Tag: Broadcast

How to choose a Video Production Company

Posted on | by jfletcher

 

banner

So, you’ve made the right decision, and chosen to have video content created for your website. You’re one step closer to generating brand awareness and potential new business. The decision to have a video is easy; the decision of who’ll make it is not.

There’s countless video production companies out there, and almost as many guides on how to choose them, some of which contain conflicting advice. All put together, it’s a lot of online ‘noise’ which doesn’t help narrow down your search.

But when it comes to it, all you need to consider are these three steps:

 

1) Know how you want your video to look, and why

Your finished video will usually be the introduction potential clients have to you and your business, so it needs to represent who you are as a brand, and, put simply, it needs to look ‘right’. Do you have a certain style you want to replicate? Is this personal preference, or do you like it because you think it will work best for your company? Do you know that your target customers will respond well to this style?Joel Camera

These questions will help you decide which type of video you want. A lot of video content these days is viewed on mobile devices, so you may want to ensure your video will work on that platform – or, if your target audience is older, you might consider other, more effective ways to promote the finished product.

Once you’ve decided on a video style and format, browse the websites of video production companies, and make sure they have examples of the type of video you want. If you want your video to feature primarily online and go ‘viral’, check the YouTube hits of a production company’s previous videos. Or, on the other end of the spectrum, if you want your video to work on television as well as online, you need to ensure that the company you choose has the correct experience and equipment to deliver this format (not all cameras are ‘broadcast ready’!).

A lot can be said for finding a company that specialises in the type of video you want, but don’t rule out companies that offer a variety of styles. Multi-talented agencies can be the most creative, and they’ll be able to make your video different and memorable rather than sticking to a well-worn, forgettable formula.

 

2) Establish your budget, and how to achieve your video within it

Consider this scenario – you need to provide a printed presentation to a senior colleague or client. The paper choice is vital. Print your words on thick, glossy card and you’ll be seen as frivolous rather than sensible. Print it on bargain paper, and it may well weather and smudge before you can deliver it. You need simple, good quality paper that gets your message across unhindered.

It’s the same principle with promotional videos. Not every business will suit an extravagant and expensive video, but presenting yourself to your client via low-quality footage (such as the increasingly popular ‘phone camera footage’) will give off the wrong impression.

It’s important that your chosen production company have good quality equipment, but more importantly, they need to know how to use it. Technology is now more available and affordable than ever before, but it’s also accessible to amateurs, resulting in more and more promotional videos online which are out of focus or overblown. And how can you deliver a message correctly to your client when your face is blurred?

As with most things, when it comes to video, you do get what you pay for. But it’s important to know that your chosen company understands your budget, that they can work to it, and that they have enough hands-on experience to deliver the best quality product at a sensible price. What’s more, they’ll give you recommendations about how to get what you want within your budget, and they’ll be honest up front about what isn’t achievable.

shredall1

3) Make sure you like the people behind the camera!

This may not sound important, but it is. You’ll have lots of questions that need answering – probably even more after reading this article! So you need to make sure that you trust the people you’re working with enough to ask those questions, and to expect a genuine response, even at the umpteenth hour when the money has been spent.

A good production company will be friendly, welcoming (wanting your business without desperation), and good listeners. Through as many meetings as it takes, they need to find out who you are, to make sure your company’s ‘personality’ shows in your video – and more importantly, good communication will ensure that they properly understand what your company does! If your video production company doesn’t get to know you, then the message will be lost before the final product reaches your target audience.

A good working relationship is key. It’s the foundation that’s laid beneath everything that goes into your video. The best creative ideas are passed around in a relaxed and informal setting, so make sure your production company are people you’d like to go out for coffee with!

In-person conversation is the greatest tool we have, and it works both ways. As the video production company gets to know you, you in turn will find out more about them. If they do not prove their expertise, and if they’re unable to answer your questions, it’s likely the finished product will be unsatisfactory. Or worse, it’ll just ‘sit on the shelf’ when it’s finished.

 *

In the end, you have to find the best production company for you, and it’s not a ‘one size fits all’ scenario. You have to trust your instincts to know what’s best for your business.

We hope that you find the above useful. And if you’d like to find out why Dynomite Productions Ltd could be the ideal choice for you, then please get in touch!

Using stock video in your production.

Posted on | by jfletcher

We were commissioned recently to create a 30 second video for an exhibition and awards ceremony. The company already had a video that was on there site, and they wanted to incorporate certain elements of that video into the new one.

We created a concept for the new video which combined the existing video with new footage that we filmed against a green screen. The new footage was simply there to create a more interesting way of transitioning and moving between the different stock footage. The existing video contained stock footage which we had to re – purchase from a royalty free site, and then manipulate in post to fit in with the new footage that we had filmed. This is the result:

http://youtu.be/Zn4d4NMvnvI

The point of this is that stock footage can be used effectively, whether on its own or combined with new video footage, but there has to be a genuine reason to use it over filming something yourself.

1. Budget – If you want to create an animation that could take time and money, and this is beyond the budget, a solution may be to look at a royalty free site.

2. Location – If you need a shot of a busy street in (lets say) Japan and its one shot, then the majority of the time you will be able to find a stock example of this. Unless you have to show something specific and there is budget to do this, stock footage can often help you overcome this problem.

3. Historical events – We produced a documentary recently and used stock footage to show actual events, which worked very well, however, on our new documentary we are looking at ways of incorporating stock footage into re-enactment footage that will blend together by grading the stock footage and re-enactment footage to match up. This way the audience wont be aware of what is stock and what we filmed ourselves.

Although the above examples are useful ways of using stock, there is still one big problem with it; Its not original. It is still a generic video that you can see in any number of other productions and is not tailored or designed for any definite production.

Corporate Video Production

Posted on | by jfletcher

I don’t know about you but here at Dynomite Productions we dont particularly like the term ‘corporate video production’. It smacks of low end, cheesy videos that lack creativity and look dated.

What’s in a phrase?

Quite a lot actually. Corporate video has no definition, it is a broad phrase that covers a multitude of video production work, one company may require a number of different videos, for example, a promotional video, company overview, training video, viral ad, product launch internal communication etc and this is all classed under the corporate video name.

So, when looking for a video production company to create your next film, make sure that what you are getting is not just designed to deliver your message, but is done so in an engaging, original and creative way.

Using a presenter as part of your video production

Posted on | by jfletcher

Presenters can be an excellent way to showcase and front your video. They are especially effective if the presenter is linked in some way to your product or company. For example we recently filmed a promotional video for a gallery in Stratford upon Avon and had Michael Portillo presenting the film, who is  the chairman of the UK art Fund.

The reason that this was effective is that you have somebody who is talking directly to your audience, making it a more intimate experience for the viewer, as opposed to using a voice over. (Not that their is anything wrong with voice over, when used correctly).

Presenters allow you to add another layer to the video by bringing in their personality and, at times sense of humour, which allows you to tailor the script, in parts to suit them.

Having a representative of the company as a presenter can also work well, so long as they are comfortable and natural in front of the camera. If they aren’t then it is always worth looking at filming them as an interview, whereby you can plan questions and edit their answers with footage so that they supply the narrative to the film without the fear of looking down the camera lens.

Whatever type of video production work you are looking at undertaking it is always worth speaking with the production company, looking at examples of their work that are more specific to your video, and structuring the film in the pre production stage to ensure that you create an engaging and effective film that is targeted to your desired audience.

Top reasons why exhibitors should use Video Production

Posted on | by jfletcher

If you are planning on exhibiting in the future and want a way to help draw potential customers to your stand, then video can be a very effective option.

So why use it?

1. The most obvious option is if you have a product or list of products that you want to promote and introduce to your customers. We recently created a video for a golf cart manufacturer. Obviously you cant demonstrate all that this can do in an exhibition hall so they used Dynomite Productions to create a 2 minute promo video that they can put on a TV screen on their stand that will play on a loop. The video showed a visual demonstration of the buggy being used, highlighting through HD footage and motion graphics the key selling points that they wanted to get across.

2. If you want to show your premises / process of manufacturing / equipment then a video can also be very useful. We created a video for a printing ink manufacturer to use on their exhibition stand. This allowed the sales team to give their customers a visual tour and demonstration of their facilities.

3. If you offer a service then video is a great way to demonstrate this. We are currently creating a 90 second promotional film to be used in a chain of shop windows that show a new type of waxing process. The video will encapsulate how the process works and the benefits of it.

4. The majority of videos used at exhibitions will not contain audio, as it is on a loop it could become distracting and frankly annoying very quickly. However, what this allows you to do is then add a voice over, presenter or talking head interviews that can then go on your website  on a CD-ROM / DVD to hand out to customers at the exhibitions or platforms such as youtube, which can be used to help generate new business.

If you are planning an exhibition and want to discuss how video can benefit you please call us on 0115 8292 999 or email via the form on the contact page.

To have a look at some of our commercial productions and videos that have been used on exhibition stands go to the Dynomite Productions Commercial productions page.