The 6 Stages of Film Production for Brands
The better a video is, the more effortless it appears. But make no mistake: the more effortless it looks, the more work when into creating it. Sure, there are videos that capture a magic moment with little to no planning – like the time Charlie bit his brother’s finger – but when it comes to marketing your brand, careful planning and meticulous execution throughout all the stages of film production is a must.
AGM never lets formula get in the way of your story. An organic approach allows you to connect with your audience on an emotional level and reveal the “real” you behind the brand. That said, there is a process for unearthing and bringing those stories to life in a way that is impactful and drives action.
Let’s take a look at key stages of video production:
1. Brainstorming: Ideas for Corporate Video
If you’re intimidated or overwhelmed by the idea of video production, this step is designed to put you at ease. It’s a conversation. Before we even discuss what types of video we will create or develop a story guide or script, we’re going to talk.
What are the stories behind your brand? What’s your mission and vision? Who are the people who make a difference? What makes you special/different? It’s like the first date, “So tell me about yourself” routine. Except not awkward.
You’ll come to the table with ideas. Great! We will too. Once we uncover the stories, we can determine how to tell them for maximum impact.
There’s a reason our motto is, “Your Story. Told Differently.” AGM is not interested in creating formulaic videos or boring your audience with rote lists of features and benefits. To tell your story differently, we need to take a different approach than the typical video production company.
We start right at the beginning. The idea generation stage, the conversation stage —this allows us to get into the mindset of your business, becoming an extension of it so we can take the next steps of the video production process with purpose.
2. Development: Digging Into the Details
In the brainstorming phase, you’ll realize just how interesting your business is and how many stories you have to share! Now it’s time to lay the groundwork for a video that conveys that effectively. Go back to your strategy: if your video content is not aligned with your overarching strategy, you’re wasting time, resources, and energy. Strategy doesn’t constrain creativity; it guides it. We’ll work with you to develop a Creative Brief.
This brief will guide subsequent steps.
3. Pre-Production: The Nuts and Bolts
Video production is just one component of the overall video marketing process — albeit an important one. At this point, we focus on the technical aspects of your project. Think of it like this: we’ve worked to create a destination, a goal, and now we’re going to lay out the route that’ll get us there.
Pre-production includes:
- Using the Creative Brief to develop a Story Guide/Layout
- Scripting (We prefer an organic approach, so, depending on the nature of your project, “scripting” may be generating talking points.)
- Sourcing talent (e.g. employees, customers, actors)
- Scouting locations
- Reserving equipment, sourcing materials, and scheduling crew members
- Obtaining proper licenses and/or permissions to film (if necessary)
- Developing a production schedule that aligns with your timeline and budget
4. Filming Your Corporate Video: Action!
Filming is more involved than pointing and hitting “record.” Our experienced videographers and principal photographer apply their skills to ensure every detail is not only executed perfectly but reinforces the story you’re trying to tell. During the production phase, careful, strategic thought goes into every aspect of filming, including:
- Lighting
- Framing the shots
- Utilizing different cameras and angles
- Capturing crisp sound
- Filming strategic b-roll (i.e. supplemental footage to intercut into the story)
Adhering to the production schedule is key; you can’t control factors like the weather — but we can plan and plan B for it.
5. Post-Production: Getting Your Video Into Top Shape
During the production stage, we capture the various elements of your video. During post-production, we put them together into a cohesive — powerful — story. Video editing is about more than cutting out flubs or snipping out extraneous bits of footage. It encompasses steps such as:
- Proper sequencing
- Creating transitions
- Adding music and/or voiceovers
- Sound mixing
- Integrating b-roll
- Adding special effects (e.g. titles, captions, animations, etc.)
- Editing “shorts” for social promotion
- Quality assurance
The goal of the post-production process to create a polished, professional finished product. Self-filming or hiring a random freelancer to edit your video will not result in the level of quality you need. Remember, your video is a reflection of your company.
6. Distribution and Promotion
Your video is done — but you’re not! The next step is distribution. How are you going to share your story with your audience? Again, this is more involved than popping your video up on YouTube. You need to determine where your audience spends their time and how they consume content.
You also need to look at ways to use your video to reach people at their stage of the buyer’s journey. Ways to leverage your videos for maximum results:
- Incorporate them into your website
- Add them to blog posts
- Integrate them into whitepapers, articles, and newsletters
- Feature them in email campaigns
- Utilize them as “exclusive” content for subscribers
- Share them on social media
Success is not accidental. Throughout all stages of production, we keep your story top of mind and strategically execute the steps necessary to tell it with impact. Let’s start with a conversation.