Everything You Wanted to Know About Producing Corporate Video (but were too afraid to ask)

The Steps In How To Make A Corporate Video

Anyone who’ve never produced a sales and marketing video often thinks: How hard can it be? Many business owners (especially small businesses) may decide to create a sales video and assume they could easily do it themselves or hire the kid down the block who owns a camcorder and some video editing program - Big Mistake that will cost you not just dollars but more importantly lost sales! Some executives hire the lowest bidder and expect a remake of Star Wars! Some managers grab a hold of their office assistant who owns a video camera and put them to work thinking that creating a short sales video really couldn't be too difficult because "its a "high-def" camcorder, so we should get a great result."

Well, we have news for you - its not just the equipment, its not even just the talent - its the years of experience combined with the knowledge of production and of course, experience with business promotional concepts, that are necessary requirements for success.

Getting it right the first time around will save you time and a LOT of money!

The Video Production is managed in 3 Phases:

1. Pre-production: While this may sound dull and boring, it is the most important phase, which can make or break a project. It involves concept development and planning Pre-production includes script development based on facts supplied by the client (you), storyboarding the concept to project the correct business message, creating a shot list based on the storyboard and of course, other steps like scouting locations, selecting the right talent for voiceovers, collecting graphics resources, selecting music, etc. 

2. Production: Here's where we actually go ahead and shoot the footage. The video crew and producer record the video based on the storyboard and shot list, bring the tape (or digital files) back to the editing suite and save them on a computer with an NLE (non-linear editing) software. Voiceover narration is recorded in an audio studio and music is selected from royalty-free sources or in some instances even composed specially for the project. Graphics, 3D animations and title sequences can also be constructed at this stage.

3. Post-production: In this phase the production team (editor) edits the video, inserts the audio tracks,  titles, transitions and special effects, still keeping to the storyboard. It’s where all the separate elements from pre-production and production come together to create a production that grabs your audience's attention and tells the story in a way that keeps the audience engaged and gets the desired business result.

Here's some good advice for companies looking to create a corporate video:

1. Assign a single person from your company to liaise with the production team as the point-person. This go-to person is the production company’s main contact and his/her job is to act as the go-between for the team and the company's decision makers when it comes to getting approvals, getting resources, etc.

2. Avoid video production services that offer a “one-price-fits-all” estimate with an invoice short on details, or worse yet without a detailed project proposal. You need to look at professional firms who lay out in detail how they will be spending your money and exactly what you will get in return. This will save you from sticker shock when the final bill lands on your desk - and more importantly, there will be no arguments after the fact about - "well, we didn't say we'd do that for you."

3. most executives are quite simply unaware of the costs of producing professional video. Remember, professional work is not cheap and "you always get what you pay for".  Have a budget ready beforehand and enquire about exactly what the deliverables will be for your budget.

4. A production company will always provide a detailed estimate that includes: cost of location shoots, travel costs, estimated production time, cost of extras and options such as special effects, graphics, conversions, hiring professional talent for voiceover narration etc., These details dictate the final price.

5. Sometimes, for very complex projects, it may not be possible to submit a final estimate until the rough script is written - this usually entails a non-refundable deposit for the script writing work, which is deducted from the final invoice should the project go ahead as planned.

6. Sometimes a contingency fee may be included in the final estimate. This reflects the fact that even the most thoroughly planned video production can fall prey to "Murphy's Law," with delays and problems that cannot be foreseen or controlled.

Corporate Video production is simple but not easy. It is one of the most powerful sales tools available today, especially since it can now be even more widely (and inexpensively) distributed over the Internet. It brings a huge return on investment and tells a story that will reap multiple dividends for years to come.