Question

Answer

Anyone with a camera and a laptop can make a video these days, why use a professional film maker?

Your video is an expression of your brand and  should reflect your values in terms of quality and creativity. If you received a video from BMW or Sony, you would expect it to have the same production values as their products. Only an experienced film maker knows how to put that quality on the screen.  A poorly conceived and executed video will do more harm than good.

What is the best criterion for making a video?

Because there isn’t a more effective or more economical way to get the message across.

What is the best use of video?

Video is a medium for telling stories, for creating a narrative journey using themes and visual metaphors. It’s good for the big picture, poor on detail.

Is a video like a website, do you need one to do business?

No. But used strategically, they can be very effective tools. Video is most effective when it is part of the marketing and communications mix.

What makes for a good video?

Keep it short, keep it punchy and don’t try to squeeze in too much information. Creatively, be prepared to take risks or your video will be like everyone else’s. Bravery invariably pays off because your video will become a talking point and is more likely to go viral. Leave nothing to chance, do your homework because mistakes are very costly.

What is drama best for?

Changing behaviours, challenging misconceptions and providing positive role models.

What is documentary style best for?

Advocacy, demonstration, explanation, PR, recruitment, staff induction, skills training.

What is drama documentary used for?

Drama documentary is often used for training and public awareness campaigns. The drama elements can be used to re-enact historical events or possible future events (i.e. accidents) or reveal conflicts between different points of view expressed by characters in a drama. These underpin and drive the documentary exposition element of the video and bring the subject to life.

Is it worth doing a drama with inexperienced actors to save money?

Inexperienced actors lack credibility on the screen. Unless they are famous, experienced actors don’t cost that much more. They will bring their characters to life and it usually takes them less time to shoot their scenes.

When is it best to use a presenter?

When you need to engage a particular audience in a very personal way. Regular employee communications can be helped by having a familiar face. A presenter who has specialist knowledge of the subject area will also add value. The presenter can play the role of storyteller, advocate, investigator or clown but the success of the video hinges entirely on the effectiveness of the presenter.

When would it be inadvisable to use a presenter?

If you are trying to reach a very diverse audience, not everyone will take to a particular presenter who inevitably brings his/her own class and cultural associations. You can’t risk alienating any percentage of your audience. There needs to be a compelling case to use a presenter; the default choice is voice over.

Is it worth spending £5-10K on a well-known presenter?

Using a well-known presenter shows you mean business and demonstrates confidence and credibility but the cause has to be significant enough to justify the investment, such as a major product launch. The rest of the video must have correspondingly high production values to ‘honour’ your presenter and maximise his/her impact.

Where does the production budget go?

The factors that most affect the budget are the number of days shoot, travel and accommodation. You pay the crew the same for travelling as shooting, so the fewer and closer the locations, the better. If it’s a drama, the number of actor days is a major cost. Graphics and especially animation are also expensive.

I would like to use animation in a video, what do I need to be aware of?

Animation, whether 2D or 3D, is a complex and time consuming business and hence costly. Familiarise yourself with the production process, become an informed buyer. Animation starts with an agreed script and storyboard. The animator will then produce some key frames to show the detailed visual style. Once those have been signed off, you proceed to animation. Any changes you make from now on will be costly and introduce delays. Be extremely vigilant about the sign off process and above all, make sure all the stakeholders are involved.

Should I make my video longer to get better value for money?

No, the law of diminishing returns applies on audience concentration. Less is more. It takes real craft to make a short, punchy video.

How much does a minute of video cost?

The idea that videos can be priced by the minute has been around for years. It’s as meaningful as pricing an oil painting by its surface area.

We want to put the video out to tender, how many companies should we ask to submit?

Three is ideal, five max. Producers will calculate the odds of winning and if the odds are high, they have every incentive to invest time and talent in the pitch. Invite too many and you could end up with a lot of indifferent proposals. Provide communication objectives, a face-to-face brief and as much background information as possible.

Should I tell the producer how much I have to spend or will that encourage them to up the price?

It’s better to be up front about the budget so producers are competing on creativity and production values rather than price. A good producer will always try to give good value for money which means putting as much of your budget as possible on the screen. After all, they want to win your next job.

Is a script always necessary?

Not always, depending on the programme style. A set of objectives and/or a list of interview questions may be enough. The video is then crafted in post production. You will need to sign off a full script for a drama, presenter or voice over commentary.

What value does a scriptwriter bring?

Scriptwriters don’t just write the words. They develop a theme to encapsulate the message and a visual concept to get it across in a memorable way. Scriptwriters also know how best to connect with particular audiences, using the appropriate tone and use of language.

What is the role of the producer?

The producer is the project manager and the client’s main contact. The producer manages the budget and puts together the production team. The producer then acts as a creative midwife who brings the project to life and makes sure you get the video you wanted.

What is the role of the director?

In video, the director is responsible for everything that happens in front of the camera; the choice of shot, the performances of the actors the overall visual style of the video. The director also supervises the edit and the production of any graphics during post-production. For events, a director has the same overall creative control.

Can we use our video to reach more than one audience?

The more targeted the video, the more effective it will be. However, if you do have multiple audiences, make that clear in the brief.

People say it’s bad to use talking heads, is that true?

It has been regarded as lazy way to make video but talking heads can be very effective; it’s all down to quality of the interviews and the editing. They are most effective when used sparingly and intercut with other relevant interviews to build a case. The use of relevant cut-away shots is also important.

What is an off-camera interview?

The person asking the question does not appear in the shot (i.e. they are off camera) and their questions are usually cut out. This means the interviewee must provide answers that make sense without the question.

We are recording a video our annual conference, could we turn the speeches into a DVD?

You can use snippets as cut away shots to separate off-camera interviews, but a video of someone giving a slide presentation is worse that watching paint dry.

Can we widen our audience by web streaming a conference or discussion panel?

You can but there’s no point putting up a single camera and hoping your online audience will stay with you. The event needs to be professionally produced with multiple cameras, on-site vision mixing and of course excellent sound recording.

What about mass mailing DVDs?

People tend not to watch them, there’s always something better to do. Invite people to apply for them, that way they are more likely to watch them and it’s a good way to capture people’s details.

Is it a good idea to put a video/s on my website?

I see web and video as somewhat conflicting media, they offer very different narrative experiences. A video, especially when it’s on the home page, can disrupt the experience of your well-crafted website i.e. ‘I’ve seen your video, so I won’t bother to look at your website.’ See my detailed discussion of this topic on my blog, Videos on Websites

Viewers will put up with poor quality images, but poor quality sound is unacceptable. That’s why you can’t get away with using the gun microphone on a camera for interviews. Use a tie mike or boom.

My MD wants a video of him talking to our staff about current issues.

You need to choose an approach that best suites his/her style. Talking straight to camera is very compelling but not everyone can pull it off.  It’s generally safer to use an off-camera interview technique. Don’t stick him/her behind a desk; choose a location with background activity or even outside, if it’s not too noisy. Take some shots of him/her walking the talk using a radio mike and a long lens. These will cut nicely with the formal interview and make him/her appear more friendly.

My MD wants a video of him talking about our products to potential customers.

Talk him/her out of it unless she/he’s is very natural in front of a camera. It could put people right off. If she/he insists, do it as an off-camera interview, not directly to camera.

He says not to worry, he’ll use a teleprompter.

Bad idea, it will make him look wooden and shifty. Teleprompters are strictly for professionals.

Who is more important, the producer, writer or director?

The producer, he/she chooses the other two.

What do the terms A Roll and B Roll mean?

They date back to 16mm film days when reporters would have an A camera for the main interviews and a B camera for all the background and cutaway shots. The A Roll and B Rolls were then synchronised so the director could cut between them to create the final package. Today, the terms have different connotations. Generally, B Roll refers to original footage that forms part of an archive of material. The shots are tidied up but not edited in any way. To shoot B Roll could mean taping lots of interviews at a conference for later use. The B Roll may be made available to the press as part of a Video News Release (VNR) which they could use to cut their own packages. An edited video is often included with the VNR and this could be described as the A Roll though the term is rarely used.

Video News Release (VNR)

A Video News Release (VNR) is a package of broadcast quality footage created by a PR firm, advertising agency, marketing firm, corporation or government agency. Agencies such as Reuters offer services for the worldwide distribution of VNRs via satellite. The material is hosted by afiliate broadcast media organisations. News organisations can then download this material  for immediate use. VNRs generally include a finished programme, B Roll footage and a script. The term Multimedia VNR refers to a package including a variety of media to support the communication and is commonly accessed via a web interface.

What is the best advice you can give about video production?

As ever – good, quick, cheap – any two.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about video or need help with a video project, please email
solutions@creative-writer.com