Now that you’ve hired a videographer to create a corporate video for your company, the big day is approaching! But how do you prepare for the shoot? Why is it so important? What do you need to think about for indoor and outdoor shoots? And how can you prepare your teams so that they’re not uncomfortable in front of the camera on the big day?
Solid Rusk Production tells you all about it in this article!
Table des matières
The importance of preparing your corporate video
As we explained in our article How to make a corporate film, a corporate film, also known as an institutional film or corporate video, is relatively easy to make, but 60% of its success is based on pre-production! The first step for a video production agency like Solid Rusk Production is to meet with the company expressing a video need. The main objectives of this initial meeting are to determine :
- the objective and target audience of the corporate film,
- the tone of the film according to the chosen medium (website, social networks, sales video to attract and seduce new customers, trade shows…).
To do this, you need to ask yourself the right questions and answer the essential question: “Why do I want to make this corporate film?”.
Once the objectives and targets have been defined together with the company in a brief, the Solid Rusk Production teams then write the script according to the tone the company wants to give to the corporate film. Then, depending on the request, a script will be drawn up in line with the specifications and, if necessary, a location scouting will be carried out for your corporate video .
Depending on the scope of the project, a suitable team will be formed, headed by a project manager who will be appointed to manage the team and organize the shooting days according to the availability of extras, locations, technical constraints and time.
This advance preparation is a real time-saver for Solid Rusk Production teams on the day of shooting, and above all, it ensures the best possible rendering of your corporate video.
Once the preparation of the corporate video has been finalized, it’s time to move on to the next stage: filming.
Set preparation with actors and client.
Preparing for indoor filming
If you’re shooting your corporate video indoors, in a house or apartment rented for the occasion, then it’s essential to clean every room where the video will be shot. These chores may seem time-consuming and superficial, but they’re essential if you want your corporate video to look its best. Especially if, for example, you’re a real estate professional!
In addition to cleaning, we recommend that you do some home staging before filming. To do this, don’t hesitate to rearrange the location to personalize it in your company’s image, tidy it up, optimize the space, mow the lawn and place plants in strategic locations.
For a corporate shoot, your premises need to be well prepared. Desks need to be tidied away, as do personal belongings. Choose bright rooms.
But also clean up the computer screen and add a few plants to convey the image of a welcoming, warm, caring and professional working environment. Don’t forget potential noise pollution, which could become a problem on the big day. Uncleaned windows, dust or untidy objects are immediately noticeable, creating visual pollution that could give your company a negative, untidy image. The aim of this corporate video is to promote the expertise and professionalism of your staff.
Lighting work during a live event in Monaco.
Preparing for location shoots
When preparing locations for your corporate video shoot, don’t forget aerial images! Today, aerial shots are indispensable when shooting on location or when creating cutaways. That’s why the background requires just as much attention and preparation as the interior.
In particular, remember to clean up around the premises, and to move dumpsters for garbage, household or industrial waste. If parking lots are likely to be overflown by the drone, ask your employees to park properly the day before filming.
If you’re filming over a castle with a drone, the grounds and lawns need to be maintained and mowed, and the shrubs well trimmed.
These small details will help convey an image of well-kept and tidy premises, and therefore of a serious, professional company that cares about the well-being of its employees! Don’t skimp on the details 😉
Shooting on location for a commercial. Menton, 2017.
Preparing employees and stakeholders
Finally, you’ll need to give all employees plenty of notice so that they can prepare themselves and give their verbal and written consent for image rights, so there are no nasty surprises on the day of the shoot. They’ll be able to dress appropriately and arrive relaxed on the big day, while adopting the right gestures.
We do, however, recommend that managers give a quick reminder of the right attitudes to adopt in front of the camera (or behind it!).
Solid Rusk's advice 💡
To promote your company, it’s very common to shoot a video interview with the companydirector or marketing manager, for example.
To save time for the client, director and editor on the day, Solid Rusk Production recommends that you draw up a precise script beforehand, and use a prompter during filming.
Memory lapses are common due to stress and anxiety, as stage fright plays a major role in memory function. With a prompter, you can read your text (prepared in advance) without the risk of forgetting its content. But the great advantage of a prompter is that you can control the length of your video in advance, since the length of your text will correspond to the length of your video.
But be careful! Reading text is not as easy as it sounds. Just because there will be a prompter on the day of shooting, and you won’t have to know it by heart, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prepare and practice speaking fluently and naturally while reading your text. You’ll need to articulate well to be understood by everyone, and choose the right intonation. This will enable you to be more eloquent, while having a more fluid and impactful speech! The project manager present on the shoot will help you with this aspect.
Don’t forget to ask your videographer if he or she has a teleprompter!
Recording of a speaker with prompter on a reporting mission in the DRC. August 2022.
Example of a scripted video.
How do you prepare the shooting location on D-Day?
☎️… “The videographer is waiting for you at reception” … ☎️
This is it, the big moment!
On the day of shooting, the videographer and his team will have to set up the video equipment and make adjustments (camera, sound and lighting), as well as prepare the extras! Whether it’s going through a make-up stage, or doing a few rehearsals!
As shooting follows on from the preparation phase of your film, it’s important to respect the technical breakdown planned by the videographer, even if sometimes an idea may arise in the middle of shooting! In this case, you need to share your ideas with the director on location, while remaining flexible and open to his or her creativity.
If you apply all these tips, you’ll help the videographer (and your teams) save time on the day of shooting, and enhance your company’s image!
Solid Rusk Production is a video production agency based in the south of France. Our videographers are experts in image and video capture for professionals based in Cannes, Nice, Monaco, Menton and Avignon.
Article written by Emeline l Prête-moi ta plume
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