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!

Issues That Can Lead to Hidden Costs in Video Production

On our blog we talk a lot about how-to, why-to, where-to, what-to and who-to. OK, maybe more than one of those is made up but we hope you get the point. All the advice we give here is from years of producing video and marketing content for your clients. Sometimes we’re in the driver’s seat 100% - meaning the client tells us what they need and we plan, execute and deliver. Other times we’re given a script and our client comes to set to help direct the shoot. We’ve learned from our trials and tribulations, and our challenges and successes, how to execute a project as efficiently and as smartly as possible.

Our advice to you, before you take the dive (please see GIF below), is that you should be sure you are exercising proper planning. This will help you to address any hidden pitfalls and costs that may arise during video production. In other words, you want to be aware of the challenges you may have to face before they end up costing you more money than you expected. The following are some issues that can lead to hidden costs in video production and what you can do about them:

Lack of Focus

If you have too many ideas floating around, you may have too many hands in the cookie jar. This kind of interference can seriously mess with focus. It will extend the length of production and lead to more costs all around. In addition to proper planning, you must be attentive and delegate accordingly so that no one is overshooting the goal. And if you can do it, identify just one or two people on the team who know your project inside and out. They can provide feedback quickly and clearly to the creative team you're working with.

Stakeholder Buy-In

Is everyone on board (you know, the most important people AKA the people who have ‘final say’)? Are you sure? The very first step in establishing any video marketing plan is a very important pre-production tactic - ensure you have proper stakeholder buy-in for the project. If everyone is signed off on a budget, you should have no issues with costs down the road. That includes any hidden ones that may come up. And if everyone is on the same page with goals, messaging and outcomes that makes sure that re-dos don’t come up at the end of the project.

The better you can communicate with your investors AND your video production team, the fewer surprises you will have. You should never have to worry about a lack of stakeholder buy-in if you’ve put all your ducks in a row. Just remember, stakeholder segmentation will kill your budget every time. So, don’t be afraid to speak up in the beginning about all of your needs.

To make sure you address any possible hiccups, make time to revisit the budget every week/month and adjust accordingly. Not only does this demonstrate to stake-holders you care about their money, it will allow you to keep a closer eye on the production process. This also means you can better identify issues before they become serious problems.

Improper Planning

There should never be any “winging it” with video production. There are just too many things that need to be done to prepare for a shoot. Lack of direction and a plan will always lead to the most hidden costs. So whether you do these things yourself, or you hire a full-service video production team make sure you keep these pre-production tasks in mind:

• Delineate your business objective for the video.

• Define your audience and create buyer personas.

• Develop your message and write any scripts.

• Hire any talent needed.

• Establish a budget with ALL stakeholder buy-in.

• Set up marketing and sales strategies.

• Pre-production meetings and approvals.

• Schedule a professional video production team.

By far, the most important step you can take before hosting a video production team is to plan accordingly. There should be no surprises the day of the shoot. Of course, nothing ever goes 100% as-planned, but when you are well-equipped, those hidden costs will be a little less hidden. Or better yet, they won’t exist at all.

If you have any questions about avoiding the issues and hidden costs of video production, give us a call. We can help you work through any concerns you may have and help you establish a killer video marketing plan in no time.

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 Video Helped A Crowdfunding Campaign

At one time or another we’ve all forgotten or misplaced our umbrellas on a rainy day. When that happens we’ve had no choice but to dash through the wind and rain head-on, and arrive at our destination drenched, cold and looking like something the cat dragged in.

Our client knows the headache of the forgotten umbrella. And of the need to buy a cheap throwaway replacement just to make it through an afternoon and hoping the wind won’t destroy it. That’s why the CEO and Founder decided to make some of the best, if not THE best, umbrellas around. Engineered for strength, and designed for a sleek and fashionable look and feel. These are the types of umbrellas you really, really don't want to lose. And they made sure you never will with a new idea based on not so new technology.

To make sure your umbrella will always be at your side when it counts, they paired their umbrellas with a sensor that can alert you when you leave it behind. When it was time to start production on this new umbrella line, they turned to crowdfunding.

Filming took place over three afternoons at five different locations. The resulting video helped ensure their goal of was not only met, but passed by a large amount. The video, getting more than 20K views, helped to successfully raised over $105,000 with close to 1000 funders. That equals success.

TIPS FOR CROWDFUNDING WITH VIDEO

This video was a crucial component for our client’s crowdfunding success because it covered these points:

• It let them know there was a real company behind the “ask” - A well-crafted video tells viewers that a real company is behind the words and pictures, and lets them know their support is going to something that is also real

• It excited people, or got them to think or feel a certain way - We showed people actually using the umbrellas in ways that matched the message - showing how easy it is to pair the app and umbrella, how the app helps you remember your umbrella, how compact they are, how large they are, etc.

• It set them apart from their competitors - At the time our client went live with their campaign, another umbrella company was already on the platform and asking for funding. But this video completely differentiated our client’s brand and set them far apart from the other. Part of the appeal of these umbrellas is that they're incredibly well-crafted. So we showed some of the process that is involved to make the umbrellas and explained what goes into each one. From blueprints to product shots, and from a wind test to explaining the app and proximity awareness.

• It was a part of the whole - It was used in addition to a very well-developed, and well thought out whole campaign. This means that while the video was impactful, the whole campaign needs to represent the brand and the ask in order to get the funding needed.

If you need help or would just like to discuss a project you have in mind, reach out and say hello today. We are a video production and video marketing company with capabilities in both the US and EU and we're ready to help. Reach out and say hello!