When we got started with the Common Craft show, it would have been easy to feel overwhelmed. We were stepping into the world of video production and in that world there is a lot to know. Looking back - we had something very valuable on our side: ignorance. We didn't know what we didn't know. Had we done all the research and tried really hard to make videos the "right" way from the start, I don't think we would have been as successful.
Our experience in the last 5 months has taught us something that we refer to often: Problems get solved when they need to be solved. Looking back, our ignorance allowed us to get started quickly and focus on content. We didn't know how to produce quality sound or light and in the RSS video, it shows. The thing is, it didn't matter to most.
Once we got that first video up, we could look at it and see the problems. The audio is poor. So, we fixed it. Then we looked at the second video and noticed that the lighting wasn't up to snuff, so we fixed it. These big problems made some of the details so small we didn't notice - and that was good because the details might have taken away our focus.
These days we've solved the big problems and are taking the small ones one-by-one. One example is exposure settings. Each time my hand entered the frame, the color of the whiteboard would appear to change. Within a few days, we figured out how to fix it with camera settings or software. We didn't even notice this before because the other problems needed solving first.
Here's the lesson from our experience: If you're about to start something new, don't spend weeks trying to make the first attempt perfect. Get started as quickly as possible and learn as you go. Tinker, experiment and look for the big things you can tackle as you go. Solve problems when they need to be solved and you won't feel as overwhelmed by all the things that could be fixed.