Corporate Video Production

[Blake Barnett]

Corporate Video Production is an important part of many video business’ bottom line. It is the “bread and butter” as we often call it and as an industry is one of the more conservative parts of our business. Most productions are based around talking heads, b-roll of a product or facility, and some sort of narration and corporate sounding music. And while that might sound a little dull, there is actually a whole new world of possibilities out there for corporate videos. With the advent of sliders, brushless gimbals (think Steadicam but more versatile), aerial platforms and motion control time-lapse rigs, there are actually a multitude of options out there for a director or DP who wants to do more with his or her videos. There is a also a level of sophistication that is rising every year. We are no longer in the 80’s where cheesy spokesmen talking directly to the camera with bad tv news cinematography mentalities are sufficient. These days there is a crowded marketplace full of qualified producers and creatives that have extremely professional tools at unbelievably low costs at their disposal. Visually speaking, you can make a beautiful video pretty easily these days. So where does that leave us?

As always, story is king. How you tell the message and what you help the audience walk away with is always going to trump technology. The focus and specificity with which you deliver the message is also more important than ever. This is because with all these tools at hand we run the risk of doing things because “they look cool” or using a piece of gear just because we made an investment in it. The point is to know your audience, know your objective and deliver the goods as simply and effectively as possible. Technology will continue to provide endless creative possibilities, but without good creative, they will just be possibilities.