10 things to remember when filming corporate videos in your office

10th August, 2017

So, your commercial video production is underway. The crew are fully briefed and en route to commence a video shoot of your workplace environment, which will impress your clients and generate new business.

 

What do you need to do, apart from your hair?

 

Get everyone onboard

 

First and foremost, make sure everyone is aware that today’s the day for filming. Even if they’re not directly involved, make sure everyone’s in the know.

 

 

Just for today, any weird or slightly unsavoury bits of your office life need to be smothered for the day. Don’t worry, you’ll be restored back to full bants-and-interesting-decor levels again tomorrow.

 

Tidy up

 

Take out the dead plants and the blow-up doll left over from Sharon’s wedding send-off. De-clutter. You don’t necessarily need to remove every vestige of personality from your office space, but certainly enough to leave a professional but creative look.

 

 

In truth, a bit of housekeeping can be a wonderful thing. We’ve worked in offices where a clean-up meant the re-discovery of files that had been missing for years, a pair of shoes that used to be favourites in a past decade and much, much more. Tidy room, tidy mind… Or if you’d prefer a handy bit of Finnish proverb; “Happiness is a place between too little and too much”.

 

Additionally, clean the windows. There’s nothing worse than a shot with a dirty, smeary window in the background. Make sure curtains and blinds are hanging correctly, and that pictures are hanging straight on the walls. Also consider taking down the Justin Bieber calendar – no one needs him stealing the spotlight.

 

The talent

 

Your office staff need to look their best. Consider hiring a makeup artist for the morning, not forgetting to keep some make-up back for touch-ups in the afternoon. Your staff will feel confident if they feel good.

 

 

Decide in advance appropriate clothing for the filming so that everyone is prepared. White shirts or tops can really wash out the colouring of the wearer, so may be best avoided (unless perhaps you’re a doctor or clinician). Lurid patterns can be very distracting to the viewer so also best avoided – after all, we’re hoping that the viewer will absorb the information in the video, not wonder where this guy bought his shirt!

 

Similarly, with tattoos and piercings – you have to decide whether these add something to the creativity of your workplace or are a distraction to the viewer. It’s not discriminatory, it’s just good sense to think about it.

 

Keep the noise down

 

Make sure that the noise level is appropriate for the image you’re trying to create.

 

If phones ringing non-stop is the norm and it makes your environment look and sound busy, then great. If your creative designer is doing a piece to camera, then take the phones off the hook – otherwise parts of the interview won’t be heard.

 

Think about traffic, coughs and sneezes, air conditioning units, radios… any noise that interferes with the sound quality of your film.

 

The marketing materials

 

Make sure you have clean pop-up banners, posters, logos and signage in place for the day. This is a great chance to reinforce your brand and make your company message memorable.

 

Maybe select a consultation room or space to do your interview pieces – of course, it could also be done at the desk, but make sure you avoid the possibility of someone scoffing a McDonald’s in the background or something.

 

Script it

 

Make sure everyone knows exactly what’s expected of them. Prepare a script for anyone that needs to speak so they can practise their piece until it’s as natural as can be, but without looking stilted and rehearsed. The more comfortable people feel about what they’re going to say, the more natural they’ll come across.

 

 

If you find yourself with a bit of a script to practise, you’ll quickly find out if there are any tongue-twisters that need changing, or any parts that are continually stumbling points and need to be changed.

 

Make sure a timetable is written up for the day, so everyone knows when and where they’re needed. All of the preparation will save time, and therefore money.

 

Bring in the experts

 

If there’s any machinery or technology to be filmed, make sure you bring in the experts: the people who know how it works, how to operate it, how to make it seamless. There’s nothing more frustrating than watching someone trying to make something work when they really don’t have a clue.

 

The delays can cost time and money. So get the right people on the scene, even if they’re not the people you want in the film – make sure they’re there for their technical ability.

 

The weather

 

The weather is clearly key if you’re doing any outside shots for your video, but it can also be a consideration when you’re filming inside too.

 

If your office is at the top of a tall building and you have fabulous views from your windows, it could be a real shame if the view is masked by thick cloud or fog on the day of filming, and it will affect the lighting too.

 

Let there be light

 

Speaking of which, the video production team will bring lighting equipment with them but do make sure that your office lighting is in working order.

 

 

If your reception area has a lovely lamp or two, make sure the bulbs aren’t blown, and this applies to overhead lighting too. Make sure fluorescent tubes aren’t flickering or dead. Get some spares in. Anything to save time and to create the best look.

 

Enjoy

 

It’s not every day that you have a film crew (however big or small) filming in your workplace. Enjoy it. Have fun. Make sure that the staff are in on it and are relaxed. It’ll come across in the video and create the best atmosphere for the shoot, and viewers will soak up that ambience.

 

Looking into options for your next office tour video? We’ll happily chat through it with you – just drop us an email!

7 things you need to find a great video production company

19th June, 2017

Without video content in your marketing mix, it is difficult to really compete in today’s business environment. Whether it’s on your own website, on social media platforms, or high-end television commercials, video is the way to tell a great story to the customer and invoke that precious emotional connection. So, what do you need to be sure of before you make the important decision to hire a video production company?

 

1. Write a great brief

 

No company can give you an effective quote or presentation without having some idea of what you’re looking for.

 

Even if you don’t have a clue about the technical details (that’s their job after all) you can outline what videos you think you need, how they’ll be used, what you’re hoping to achieve and, not forgetting, a bit about your company, product or service.

 

 

But be open-minded on the creative side as the production company may have some great ideas, and they are the experts – it’s their expertise that you’re buying in.

 

2. Don’t be put off by new companies with less experience

 

It’s true that a company’s track record is really important, but it’s also true that a new company has more to prove and (arguably) needs to work harder in order to build their reputation.

 

It’s always worth getting a quote from companies who haven’t yet been all the way around the block – everyone has to start somewhere

 

3. Get several quotes

 

It’s time-consuming and can often be quite complex getting quotes, particularly getting ones that are like-for-like but it’s a must. The detail in the quote shows you exactly what you’re getting for the money, equally, lack of detail raises questions that should be asked!

 

In the end you probably do get what you pay for but not necessarily. Don’t assume that everything’s included if it isn’t shown in the detail – it may not be, so ask the question.

 

Finding a team to create videos for your business can take significant investment but one that’s well worth it, if you end up with an outstanding and effective marketing tool for your company.

 

4. What’s it supposed to look like?

 

Have a look at previous works of the businesses that you approach. Often a presentation will be a demo reel, a series of clips put together to music to make maximum impact.

 

Look at past works for other clients, see how well they have been received, look for comments, shares, likes and reviews.

 

5. How they get there

 

It makes sense to find out about their approach to your project, and to check out turnaround times, number of editing ‘passes’ or changes allowed before delivery. Make sure you know and understand what their expectation is of you and your company too.

 

6. Communication

 

 

Can you get on with the creative directors and account managers? Are you basically singing from the same hymn sheet? It’s astonishing how difficult it can be to communicate ideas, it’s hard to tell a company that this is not at all what you had in mind when someone has poured their heart and soul into a production that they thought would delight you, and your deadline is looming and the costs are rising. Communication is key.

 

7. Seen it all before

 

Try to avoid off-the-shelf formulaic production which is just the same old themes regurgitated time and again with just the name changed to suit the next product.

 

 

Tired old content is not going to generate the public interest or the results that you’re paying for. Look for a bit of spark, adventure, a professional approach and the best you can get within your budget.

 

 

Hopefully the above suggestions will give you a starting point, give you a degree of confidence to go out there and get that fabulous video made which will elevate your business to greater heights.

 

Are you hunting for a great video production company right now? Get in touch – let’s talk about your project.

Video Production in 2017 – Going Open Source

15th June, 2017

We are a creative video production agency. It has been our mantra since we opened for business nearly 9 years ago. We have always stood by this, offering everyone our creative proposal work whether they are clients or not.

Because of this many people have seen as us an extension of their marketing departments, often asking us to add our thoughts and solutions to their marketing strategy. We have written hundreds of creative proposals for organisations and brands from finance to sports, and we have done it all for free.

We always have and we always will.

This year we want to go further. Creative ability in video is no longer enough to give video production agencies an edge. It is becoming increasingly clear that companies like ours need to offer clients a more direct return on their spend, using data and audience research to create content that truly engages a target demographic and can be traced directly to sales.

This is something we are continuing to focus on at DHP, our recent work for Lewisham College standing as a good example.