Video is the medium of the moment. To engage your target audience, you need to make content that is sharable, entertaining and/or informative. There has to be a perception of value. Video is a great way to do this – but we’re not talking Hollywood level production or prices here. This week at Brandigo China, we shot our own corporate video – here are a few tips if you want to sit in the director’s chair for your firm.
Quick on the draw: Creative Director Fadly
Have a plan
Getting to filming day and hoping for the best is not an option.
- Appoint a director to manage the shoot.
- Create a storyboard. Fadly drew a really nice one, showing us how the video would look, shot by shot.
- Rehearse – those of you in the cast should know what you’re supposed to do, and know your lines if applicable. This saves soooo much time on set.
- If you need props and costumes, order these in advance, test them out, try them on and make sure everything is ready for when the cameras start rolling.
BUT
Be flexible – Any number of things could disrupt your storyboard shooting plans. Think creatively and work around these problems.
Is there a doctor in the house? Christian, the author, Sophie and Vis on set
Location, location, location
Our ‘set’ was a laboratory, but because we’re a marketing company, we don’t have one of those in our store cupboard, so we improvised with a white meeting room in our building.
Bear in mind if you go into public spaces to film, you might need special permits, particularly for video marketing in China. If you’re shooting a video for a B2B client in one of their factories, all your kit may have to pass safety tests. Will there be sockets to plug things in if needed? Be aware of all of this BEFORE you set out.
In the frame: Intern Nils ponders the next shot
Testing, testing 1,2,3
Here is our equipment list for shooting our video. We checked everything worked and then checked again. On set breakdowns are inconvenient if you are doing your own video, embarrassing if you are filming for somebody else.
- Camera (DSLR Canon 650D)
- Tripod for camera
- Battery and spares
- 32 GB SD-Cards
- Lights and batteries/power cables
- Lights Stands
- Reflector
Video stars Vis and Sophie get to grips with the props
Lights, camera, action!
The Brandigo video took about six hours to shoot, and will be about two minutes long. We put aside a day, to concentrate and do it properly. Not all our staff were needed for all that time, but everyone involved was told to clear any meetings/phone calls and be ready to be on set at a moment’s notice.
This is a time-consuming process, but not nearly as much as the editing, which is underway now. But we did it, we shot our own video – look out for the final result soon!
