casting calls, holding auditions, reviewing candidates, holding call-backs, selecting candidates, and then discussing contracts and signing them.

These are just a few of the steps involved with planning a video production. A video planning Gantt chart like Tom’s Planner makes the entire process easier.

Four tips on how to make sure you reach your deadlines

1. Plan Ahead

The single most important tip to reaching your deadlines is to plan ahead. Effective, detailed planning will help your project keep moving forward while avoiding unnecessary delays.

2. Define Roles

A lack of defined roles can lead to missed opportunities, tasks left undone, and scope creep. Define roles early on and then fill them with people who are committed to being accountable.

3. Keep Communication Open

Communication with other stakeholders throughout the pre-production, production, and post-production stages is essential. Tom’s Planner helps ensure accurate, ongoing communication at all stages.

4. Get Team Feedback Early

Making decisions without input from your team members usually results in delays and increased costs. Get feedback from your team early on and regularly check in with them throughout the process.

Gantt charts in Tom's Planner vs in Excel

Excel Tom's Planner
Cost License required Free version available
Learning curve Hours Minutes
Create your first Gantt chart Hours Minutes
Making an update in your chart Several minutes Seconds (drag & drop)
Sharing charts with others At some point you will save and email a file titled: version_4_def_usethisversion_reallyfinal.xlsx Online, one source of truth, always up to date, with no confusion
Look & Feel Messy Clean, polished and professional
Dependencies
Filtering
Zoom in/out
Automatic Legend
AI-assist Let our AI assist do the work for you
Export to image or pdf Requires workarounds to export One mouse click

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