Video Production…

the #Video101strategy playbook

The complete guide to everything to consider for your next corporate video production…

Written & Developed By The Video #101 Strategy Playbook by NYC Video Pros 1st Edition

Where to start producing video… ...... 3 Your Brand ...... 4 Pre-Production ...... 5 Location. Location. Location...... 6 The Sound ...... 7 Dynamic Interviews ...... 8 Graphics ...... 9 Story ...... 10 Maximizing ROI ...... 11 Who’s Your Audience? ...... 12 What’s Your Style ...... 13 Intro Where to start producing video…

You’ve decided to take the plunge it’s time to produce the next corporate video. Well, there’s a lot to think about - but we have you covered in this #Video101 Primer!

From identifying how to represent your brand, developing the creative concept, figuring out where to shoot your video, the angles and in what style there are many decisions and aspects of the production to prepare for and keep in mind as you plan.

Well, we’re here to help and this guide is going to take you through all of the steps to get started with your next corporate video production project.

We are going to cover everything! We’re talking about the style of the video you want to produce, the technical requirements for a polished production, and a variety of other important factors that drive the corporate video production process.

On the following pages you're learn everything you need to think about when producing corporate video including:

1. Your Brand 2. Pre-production 3. Location 4. The Sound 5. Dynamic Interviews 6. Graphics 7. Story 8. Reusability 9. Audience 10. Style

Further Resources

Have further questions about producing your next corporate video production we welcome you to visit our website at http://www.nycvideopros.com to read our blog about video production and to learn more about our services. Chapter 1 Your Brand How video can tell your story… When it comes to developing your PR & marketing plans, or your content marketing initiatives, video is an important part of the conversation.

A well-produced video can help your organization to tell its story - whether that is to drive business, educate supporters, introduce the organization, a new product or initiative.

However you set out to integrate video into your efforts, the bottom line is the video content that you produce is a reflection on the organization. Similar to traditional printed collateral - think business cards & brochures - any video that you produce is a representation of the organization, the brand, & it communicates a message about your business that needs to be strategically identified. With all of that in mind, despite the “The bottom line is despite perceived ease of capturing video in today’s today’s advances, smartphone world, the reality is producing video for the organization requires attention don’t get swept away to detail. In order to capture video that is by the technology. representative of the professionalism that ” your organization embodies, you need to focus on a litany of elements: from shooting style and location, to audio, lighting, narrative, and graphics among many others.

The bottom line is despite today’s advances, don’t get swept away by the technology. When it’s time to integrate video - like with traditional marketing strategies - it’s important to think about your brand. Develop a plan, capture content that focuses on (no pun intended) your message and ensures that the video you publish will effectively and professionally tell the organization’s story. Chapter 2 Pre-Production A good tailor measures twice, cuts once Now, we turn our attention to a key component: pre-production.

All good video productions from the smallest scale all the way up to blockbuster Hollywood productions start at the same place - in pre-production. Think of pre-production as sitting down to the proverbial table with an architect and defining what you want that new dream home to look like, the features you want to include, and the style that you envision.

So, first of all, let’s start with the goal of pre-production; which is to define and provide a guideline to your forthcoming video production. It’s a crucial part of the video production process, which will ensure that your video production team knows what your vision is, and how to bring that vision to life during production.

When it comes to producing a quality corporate video production this is a crucial building block. Specifically, for professionals in PR & marketing; pre-production is crucial to ensure that the video you are producing is on- message, & ties in with the campaign at hand.

Regardless of the type of video, you are looking to produce pre-production will go a long way to identifying all of the elements that will result in a polished video. Since your corporate video is a representation of your organization, it’s important to approach the entire production with attention to detail to ensure that finished video is a professional representation of your brand.

While every production will vary - there are a multitude of questions that your video producer will review with you during pre-production. These questions, which will guide the production and help develop your concept. These guiding questions will range from the style and voice of your production to key messages and visuals to capture during production. A thorough and collaborative pre-production process will ensure a successful production that results in a professional and well-produced video that captures the initial vision. Chapter 3 Location. Location. Location. Shoot your project in studio or on-site? Location is something that will actually impact both of the other areas we have already discussed - as it will shape the perception of your brand and as such you’ll want to plan and identify location options during pre-production. Location is a critical component of the discussion surrounding your video production - it dictates the look and feel of your project, it conveys important subtle messaging, and of course, it can impact the logistics of the video production.

The first question you will need to address when it comes to location is if you should shoot your video in a professional production studio, or if it should be shot on-location. Both avenues have their pros and cons. Once you have determined what makes the most sense for your project - then you can plan and determine the best options for your video production.

For example, if you’re shooting in Pros Cons studio do you want a formal set, a In-studio Dedicated Often generic setting; news desk, or a straight black or white production space no branding elements background. If you have opted to shoot on-location then at this stage Sound proof Requires all involved to you’ll be able to identify shooting environment travel to the studio locations to support your video Can have additional production. budget requirements The age old question when it comes to location is “what’s better?” The On-location Can capture brand Possible natural sound answer is that it depends on the goal of elements issues your production. Where to shoot is Dynamic shot Has a temporary often best answered during pre- options impact on location production when thinking about: usage messaging, look & feel, accessibility of Can showcase the talent, & options for shooting B-roll. organization Regardless, of where you plan to shoot your next video production project - doing your homework will pay off. Knowing about location options, and being mindful of the various benefits of each will ultimately aid in the development of a successful production. Chapter 4 The Sound Clear crisp audio drives your production

As we start the fourth in our ten part series, we turn our attention to audio and the sound of your production.

In this series, we’ve already touched on location, and those elements to be mindful of when representing your brand, and doing your homework during pre-production…now your next video production will be composed of two primary components; video and audio. Let’s take a look at what goes into ensuring the sound tells your story.

Often times audio is a seamless part of the experience, which audiences take for granted because it’s expected as part of a polished production. Ultimately, in thinking about the sound of your production, you’ll be able to plan correctly and ensure it’s professionally captured, allowing your audience to focus on the story you're telling in the video.

Since audio makes up half of any production, if done poorly it’s abundantly clear and can ruin any production. From being too low to having noise in the background, or being of poor quality, which could mean static or distortion. However, with the right attention to detail, captured professionally - it seamlessly blends in with the story on screen and draws the audience in and engages them.

Beyond dialogue, sound can be used in a number of different manners to drive a story forward - from gentle instrumental music beds to driving cinematic scores that bring energy and direction to the story on screen. Further, audio elements may communicate to viewers right and wrong answers and help to guide on-screen instruction or ensure that key messages are reinforced. Chapter 5 Dynamic Interviews The right conversation drives engagement

Continuing our #Video101 Series, we now turn our attention to producing dynamic interviews. As we move through the production process some of these elements may be applicable for some productions and not others - but all should be kept in mind to ensure a polished and professionally produced corporate video production.

Now, when it comes to producing interviews there a few important elements to making these talking head elements dynamic; the dialogue and candor of the conversation, as well as the shooting style used to capture the interviews.

First, when producing interviews it is important to work closely with your talent (those folks that are on-camera) to get their responses in a fashion that fits your project. For example, does your video allow for long form answers or do you have to be mindful of keeping their answers succinct? Do you expect to hear their banter with your producer, or will it just be the talent’s statements in your finished video? Are the interviews you’re capturing getting to the root of the story you’re trying to tell? Are they captivating & personable?

Working to capture interviews that are indeed on point, and share the candor and tone with which you want to tell your story will go a long way to enhancing your production.

Beyond the story, is the style that you adopt to capture those interviews, it’s the framework through which the story is told and the viewer’s attention is focused on the content. Interviews can be shot in a variety of forms from a one-camera handheld news-style interview, to MTV style interviews that are filled with motion and quick pans and zooms, to multi-camera polished interviews that are shot with motion and at various angles.

The fact of the matter is there are a litany of options that will guide your production - including those parameters that lead to producing dynamic interviews. Like many of the facets that we’re exploring in this series - there is no one size fits all approach or best practices that would be applicable for every production. Instead, it depends on the story at hand, the locations, and of course the representation of your brand and messaging. Therefore, to ensure the project is a success, it’s best to define the desired look and feel of your production during pre-production, as this will drive the production forward, and ensure consistency throughout your production. Chapter 6 Graphics Pac-Man vs. Madden ‘18 When you think about your video production - the fact is it’s a multi- layered dynamic composition

It includes audio and video elements, and a story that is showcased as much by who you feature, as by how you capture the content. As we review those factors that contribute to a polished video production another one of those important elements to consider are graphics.

In our #Video101 series, most of the elements we’re discussing play a complementary role to the productions at hand. However, graphics are a unique, they can play a complementary role, or they can take center stage and become the main visual element for the production. More on that in a minute though, let’s start by looking at the various roles graphics play in a video production.

To begin, graphics can introduce the organization, or provide a title sequence, they can provide context for who’s talking, where something is happening, and they can be used to explain complex processes. Further, graphics can provide a cohesive approach to branding the video at hand for the organization or initiative at hand. They can be used to bring an organization’s style to life; starting often with an animated version of the organization’s logo, and then reinforcement throughout the production with lower-thirds and full-screen graphics that have branding elements. In addition to branding, these graphics serve a crucial role in identifying speakers, locations, and highlighting key messages.

Beyond these uses, there are other graphical opportunities to keep in mind. For example, you might use animations to illustrate key points, to highlight locations that are being discussed in the course of your video, or explain complex processes.

Lastly, of course, is the point we touched on briefly earlier in that graphics can actually take on the role of the primary visual component. In this case, the strategy depends on how you want to tell your story, with either a fully animated concept, a white board concept that illustrates key points, or a text based kinetic style video. Deciding on which approach to take would depend on a number of factors including the audience, topic, brand personality, and use case for the particular video production at hand. Chapter 7 Story There once lived a…

At the heart of every video production is the story - which is both an obvious statement and a complex matter in that there are an infinite number of possibilities as to how any particular story is told…

Organizations decide to produce video content for any number of reasons - each of which dictates a different style and approach to the story at hand. For example, you may be seeking to produce a corporate documentary that tells an organization’s long rich history, or you may be aiming to talk about a new innovation or showcase a new facility. Each of these concepts or any number of others that you might imagine would bring various possibilities to capture and tell the story at hand.

So, how do you determine how to tell that story? Well, it’s going to take some strategic planning as a general guide think about the following 3 P’s:

• Purpose - What do you want to say in your video? What’s the takeaway messaging that you want to share? Trying to share knowledge, encourage participation, spread the latest news?

• People - Who do you have access to? Are there internal team members that can help tell the story? Are there external surrogates who have been involved and can champion your message?

• Places - Where does your story unfold? Does it have natural visual elements that can help to tell the story? Is it more abstract and you need to develop and identify related visuals to help tell the story?

The answers to these questions will help to guide the conversation and determine the best structure for telling your story. Of course, every story is unique and you’ll find that there are a number of options to consider as you seek to produce your video. Chapter 8 Maximizing ROI Getting the most bang for your buck

Let’s turn our attention to the business side of the equation.

In this series, we’ve looked at those elements of the production that will impact the quality of the production, how you present your content and tell your story. Now, we turn our attention to the business side of the equation and thinking about how to maximize your return on investment (ROI).

With that in mind, as part of your video strategy, it’s beneficial to think about how you can maximize your investment and develop video content that can fuel content marketing campaigns, social media, and the organization’s website. Most of the time, regardless of what it is you set out to produce, there will be other ways to utilize the footage and further leverage the investment.

Extended uses of your video content will come in as many different varieties as there are strategies for using video, but to illustrate the point it could be:

‣ Short quotes pulled from a live event keynote that stand alone ‣ Case study style stories provided during interviews ‣ B-roll packages that can be a part of your online news room ‣ A highlight reel created from event/conference coverage

Best of all, with proper planning, you can often identify these opportunities as you’re going through pre-production. That will allow you to ensure that you capture any necessary elements as you go through the production process.

Alternatively, if you don’t get to plan in advance you can still capitalize on secondary uses of your content by doing a careful review of the video that was captured and thinking creatively about potential alternate opportunities. Chapter 9 Who’s Your Audience? Defining who you’re targeting is key

“Who you’re talking to may very well define how you speak to them.”

With any marketing activity defining your audience is an important step in the process - video is no exception. As your organization may use video in any number of different capacities, there are different tactics and considerations for each. Video can play a role in any number of areas including but not limited to:

• Marketing and pre-sale activities • Brand or Experiential film • Thought leadership for the industry • Post-sale product introduction • Employee onboarding & training

Depending on the use case at hand, defining the audience you want to reach will help determine the strategic direction for your video production project. Further, identifying the audience will lead you to be able to answer important production related questions such as: what setting to use for the video, the voice for the production, the type of vernacular to use, and provide direction for the format for your video.

With the audience defined it’ll help determine the style and tone for your video production project. For example, if you’re producing a video to influence consumers the tone and style would differ in some regards from a video developed to reach corporate partners and prospective clients.

Knowing your audience will strengthen your video production, allow you to properly plan, and to maximize your efforts to fully leverage the power of video. Chapter 10 What’s Your Style Defining who you’re targeting is key

Style. While it’s last in our series, it is perhaps one of the most important aspects of producing your video production.

In some sense, the style is a culmination of all of the various factors that we have covered in this #Video101 series.

Every brand and organization has their own style; much like you do. For some organizations this is a corporate formal feel - often outlined and identified in a style guide and other times it’s a down-to-earth approachable attitude to get the job at hand done. Regardless, the fact of the matter is that whatever the style of the organization is - it should be reflected in the video strategy.

So, when you’re creating video content it’s important to think about how that sense of style is defined to guide the process of producing your video content.

The style of a video production incorporates a number of different areas, which your producer needs to consider as you begin your production. There’s the question as to what is the aesthetic of the on-screen content, the tone of the production, and how do you utilize animation and graphics to tell the story (or are they the visual hero?)

Typically, the style of the video content should follow and compliment the organization’s broader look and feel. If we are talking about a professional services firm then a clean and professional look for the video would likely make the most sense for the video production. Or if we’re looking to produce a video for a young fashion brand then something more on the handheld/MTV end of the spectrum may make sense to capture the brand’s hip personality. the #Video101 strategy playbook