If you have read the previous articles in this series, you should have a pretty good idea of the considerations you need to make before you invite the cameras in to film your business, service, product or message. We have covered the why, what, who, when and where of your video production, but if you have missed any of these articles, please take a moment to catch up with them on the Blog page on our website www.sunfacerproductions.com/blog
In our final blog we will look at the ‘How?’ We have left this question until last as it’s really a recap encompassing all the other questions. It helps you to focus on your requirements and your important message. Let’s break the “How?” down to see how it relates to the previous articles in the series:
HOW DO YOU WANT TO SELL YOUR BUSINESS?
What do you want to say?
What specific aspect of your business are you selling in the video?
What do you want to show (and just as importantly, what DON’T you want to show)?
Who do you want to show on screen? Who will present or be interviewed to sell your company best?
Where is the best location to film to show your business at its best?
When is the best time of year to present your message?
When is the best time to release it?
HOW DO YOU WANT TO GET YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS?
What is the purpose of your video (in-house message, sales tool, event video, training, instructional, etc.)?
What format do you want you video to take (animation, voice-over, directly presented to camera, interview led, etc)?
Do you need a script? Why/Why not?
Where will the video be used/shown (online, at a conference, in a sales video brochure, etc)?
Who would be best to write, check and edit my script/content?
Who would be the best person in my business to present my message?
HOW DO I GO ABOUT HAVING A VIDEO MADE?
Who do I know in the video production industry?
Who do I know that has had a video produced? What was their experience and would they be happy to recommend the production company they used?
What is my timescale?
What do I need to have in place before we film?
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
What is the purpose of the video (simple, in house message, polished sales tool, etc.)?
What level of production do I need (related to the point above)?
Who and Where can I afford to employ for filming? Do I have enough in the budget to pay for presenters or separate locations?
Who do I employ to produce my video based on my needs?
What is my budget?
You see what I mean? Leaving the ‘How?’ question until the end of the question process helps to summarise all the others and will help to highlight any points you may have missed. It may help to re-read previous posts in this series to ensure you have everything in place from your side, which brings us to a very important point, which is worth reinforcing:
HOW DO I CONVEY MY REQUIREMENTS TO A PRODUCTION COMPANY?
Once you have answered all the questions in our series (and possibly even before), you will probably have a clear idea of what you want to see on the screen. Once you have spoken to your chosen production company, they will also have a clear idea of how they want to put it on screen. These visions can often be different (to varying degrees) and, at this stage, it’s important to remember one of our mantras:
“Video production is a collaborative process.”
You know what you want to say and the video production company, with experience, can advise on the best and most creative way of turning your message into video form. Often, however, parts of your important message can be lost at the expense of creativity. I must stress that this is natural and part of the production process. The blame can be placed at both doors depending on various factors. Either the production company has become too excited by, and blinded the client with their creative vision and missed an important point, or the client has themselves become too concerned with their own creative ideas that they have omitted essential information.
To reduce the chance of this happening, it is important to clearly convey to the production company from the start exactly what your message is. Leave the creative decisions to the video company and focus on your message. I have seen editors desperately trying to rescue videos in post-production as an important point wasn’t included, but in many of these cases, if the message just isn’t there, it could mean an expensive reshoot. Answer all of the questions in this series and you will be well prepared when it comes to explaining your message requirements to the video producers – which brings us back to our overriding mantra:
“Never lose sight of the purpose of your video.”
N.B. – The questions in this series are a guide to what to consider when embarking on your video journey. It may plant definite ideas in your mind of precisely what you want your business video to look like but it is also important to listen to the advice given by the production company. Depending on the purpose of your video, certain approaches may not work or be creatively inappropriate. An experienced producer will know this and be able advise on more appropriate paths.
If you have read our blog series, no doubt you are already considering employing video in some form. It is such an essential part of an organisation’s marketing mix today that those who don’t embrace the power of the video message risk being left behind by their competitors.
I hope our series of blogs has been useful in providing considerations when planning your video production. If you have any questions or suggestions arising from any of our articles, please contact me at duncan@sunfacer.com or on 07711 531704.
Duncan Curtis is a Director at Sunfacer Productions Ltd. He has worked for 23 years in the broadcast television and corporate production industries. In this time he has filmed, produced and directed for all of the major UK broadcasters and countless corporate projects for companies such as Airbus UK, Audi, Wessex Water, G.E. Europe, Tesco, London Business School, Imperial College, BPIF, Boss Federation, Association of Applied Biologists and many, many more.