Five tips for making a corporate video

Last updated at 08:27, Monday, 19 November 2012

If you're planning to use video to promote your business this articles should provide a good check list if you are shooting it yourself, if you are bringing in a production company go through this list with them and ask lots of questions about how they will do it.

Plan ahead
Make sure you have drawn up a plan to include all the resources you might need to get the shots you want. That might be venue, people, products/props etc. If you are involving members of your team or staff, give them good warning, everybody will want to look their best and you should appreciate that. Think about providing hair and make-up facilities. Your plan should include a shot-list, it’s easy to get caught up in the shoot and then realise later that you haven’t got all the shots you wanted.

Equipment
Work out what you will need. If your video is going to reflect the professionalism in your business, then getting a mate to shoot it on his iPhone may not be the best plan. Think about the viewer and the expectation they will have of your business. A decent Digital SLR can produce amazing results without spending tens of thousands of pounds.

Sound
Sound quality is often ignored in video production, but it can really bring a film to life. On camera sound is usually pretty poor and will be apparent in your final production. Think about recording the sound separately and combining it later in your edit.

Timing
Keep your videos short. As consumers we are far more likely to watch a short and snappy film than we are a long winded one. In the time it takes a person to read 250-300 words you could show them a 1 minute video. Make lots of short ones rather than a long epic.

Music
Again this is often an area that does not get enough attention in video production. Make sure you get music that matches the mood and feel of your video content. You need to also think about the copyright of the music. Amazingly there are lots of video companies out there ignoring this area and using copyright protected music, beware if you do you may be subject to some hefty fines.

More informaiton:

Pete Crouch
Owner/Director
Pinktulip Productions
www.pinktulip-productions.co.uk