Video FAQs

Question

Answer

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

Your video is another 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. The challenge is how to exploit the power of video to maximum effect, not how cheaply you can fill the screen with images. A poorly conceived and executed video will do more harm than good.

What is the best criterion for making a video?

Because you can’t find a more effective or more economical way to get the message across.

What is the best use of video?

Showing people things they couldn’t see otherwise in a very memorable way. Video is a medium for telling stories, for creating a narrative journey using themes and visual metaphors. It’s good for the big picture, weak 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 supported by other marketing activities, say as part of a presentation.

What is drama best for?

Changing behaviour and attitudes by revealing and resolving conflict through your characters.

What is documentary style best for?

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

What is drama documentary used for?

Drama documentary can be a very effective approach and 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 a lot 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 and keep them very focused on your message. Regular communications can be helped by having a familiar face and a presenter who has knowledge of the subject area can 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?

Say 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 position is to use 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 important enough to justify the investment. 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 affect the budget most 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.

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 a picture 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. Any more and producers have less incentive to really work at the pitch. Provide your communication objectives, a face-to-face brief and as much background information as possible. Also give a ballpark budget so producers are competing on creativity and production values rather than price.

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. 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?

A scriptwriter doesn’t just right the words. He/she will develop a visual theme or metaphor to frame your message and help bring it to life. A scriptwriter will know what approach works best for different topics and different audiences and develop a creative concept that immediately connects you’re your audience.

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 it’s the one 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 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 audience will stay with you. The event needs to be professionally produced with multiple cameras, on-site vision mixing.

What about mass mailing DVDs?

Most people tend not to watch them, there’s always something better to do. Invite people to apply for them, that way they are likely to watch them.

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

Not just for the sake of it. 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.

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 about our products.

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.

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

The producer, he/she chooses the other two.

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