Key tips to make a great video
Compelling videos start with a great brief
Kickstart a video project with a great, inspiring brief. Write and rewrite it. The better the brief, the better the video. Agencies need to be inspired. Creatives need to be excited. Creatives should be excited to work on your brief. Here are a few tips for a successful video project;
What’s the purpose? This will be your guiding star.
What type of content are you delivering? Educational internal, specialist training, compelling corporate, persuasive sales, engaging social media?
What are the takeaways you want to land? (Less is more. Shorter is better).
Be authentic. And be true to your brand.
Global versus local. Global videos need to be locally relevant – language and local content need to be considered for the best audience engagement.
Clear timescales – be realistic. This will drive what is possible for example stock footage versus original or on-location. Don’t forget to factor in post-production.
Set a realistic budget. For example, do you want talking heads, animation or multiple locations? Are you using actors or staff? Or a mixture of both? Do you need to include costs for studios and styling? A thought-out budget means you can approach the best-fit video production agency. And deliver a quality video that hits your brief.
Do you have any examples of the feel that you are trying to create that you could share with your agencies? For example, an emotionally engaging brand sizzle versus hard-hitting engaging social?
Make sure your agencies have a copy of your brand guidelines. Spend time taking them through it. And let them ask questions.
Check the reels and portfolios of agencies you’ve short-listed to pitch.
During the pitch make sure you meet the account team who will be working on your video – not just the pitching team.
Select an agency that you feel listens to your team and has good chemistry. And that best aligns with your project’s vision, goals, timescales and budget. Set up a team lead from your side. And get a kick-off meeting scheduled ideally within a week or two of concluding the pitch. This helps keep the project momentum.
Involve all stakeholders during the pre-production process. This is their chance to feedback on the script, storyboards, look and feel, production schedule, casting, locations, permits, and equipment costs (such as lighting and number of cameras). Do you need an autocue? This is the time to confirm again where is this being played. In offices, at events or online? And that all-important question is this coming in on budget?
Styling. I get asked about this a lot. Consider the locations carefully if you are using offices – dress them – bring pops of brand colours, and consider the styling of your people. What clever nod to the brand can you bring in from clothing to props.
Be there when it’s filmed. Watch the footage back so you know what you’ve captured on camera and check if anything doesn’t look right. Even if you capture the perfect take the first time – take a couple more to give you options. One of the best CEOs I have worked with for getting it right the first time is Igor Leprince is slick, authentic and very natural.
My final piece of advice is to schedule weekly planning meetings. Be open and honest in your feedback.