Producing A Corporate Movie In The Right Way
Sunday, May 29th, 2011Currently people are in a mad rush. If we are viewing material and video footage for business purposes, we are turned off quickly. Viewing a corporate film from the perfume or watch manufacturer appears to grab our attention more since these are items which causes us to feel good about ourselves - we will have time for things about us! When it depends on business applications we always seem to be in a mad rush.
Because of this, always set out your corporate movie to get a message across quickly. You ought to plan the movie in five main parts:
1. A company introduction - what we do and who we are
2. A reference to quality builds trust - brag a little but do it briefly
3. Your products - why are they so excellent
4. Employees are dedicated to the cause
5. Our pre-and-post sales service is critical to you and to us - here’s how we realize success
Remember, a company film needs to be exactly that, nevertheless it doesn’t mean that you can’t throw in a few added effects and neat camera work making it all stick out.
The first thing to do is create a plan of the method that you want the film to become structured. What you’ll say first and which details you will get across early. You’ll have about ten seconds or so to grab people and I would recommend a nice visual shot or effect to hook them in.
There’s no question that people are situated in an age where we’re progressively more aware of creative film making. An example could be the film Avatar. Love it or hate it, the film was ahead of its time in lots of ways. I’m not saying select expensive animation techniques but you do need to create something slightly different to get people interested.
That is why, it can be worth sitting down with your creative team to think up an angle. What’s going to make our production different - if you undertake and get it right it may go viral.
For instance, one of my favourite openings should be to slowly walk through the car-park in the main building towards the doorway or reception area in which the receptionist greets you - don’t forget this is all nice and evenly paced. Whenever you come to edit this part it could look a little boring in the natural speed, but speed things up a little and you have a fairly nice intro for a video. Add a voice over with a catchy line like “As soon as our customers arrive, they’re welcomed quicky along with the respect they deserve” - too cheesy?
Needless to say, this is up to you, but a highly worked intro using a nice bit of music, followed by a good clear voice will get people interested very quickly.
Then you’re able to target the meat of the movie which should give full attention to building credibility for your products and pre-and-post purchase. Always limit product shots to just a few seconds. You’ll be able to summarize what your products or services do and their associated applications here but don’t do too much this part.
You may also use products as being a background shot for an interview. This is used via a chroma key effect in which you offer a blue or green screen behind the individual you are interviewing. You may consider the shot as normal then edit it or ‘key out’ the green or blue and drop in product images or animation instead. This works effectively and will give an incredibly nice visual effect.
Finally, the sign off should give them a quick section of your corporate message or mission statement. Again, don’t go into a lot of detail here. Just supply a final narrative that covers the video and will be offering a subtle call to action.
Remember to understand your business videos and fiddle with techniques, effects and transitions in the editing stage. No matter what, plan your video well, have a great time and be as creative as your budget and time-frame allows.