Ignoring issues of budget and time, plenty of business leaders decide to DIY their video assets for fear of losing control of the brand image. Indeed, working with a video production company can be a substantial risk: What if they don’t listen to your requests? What if the video doesn’t accurately reflect the brand? What if you pay for something that is utterly unusable?
The proper response to these concerns is not shooting your company video on some worker’s iPhone 7. Instead, you should learn how to work with a video production company, so you can realize your vision of perfect branded video content. Here are a few tips to ensure your relationship with your video production company is positive — and your video is pristine.
Shop Around
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If you perform a web search for video production companies in your particular area, you are likely to find dozens upon dozens of results, enough to overwhelm even the thriftiest business leader. For the sake of convenience, many settle with one of the first results, but you should spend some time shopping around. View company websites, watch past projects, and compare prices to find the best option for your business.
Forget the Demo Reel
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Usually featured on the homepage, the demo reel shows highlights of past projects. While it might seem to save time by condensing pertinent clips into one video, the demo reel actually wastes time by cutting out potential weaknesses and failing to provide you with a complete picture of the company’s works.
If a website does not include examples of past projects, you should inquire after them. All promotional video companies should be willing to show you full videos.
Be Flexible With Budget
You get what you pay for, and that is especially true in video production. If you pay nothing — if you DIY the entire project — you will likely end up with a poorly written, shakily-shot, utterly laughable end result. However, if you pay only a meager amount, you will likely be faced with a similar result. You should avoid compromising your vision on account of your small budget. Before you begin shooting, you should allow some budget flexibility to ensure your video is the best it can be.
Meet Your Team
You don’t have to outsource all aspects of creating your video to a third-party company. For example, you might write the script but expect experienced video producers to shoot and edit the film. Regardless, you should meet and become comfortable with the experts who will be working to bring your vision to life. If anyone seems ill-suited to the project — perhaps misunderstanding the brand or refusing to cooperate on certain elements without good reason — you should consider moving to a new company or replacing that member of the team.
Know Your Goals
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Is your video destined to be a television commercial? Is your video going up on a social media? Do you want your video to be informative or entertaining? The ultimate destination of your video and your hopes for success will determine the video’s format, writing, cinematography, and more.
Before you begin your project, you should know what results you expect from your video. Then, your production company can direct you toward more appropriate features for your goals.
Understand Your Audience
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Just as you wouldn’t behave the same around a child and a senior, you shouldn’t expect the same video to be effective for all audiences. Whether you are trying to address your business’s typical audience or you are trying to break into a new market, you should have a complete picture of your target group. Then, your production company can be appropriately creative — and once again help you achieve your goals.
Communicate Well
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When you are working on a project, you are likely frustrated by vague critique or closed lines of communication. Similarly, your video production team needs clear and open exchanges of ideas and feedback to generate the video of your dreams. If there is something you do not like about your video, you should work to express your distaste in comprehensible language, so the video team can address your concerns and fix any issues. This will help you avoid paying for a video you dislike and wasting the production company’s time on a formless project.
Listen Better
If you were a video expert, you could DIY your video without a problem. However, you are turning to a production company for their expertise — so you should take advantage of it. If your team tells you that an element of your vision is impossible or untenably expensive, you should listen. Likewise, if your team suggests an alternative video format or message, you should consider their argument. Ultimately, you can only gain by listening to their advice.