If you have been following our articles in this series, hopefully by now you have a clear understanding of why your company, organisation or business needs video and what form you would like your video or videos to take. If you would like to know more about various forms of business and corporate video, please read our previous article “Why?”
This article deals with what you want to show and what to think about when considering budgets. What you want to say and how you say it is equally, if not more important but as this leads us into the realm of scripts and is too large a subject to cover here, we will deal with what you want to say in our next, supplementary post “To Script Or Not To Script.”
Budget is an important factor for businesses of all sizes. It determines the level of video production you can afford – whether it’s a simple, one-off, one-minute presentation to camera, or a series of multi-camera presentations spread throughout the year. Every scale of video has a place from a simple, webcam “thank you” message to a 4K, large crewed production with qualified aerial filming, majestic soundtrack and 3D motion graphics animations. The trick is knowing where your budget fits in the scale and what you can expect for your money.
As with everything in business, the least expensive is not always the best option – but then neither is the most expensive. We will deal more with costs in a later article advising how to choose a production company. For now, the key things to remember as far as your budget is concerned are:
· The amount you have to spend is up to you
· You get what you pay for
· Don’t lose sight of the purpose of your video
This last point is vital as it will help you to decide the budget for your video. If you are looking to present your product on video in the most impressive, beautiful and creative way to persuade potential customers to part with their money, this can’t be achieved by an office junior with a smart phone. Cost and quality are directly linked.
Deciding what you want to show is also important but, surprisingly, is something that is often overlooked. Watching somebody speaking on-screen for 5 minutes in a single shot is, to be frank, dull. Your audience will switch off in the first few seconds if you do not present them with something to hold their attention. On average, viewers have an attention span of around 4-5 seconds and, with a few exceptions, if images do not change within that time, attention will drift. The most effective videos will be heavily illustrated and populated with products, services and, above all, other people using or providing those products and services. People relate to people.
It is vital to plan what imagery you want to be filmed to show your business at it’s best. Clean workwear and vans are far preferable to oily overalls and muddy vehicles. Would you prefer your computer system to be shown in the corner of a broom cupboard with trailing cables and dirty coffee cups, or in a bright, clean, modern environment to match your high-tech product?
What you don’t show is just as important as what you do. You may not want to show the top-secret prototype product in the corner of your workshop in the background of the shot. And what about that team member wearing the wrong coloured polo shirt with your old logo on the chest, the confidential customer information on the computer screen or the photo of the barely dressed Hollywood actor pinned to the board above the in-tray? And, of course, keep the images relevant to your subject.
Above all, it is important to remember that your video is the face of your company. It is how you would wish to be seen by your clients, contractors and partners. Choose products, services and images that you would want to be known for. This is especially true for working practices and health and safety. If your employees appear on-screen without the appropriate personal protective equipment, or performing tasks in a wrong or unsafe way, not only will it raise the eyebrows of your customers but may land you in legal trouble as well.
Good video production companies will always advise and question what appears in frame but they will never have the level of knowledge of your business that you have so it is important to consider what you would like to be seen on screen before the cameras roll.
If you have any questions or suggestions arising from this article, please leave a comment below or contact us via our CONTACT PAGE and we'll be happy to chat with you about any aspect of video production.