The Real Reason Corporate Videos Fail Starts Before the Camera Rolls

Companies often believe that by increasing spending, their videos will turn out great. They spend money on cameras, locations, editing, graphics, and promotion, yet remain disappointed with the outcome. This is usually never about the budget. It is mostly due to poor planning at the very beginning.

The people involved in the first meeting are crucial to determining whether the project will succeed. If all participants agree on their target in advance, the entire corporate video production process will be much easier for everyone involved.

No matter whether it is a brand video, a training video, a recruitment video, a product video, or an internal communication video, your success starts with the right people making the right decisions on Day 1.

Key Highlights

• Corporate video production mistakes by corporations occur before production starts.
• Lack of a solid video brief leads to complications during production.
• Having too many decision-makers involved in the process may affect the video.
• Having a good corporate video strategy helps keep everyone on task.
• Setting clear objectives helps prevent unnecessary delays and rework.
• Hiring the right production team will ensure success.

Most Corporate Videos Fail Before Filming Begins

Do you know why corporate videos fail? If companies are not satisfied with the first version of their video, they may try editing it. They can request changes to the music, add new video clips, or add graphics and effects.

These changes do not address the actual problem most of the time. In most cases, the problem starts at the very beginning of the process, when there is no clearly defined objective in the first meeting. There may be varied expectations within the group, leading to confusion.

Without having the proper plan, the video may try to:

• Sell its products.
• Corporate video brief on the story behind the company.
• Hire additional workers.
• Exhibit offices and facilities.

When one video tries to do too many things, the message becomes confusing. The most efficient team can only do so much to fix such a situation once shooting has been completed.

The Hidden Problem of Too Many Stakeholders

With more participants in the initial video meetings, the video tends to become more general. This is one of the greatest problems that exists behind closed doors of business video-making.

When five, seven, or ten people are involved in decision-making, they stop focusing on making a great video and instead ensure that everyone likes the outcome.

Creativity Gets Weaker

Great branded content needs a clear message and direction. This message must be relevant to the viewers, state the issue at hand, and provide a solution. However, this becomes difficult when several departments try to make suggestions.

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Each team member will have their own objectives and interests. When a company tries to satisfy everyone in the room, the end product lacks clarity because of an overly wide audience and a lack of a clear message that connects with viewers.

What Happens When Legal, HR, and Finance All Give Input

If too many departments are involved in creating the initial idea for the video, it can get diluted.

1. The HR Team's View

HR wants the video to reflect the company's culture, values, and firm-wide diversity. Human Resources might wish to ensure that all departments and employees are featured. This often results in staged scenes that feel unnatural and unconvincing.

2. The Legal Team's View

Legal professionals are very careful about taking risks. This means they are known to remove anything that is not professional in nature from the script, such as creativity and formality.

3. The Finance Team's View

The finance department will emphasize the costs and returns. It might propose reducing the number of shooting days and the number of staff. It might also want all features to be present in the video, which might make it lengthy and boring.

What a Good Day 1 Brief Looks Like

Good videos start with a one-page brief, which is not a script but rather an idea that keeps everyone on track during the process.

A great corporate video brief should answer these five questions:

• What is the most important thing that the viewers should take away from the video?
• Who is the intended audience for the video?
• How do you want viewers to feel when watching your video?
• Where will the viewers see the video?
• What do you want the viewers to do after seeing the video?

The Three People Who Should Be in the Room

Having the right team members from the very first meeting is important for making a good corporate video. Keeping the team small helps everyone stay focused, make decisions faster, and avoid confusion later. Having too many people in your video team during the first stages may confuse things a bit.

1. The Final Decision-Maker

It is here that the budget is approved and that major decision-making powers lie. It can be someone like a business owner, director, or senior executive. It is better to involve such people from the beginning to understand their perspective on the project. They might ask for major revisions that will not only slow down the corporate video production process but also raise costs.

2. The Project Lead

The project lead is usually a marketing or brand manager and is responsible for the entire project management process. He/she also works with the production company to manage the project. They coordinate feedback, ensure communication, and keep the project on schedule.

3. The Subject Expert

The expert on the subject matter has the best knowledge of the product, service, or customer case study. It is the responsibility of the subject-matter expert to provide accurate information for use during planning. The expert does not control the creative process.

The Four People Who Can Join Later

Not everyone has to participate in the first meeting. Some people can give their useful input after that.

1. The Busy Executive

One should never lead the entire project if he/she is unable to attend meetings regularly, as this may create misunderstandings or necessitate changes at some point.

2. The Larger Marketing or Sales Team

Marketing and sales departments usually have good suggestions, but bringing in more people at that point will slow decision-making. It would be wiser to seek their opinion after the basic idea is finalized.

3. The Legal Team

The legal experts are instrumental in reviewing the final script and verifying compliance. But it should not be up to legal experts to create the original concept, because they are risk-averse.

4. The HR Team

If the video does not aim to recruit, HR must stay out of creative decisions, as they are closely tied to marketing. They can give useful feedback later, but must not dictate the pace or message of any marketing-related videos.

Common corporate video production mistakes

Several video projects face issues due to poor planning in the early stages.

1. Choosing the Wrong Production Partner

Many businesses choose to use a videographer when they need a production company. This is because a videographer would be suitable for occasions such as weddings and interview videos. A production company would provide planning, writing scripts, filming, editing, and other services to create a better video.

2. Rushing the Timeline

Creating any high-quality video takes time. It requires time for planning, writing scripts, scheduling, shooting, and editing. Rushing the process often leads to errors and poor product quality.

3. Creating an Unrealistic Script

The script, which features several locations, characters, and complex situations, may be difficult to create within the available time and budget. Making sure the script remains realistic will make things easier.

How to Brief a Video Production Company

Having clarified your objectives, approach the production company as a partner in creation, not only as a service provider.

1. Share Examples

Show 2 or 3 videos that you like. Describe what makes these movies appealing to you, such as the cinematography, narrative flow, etc. This provides more insight into what you expect as a viewer.

2. Be Clear About Budget

It is important to be honest with the production company about the budget, as this gives them an idea of how realistic the plans are, helping them recommend a suitable production method and equipment.

3. Use One Point of Contact

Choose a single individual to deal with the production company. The individual will then collect comments and observations from all individuals and give a uniform comment. This will make things easy for the production company.

Conclusion

Your business video is guaranteed to succeed right from the beginning, right from that first meeting. By limiting the number of voices heard in the discussion, formulating a one-page synopsis, and appointing a point man for the project, your idea will be protected from being watered down. 

Do not manage your video projects in a group manner. Rely on a competent internal team along with an experienced crew, and maintain your initial video strategy, and you will have made a successful brand film for your company. 

Faqs -

1. What is the difference between a videographer and a full-service video production company?

A videographer's job includes filming and basic editing. In a video production company, everything from strategy formulation, scripting, shooting, editing, and creative direction for corporate videos is managed.

2. How long does a corporate video project usually take?

Most business video productions take 6-10 weeks to complete. This covers all stages from initial planning to scripting, shooting, and editing.

3. How many revisions are usually included?

The majority of production companies will have two phases of revision: one for content revisions and another for last-minute revisions. Further revision stages could incur additional expenses.