Making Talking Head Interviews Look Great

WHY IS LIGHTING IMPORTANT FOR AN INTERVIEW?

When you see a corporate interview or a talking head video where the person is lit badly, you'll probably recognize a few things immediately. The person in the video is the wrong color. The windows in the background are so bright that they're making the person into a shadow. The colors are muddy. And it just doesn't look professional. And that means the brand in question (your brand) doesn't look professional.

These are not good things when you're trying to make a lasting impression on your viewers. There's a reason good lighting is so important - if your client, CEO, CMO or team members look good, your brand looks good, your video is more appealing and, whether they know it or not, your viewers will more easliy accept that you're a company or brand that can be trusted.

This is why we always bring lights to our shoots - whether we’re shooting in an office, a stage, a warehouse, a university, wherever.

Watch to see how professional lighting, a mirror and expertly-placed reflectors can make an interview POP!

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IS BAD LIGHTING ACTUALLY THAT BIG A DEAL?

Yes. Think about the commercials you see on television. Specifically, the commercials for the “old neighborhood car repair shop.” Have you ever seen one and thought to yourself, "this looks cheesy," or "this guy really seems a little untrustworthy” or, worse yet, “this company looks ridiculous”?

If so, it's probably the fact that is was filmed very badly, and probably with bad lighting. And that lack of professional video definitely affects our opinions in some way. The good news is that the reverse is true. Good production values = good branding and trustworthiness.

• 62% of people are more likely to have a negative perception of a brand that published a poor quality video experience.

• 23% of people who have been presented with a poor quality video experience would hesitate to purchase from the brand.

• 60% of viewers said a poor online video experience would dissuade them from engaging with a brand across all of its social media platforms.

• 57% of people are less likely to share a poor quality video experience. 

Although lighting in video production is extremely important, it's never the only concern. We always make sure the background is clutter-free so that it doesn't overshadow the subject. In this case, we re-positioned a lot of books, vases, statuettes and even moved a large-screen television out the way.

With everything in the right place, we were ready to shoot away. After a few quick fun questions to loosen everyone up, we got to the testimonial questions.

Sometimes it's hard to believe what the viewer sees on their screen when you know what the space actually looks like. It's part of that "movie magic" that is so much fun. It can be challenging, fun, aggravating or a breeze. But it's always rewarding!

Here's Exactly What to Look for When Hiring a Video Production Team

Our Motto:

Based on years of partnering with clients of all sizes and types building startups, expanding brands, and planning major events, we know that teamwork and collaboration are the core of any successful corporate video project.

In this post, we want to start from the beginning. You've consulted with internal stakeholders, you want to take on a creative idea with lots of moving parts, and you know that hiring the right production team will be critical to its success.

Now you're ready to hire your dream team. Naturally, the next question becomes... "what exactly do I look for?" The following provides a few attributes to consider when hiring the best production team for your business.

Scalability

You want a production team that can scale their service and capabilities... and tailor them exactly to your project. This goes beyond simple shooting and editing, but seeing a project through from ideation to total manifestation.

A good way to think about this is to consider the difference between a door-to-door car service vs. DIY airport parking. 

In one scenario, you're navigating traffic, obstacles, and schedules on your own; while in the other, you're trusting your capable driver to anticipate challenges, take the unnecessary burdens off your plate, and ensure that everything is buttoned up flawlessly and on-time.

Full-service video production starts with helping you finalize your concept and flows on through to some of the following tasks:

• Script support

• Casting acting and voice over talent

• Scouting and securing locations

• Gear - lots of it

• Filming

• Editing

• Animating

• All the little extras- lighting, backdrops, even hair and makeup

• Consultation on how this video will meet your business goals

It's important to consider how much assistance you may need and choose an agency that can scale accordingly to your project.

Creativity

Having access to an innovative video production team is also crucial to a successful project. Your team should be able to help you brainstorm creative ideas.

If you get the sense that they take a paint by numbers approach to creating and editing videos, they may not be up to date on the marketing and visual trends that will move the needle on your goals.

Questions to ask yourself when hiring a creative video production team, include:

• Do I feel like I'm seeing something fresh?

• Was I truly interested as I watched their videos?

• Did I feel entertained and/or educated when I checked out their blog?

• Did I ask myself 'How did they do that?'

• Does all of their sample work look the same?

• Do they work with a diverse set of companies and industries?

• Is their work professional and consistently of the highest quality?

Therefore, when it comes to innovation, bookmark the video production houses that showcase range and keep your attention.

Trustworthiness

Ask for references. Say you're evaluating several agencies - customer references may make all the difference in ensuring that everything is as it seems below the surface. 

Any good video company should be able to proudly showcase their past work on their website and social channels with client branding/logos, detailed success stories, and behind-the-scenes case studies.

Yes, sometimes client privacy/ proprietary information is an issue but any agency lacking a good amount of this type of concrete information may not have the experience you need.

Open Communication

Great communication means you will always have insight into the real-time status of your project, the direction it is headed, and what the end result will be. The key to good communication for a production company is listening.

A good sign you have the right team in your sights is when they spend more time learning about your brand and business than they do selling themselves.

If your agency is easy to connect with, goes above and beyond to offer suggestions, and answers questions quickly and completely, all signals are GO!

Project Management Gurus

A super important skill set often missed as an oversight in selecting a video production company- Project Management.

It is vital that the agency you hire is highly adept at managing projects. A team with stellar PM skills is the most effective way to maintain a level of hustle, organization and urgency to the flow of the creative process.

Expertise

An experienced production team will have the ability to demonstrate a deep range of samples across styles (cinematic, minimalist, guerilla), industries (fashion, tech, food), and different methods (animation, live action, drone footage, events, testimonials, short form video, advertising, etc).

This range of skill is important because video content and the marketing industry are always changing— and only an expert can stay on top of the shifting trends. When you find that your project is completed on time, on budget and providing next-level creativity, it may just shock you.

Tech and Digital Savviness

Regardless of your intended use, modern video production is about all things digital marketing. Therefore, you need a tech-savvy, plugged-in team to guide you. A great team will understand things like:

And beyond the above, should provide you with special insight into:

• Trending hardware and software -
  When to use 4K cameras, 360 degree video, VR tech, Live and Interactive video

• Digital marketing initiatives -
  Inbound, Outbound, Customer Lifetime Value, Conversion Benchmarks

• Branded social advertising and awareness -
  The impact of posting times and content types across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram

• Engagement rates-
  On email vs. ads, when to use comedy, music or silence with just text on screen

• And so much more...

A great team understands how marrying the science of technology through analytics, formats and channels to art, can create a truly effective piece of video content.

Goal Oriented

Lastly, you need a video production team that is results driven.

You're not in sync if you're the only one gloriously racing for the finish line. Your team should be interested in delivering a superior-quality product that consistently delivers on your priorities.

It doesn't matter the type or intent of the video; be it crowdfunding, training, generating more sales and/or leads, delighting customers, capturing a new audience, or showing your fun side. At the end of the day, you started this search and video project with a concrete goal in mind. Your production agency should make achieving that objective both rewarding and effortless. 

How to Create A Video Production Budget

In today’s marketing, having video content is no longer an option. Videos help you build your brand, capture leads, and gain customers. But how do you budget for it?

The first question marketers have about video is, “how much will it cost?” Unfortunately, because every video is different, there’s no easy answer. But there are guidelines to help you figure out how to budget for your specific video production. 

When budgeting for all the creative assets your brand needs, the best approach is to start with the tactic that will bring you the best return. Today, that's video. Divide the rest of the budget up for other outlets.

So how much should you allocate for your video production budget?

A study by Magisto reported that most businesses spend more than 25 percent of their marketing budget on video. This is a good baseline for anyone.

To determine how much your video production will cost, consider these factors.

Strategy

Determine your goals. Are you looking to raise awareness with commercial production, improve engagement with animation, raise investment capital with a personalized message, or earn more conversions with a demonstration? Knowing your goal will help you decide which type of video you need.

The type of video you need determines the assets, equipment and skill set required to make the video. Animation and special effects can require designers, artists and animators. A demonstration video may need an actor or actors, voice over artist and a lot of planning. Commercial productions may need actors, locations, vehicle rentals and more.

The quality of your video content will have an impact on your budget as well. Do you want the cheapest actor available, or someone with experience? Do you need a beautiful location, or a simple office in your building? If you’re creating an animated explainer video do you want readily available template graphics or custom, personalized graphics?

Where you’ll use the video determines the format(s) and, to some extent, the length it will be. You should know beforehand if your video will be seen on YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, television, social media, etc. Different video platforms have different requirements for video. In addition, if you plan to use your video on multiple platforms, the multiple formats and various cuts required may require additional work that will increase the cost. And generally speaking, longer videos cost more.

Once you have the strategy, move on to the creative assets by determining what you already have on-hand to give the production team (images, previous video content, style guide, branding elements, etc.), what assets the production team will need to create themselves, and how soon you need your video.

When making these decisions remember the axiom: “Fast, Cheap, and Good… pick two. If it’s fast and cheap, it won’t be good.”

The script

The script for your video can be a good indicator of how involved your video production will be. Generally speaking, the more complex the script is (one interview with a team member vs. having multiple actors, filming in your office vs. needing a location) the more the video will cost to produce.

To determine the cost of your video, do what a video producer does and break the script down scene by scene. Identify all the elements that could add to the cost. Consider the actors, the location, the amount and type of graphics you envision, locations or special effects.

Do you already have footage, or must it all be filmed or created in the studio? If you want something in the video, it must come from somewhere.

In conclusion

The cost of your video production is in all these details. Once you have an idea of everything you need, the price will start to become apparent. Try to keep that cost to about 25% of your total budget and you’ll be on track for a successful project.

https://www.magisto.com/reports/video-market-size#:~:text=The%20new%20rules%20of%20engagement%20%2D%20Belonging&text=Video%20marketing%20already%20dominates%20marketing,instead%20of%20hiring%20ad%20agencies.