Are you planning on commissioning a corporate video? Do you want it to stand out? By choosing a production company that pays close attention to the themes explored in this post, you’ll improve your chances of receiving a corporate video that really captivates attention, and drives the right action.
Good Pre-production Planning
While it may be tempting to immediately jump into filming, the most successful corporate videos are based on careful pre-production planning. This is the time to get really clear on who you are audience is, what the main message is that you want to communicate to them, and what action you want them to take. By having a clear understanding of this, it will inform the tone and style of your corporate video. And will help you tailor a video that is really customised for your audience.
This is also the time to plan your schedule, which will enable you to get the most out of your fillming day/s so as to make the most of your budget. Your video production company will also create a shot list, so that every shot that needs to be captured will be clearly listed.
All of this planning means that you are on the same page as your production company, and that your expectations are aligned.
Professional Lighting
When your camera crew pays special attention to lighting, it will create a more polished and professional result. While it does add to the set up time, the investment is worth it when you receive a video with professional production values. Good lighting is more flattering for the people who appear in the video. And also makes the locations appear more impressive. Lighting also enables the production company to enhance the mood and emotion of the scene.
High Quality Audio
Good quality audio is actually even more important than video. Because, if the content is engaging, your audience will forgive imperfect video. But if they can’t hear if properly, you will lose your audience. Audio is one of the areas where you can really tell the difference between the work of a willing amateur, and a professional production company. It is partly in the financial investment that the production company makes in truly professional audio gear. But it’s mainly in the knowledge and experience about how to solve challenges and use the most appropriate equipment in the best way to capture great quality audio.
Cinematic Camera Movement
These days, audiences are visually literate and sophisticated. They expect to see corporate videos that have a similar visual quality to what they may see at the movies or on TV. There are a number of tools that corporate video camera crews use to introduce cinematic camera moves:
Drones: Drone footage can help to capture high angle establishing shots, to track subjects as they move, and to provide dramatic camera angles
Slider or dolly: By moving the camera along tracks while filming, the camera crew can capture smooth, moving footage that is more engaging than a static shot
Jib or steadicam: This type of footage adds movement and dynamism. It is also quite efficient because there is not a lot of set up and rehearsal time required.
Post-production Sound Design
This is another opportunity to distinguish your work from the typical generic or templated corporate video. Many videos simply have a stock music track added as background music. Your video can be taken a lot further through sound design. This may involve the production of purpose built music tracks to truly match your video in an individual way. It can also involve the use of sound effects to emphasise and punctuate dramatic moments, and to add emotional weight to your production. Good sound design is a powerful device that can enhance and deepen your story.
A Good Distribution Strategy
It’s one thing to make a corporate video that really stands out. But it’s just as important to have a clear strategy about how to get it seen by the right people. That way, you can maximise the investment you have made in your production. Distribution strategies will vary, depending on your project. Some popular approaches include Social Media sites such as Youtube, Linkedin and Facebook. But there’s more to it than simply posting the video. It’s important to curate the video through a supporting text post that helps to build interest, and encourage the reader to watch the video. And to cultivate responses and comments, which you then respond to. It can also help to post video content to social media as part of an ongoing strategy so that, over time, you build and audience, and they expect to see your content.
Since you’re investing time and energy into making a corporate video, it makes sense to create something that really stands out, excites your viewers, delivers value to them, and encourages them to take the desired action.
This guest post is written by Ryan Spanger, Managing Director – Dream Engine
