You are an entrepreneur and you are looking for efficient ways to promote your activities? There are many ways and one of the most effective is digital communication. This communication has the advantage of having a representative and dynamic character compared to other means of communication. Moreover, it is an easy and effective way of communication due to the speed of diffusion on multimedia channels. More and more, the digital communication of companies is done with the corporate video.
It is obsolete today to continue to promote your company and its activities through channels such as the press or radio. In this article, we will talk about corporate videos. We will first tell you what it is, then we will give you 4 simple and easy steps to make an effective corporate video. Let's go!
Corporate video: what is it?
A corporate video is a video designed by a company to talk about itself. Basically, the corporate video can present the company, its history, its missions and objectives, its activities, its skills. It can also talk about the values that the company advocates. It is a video that allows the company to be discovered in a few minutes to its customers or potential customers.
In other cases, these videos are aimed at the company's staff. They are also called corporate film. These videos are usually made by private companies regardless of their size. It is a particularly effective means of communication for companies that wish to promote their image. Whether it is an old or a new company, the corporate video can bring very satisfactory results in a few times.
Indeed, in the digital age, the old broadcasting channels (press, radio, television) are gradually losing their monopoly. Today, young people as well as adults are resolutely turned towards the digital world and especially the Internet (with social networks). This is why it would be beneficial for any company to adapt its marketing strategies to this reality.
Now that you know what a corporate video is, we will give you the 4 crucial steps to making a successful corporate video. But first, please note that a good corporate video should not be very long. It should last a maximum of 10 minutes. Indeed, videos that are too long are not very effective and tend to be discouraging.
How to make an effective corporate video?
There are 4 steps to making an effective corporate video.
Step 1: Determine the stakes of your video
If you've decided to put together a video for your business, you need to be able to determine what the video is about. If you get this step wrong, you'll find yourself wasting not only time but energy and money.
Before proceeding with the editing of your corporate film, you will need to answer a few essential questions.
- What? what are you going to talk about in your video? Never consider editing a video without first knowing what the video will be about. There are different possibilities. Do you want to talk about your business? Your values? Etc. Once you've determined this, think about the model you'll use to get your message across. You can opt for an interview, a tutorial, etc.
- Who is it? Who is your corporate video aimed at? Is it for a young or adult audience? Or is it dedicated to old or new customers? Or even your own employees? Your suppliers? In short, you need to define beforehand who your video is aimed at because its content will have to be adapted accordingly.
- Where? This is where the video will be edited. You can for example make it in the premises of your company or outside. The place can vary according to the target or the objective you wish to reach.
- When? Again, this is a crucial question. You need to determine a time period for the video and this can also vary depending on the purpose. Do you want to do it in summer? In winter? In the morning or in the evening? Etc.
- How much is it? Be particularly meticulous on this point. First, make an inventory of your human, technical, material, logistical and financial resources. Then, you must be sure that you will be able to mobilize all the additional resources you will need in time. You don't have to use very high resources. Go with what you have on hand.
- Why? As we told you above, a corporate video can be made to achieve several goals. Do you want to present your company's history? Its values? Your activities? Indeed, the content of the video you are going to produce has to meet clearly defined objectives.
By getting this first step right, you'll have a better chance of your video achieving the desired results.
Step 2 : Elaborate the script and a storyboard
Once you have determined the issues of your video, it is important to develop your script. This step is often referred to as pre-production. Specifically, it's about writing down everything you have to say about the video's editing.
This script is not very different from the one used in filmmaking. You will need to assign roles to the various resource people who will be involved in editing the video. Everyone should have a well-defined role, including the director, sound engineer, camera operator, and even the actors.
The different scenes and dialogues must be well thought out. Make sure you choose the right actors according to the message you want to convey to your target. You will need to prepare the location of the video shoot some time before the day.
Furthermore, make sure that the message you are going to transmit will be understood by the target. Choose terms and expressions that are easy to understand; there is no question of impressing the target with outlandish expressions. Use key words that fit with the objective you want to achieve.
Then, an essential point comes into play which is called the storyboard. It is a graphic organizer that provides a narrative or, for example, a writing objective. Specifically, it is a visual means by which you will present the information related to the development of the video.
The goal is to bring out the main lines of the video: the introduction, the storyline, your specificity, a conclusion, etc. There are specific software programs to make storyboarding easier.
At DuckmotionWe have a specialized team that uses the best software to allow you to obtain quality scripts and storyboards.
Step 3: the shooting
Now it's time to put everything you've done before into action. If you have been rigorous and meticulous during the previous stages, you will have to be doubly so during the shooting. Unfortunately at this stage, there are sometimes surprises that you don't expect. For example, you may have problems with the microphones, the lighting, or even worse, the vagaries of the weather (if you are shooting outdoors). That's why the time to shoot a video can sometimes be very long, so you'll have to prepare yourself accordingly.
When planning the video shoot, consider the set-up of the various speakers. Prepare your speakers sufficiently off camera. Indeed, some people sometimes have difficulty expressing themselves in front of a camera. This can be due to stress, lack of confidence, etc.
Take time to prepare them sufficiently so that you don't waste too much time shooting the same scenes over and over again. We also advise you to create a friendly atmosphere on the set. This allows everyone to relax and get rid of any tension.
There should be perfect coordination and synchronization between the different members of the technical staff: director, cameraman, sound engineer, etc.
As for the sound, make sure that the sound is of good quality. Nobody can enjoy listening to a video with bad sound. Noise from the environment should not influence the sound of the video. We recommend that you use the micro-crafts that are practical and effective.
Also, emphasis should be placed on the lighting while shooting the video. When the lighting is poor, it is difficult to watch the video for long even if it is interesting.
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Step 4: Post-production
This step aims to sublimate the video in order to have an excellent rendering. The post-production is done in 5 main phases: the derushing, the editing, the dressing, the color grading and the mixing.
The derusting
This step consists of sorting out all the footage that you will use during the editing of the video. This footage is called rushes. Here you need to eliminate any poor quality video footage that you cannot use. To do this, you will need to critically analyze each video sequence for imperfections. These imperfections can be due to sound, lighting, etc. When the de-rushing is done properly, editing takes less time.
The assembly
Here you have to recover all the sequences that were selected during the derushing process in order to edit them properly. Depending on the type of video you are editing, you can start with music for example. Make sure during the editing that the different sequences follow each other perfectly.
You can do an initial test and submit it to one or more external people to get their opinions. The goal is to know if these people manage to grasp the message behind the video. Depending on the feedback you get, you can improve the quality of the editing.
Dressing
This phase consists in integrating the graphic elements necessary for the quality of the video. This includes the title, subtitles, acknowledgements, logo, captions, etc.
Calibration
It is at this level to correct the mistakes that were made during the shooting, especially in terms of lighting (overexposure, bad color balance). And for this, you will have to review the different shots. The purpose of this phase is to really beautify the video and make it more pleasant to watch.
Mixing
The first thing to note here is that you need to maintain the same rhythm in the sound, from the beginning to the end of the video. It should not be too low or too high. It is the sound that brings the video to life. When playing music in the background during an interview, make sure that the volume of the music is low so that the person speaking can be heard.
Our tips for a successful corporate video
When you set out to make a corporate video for your company, make every effort to be as original as possible. Your video must have a real added value. Try to research, look at examples of similar videos that have already been done and be inspired by them. With what you have learned, develop your creative mind to come up with something authentic.
Be professional and don't neglect any aspect because the success of your video depends on it. As we said before, you don't need to make a video with a mileage to get your message across, it would be counterproductive. Give priority to quality over quantity. There is no point in conveying inaccurate information in your video because sooner or later it will impact you.
So be truthful about all the information you convey. You don't have to say everything, but what you do say must be true. The last advice we give you is to respect the right to image. Never film anyone without their consent.
Here's what you need to know to make a corporate video for your company. The corporate video is a simple and very effective way to reach your target. Do not rush and do each step according to the rules of art. However, if you need professionals to help you make your corporate videos, you can contact us.