Category: Video Production

Promotional Films we Like

Shooting a promotional film about your own company can get enormously over-complicated. What to write, what to show. Key messages.

Which is why I love the old Zendesk video from a couple of years back. It’s just soooo simple. It’s simple and honest. It’s a “this is who we are” video and it works.

So don’t over think what you are trying to get across. In a 90 second promotional video your viewer will probably remember just one or two things.

Zendesk just try and say “This is who we are, and if you like this, we can do business together.”

Our second well-liked video is a great reminder that most of the time you really just want to get across one key point.

As much as your clients want to stuff the whole company brochure into two minutes, it’s worth reminding them that people just can’t remember that much.

I could also expand and discuss how the Dell Free Shipping and Handling ident works well because of the tight scripting, but then I would just be going down the same road and JUST TRYING TO SAY TOO MUCH!

There’s no better way of promoting your business than through a happy client. Video case studies showing how your product works and how it’s benefited a client are the best way to promote your business.

Better still show how; it’s improved your clients’ business, perhaps created better work flows or made them more efficient.

Businesses like to be linked to great ideas or solutions. It reflects well on them too.

See if you can add a strong human story. We shoot many videos for tech companies and we always stress to clients it’s important to show how these solutions are benefiting customers on a human level.

Microsoft – Evenlode_10K_2 from Vebu Creatives on Vimeo.

Some ideas just don’t need a lot of explaining. It’s a mood with strong pictures. We shot acclaimed Norfolk chef Matthew Owsley Brown cooking in a forest near his home. He’s a fantastic chef. You can see this from his cooking. Life made simple. Video Production couldn’t be easier.

Norfolk Forest from Vebu Creatives on Vimeo.

What Is the Appropriate Price to Pay for Corporate Video Production

How much does Video Production cost

With the advent of smartphones, you can shoot a video on your polished iPhone in the morning, upload it on YouTube in the afternoon, campaign on it on Facebook in the evening, and become viral by night – all this and you won’t have to spend a penny for it. Or, you can hire Quentin Tarantino to write a script and direct the video – but the budget will vary a lot. That is the same reason why the price of a corporate video varies from one company to the other. Corporate video production is not a big deal these days. You want to promote a flagship product of your company or want to make a video of the company itself, you will need the help of a professional corporate video production company to do the job for you. The question is, what is the right price to pay for producing these videos. Well, there are several factors that decide the price of corporate video production. Here are the factors discussed below:

1.Writing the script

Why do some adverts catch your attention while the others don’t? Because the ones that do are well scripted and acted. Most importantly, the script of the advert is what made the production of the video so sound. Similarly, when you decide to make a corporate video, it should have a definite script; a script that will attract the attention of the potential customers. And, the more experienced the writer is, the better script you can expect. And, the better script you get, the more money you have to spend. The equation is pretty simple. You can get someone to write the script for £60 an hour and you can also get a scriptwriter who charges £150 an hour. The difference is in the experience and creativity.

2. Shooting and editing

Shooting the video is another factor that adds to the cost of corporate video production. The team whom you appoint for this job will come with the most advanced cameras and other items to take the video. In addition to shooting the video according to the script that has been written, the editing and graphics will also add to the final cost. These two parts are like the backbone of the video. In fact, editors often get a huge amount of money for their editing skills. Apart from that, the animation or the graphics team will also come into play if you want to add animation into the video. But this is totally optional and depends on the script as well. But editing will cost you a minimum of £70 per hour to a maximum of £175 or £180 per hour. For animation and graphics, the cost varies from £100 per hour to £350 per hour.

3. Camera and equipment

Probably the most expensive part of the video is the camera and the equipment that will be used to shoot the corporate video. The type of camera you choose will decide the clarity of the video too. So, you need to consult with the corporate video production team before you pick one of the cameras. It can start from a DV camera to a full feature HD camera to an ARRI or on Film. The final output of the video will change depending on the camera you choose. Typically, you may have to spend just $25 if you want the video to be shot on a simple digital camera or it can go up to £400 or £500 per hour depending on the camera you are using. Film cameras will be more expensive and they will cost around £1000 per hour. ARRI Video Camera

Apart from the camera, there will several other equipment and tools that will be used to shoot the video. Additional lights, track dolly, field monitor, and much other stuff are required. These help to maintain the high quality of the video that is shot. Many companies quote the price of the camera and equipment together but if you want individual costs, then the price of the equipment will vary from $30 per hour to £100 or £120 per hour.

4. Actors and crew

Again, the script of the video will decide if you need professional actors or not. Since this is a corporate video, you may or may not add additional actors. Their price may range from $50 per hour to as much as £450 or £500 per hour. However, the cost of the crew has to be taken into consideration. Corporate video production is not the job of a single person. It requires team work. Lighting technicians charge somewhere around £25 to £50 per hour while a field production engineer will cost around £50 to £80 an hour.

As you can see, there are so many factors that add to the cost of corporate video production. At vebu.co.uk we find a balance providing quality production with a reasonable price attached.

9 Video Marketing Statistics for 2019

As 2018 comes to a close and people begin to welcome its upgraded version, 2019, it is time to take a moment to think about how this is going to impact video marketing. This is an area that is constantly changing and it is only right for anyone who is serious about business to keep an eye on statistics. In case you need more information so you can use it to hone your strategy, here are 10 points you need to take note of.

1. Majority of traffic will go to Video

video traffic increase

It has been predicted that most of the traffic on the Web (about 80%) will be video content by the start of 2021.

This means that anyone who has not been integrating video into their plans should certainly start now. Since it will be commonplace for people to see this kind of content all over the place, they will expect it. Those who choose not to take heed are bound to get left behind.

2.Company Size VS videos created

Company size has little to do with the number of videos that are being created.

While it would probably seem like larger corporations with huge budgets would create more videos, this is actually not the same at all. However with corporate video production, Even small start-ups are realizing the pull that this kind of content has on user retention. As a result, they are taking the bulk of their budgets and using it for this.

3. Technology companies create some of the shortest videos on the Web.

The reality is that the average person is not going to sit through a long video to its entirety. For this reason, technology companies have been taking note and started focusing on shorter videos. This means two things. If you are in this industry, you certainly have to remember this when creating marketing materials. It also means that those who are not in this particular field need to take notice and follow their lead if they want to stay ahead of the curve.

4. Smaller businesses are more likely to do marketing internally.

If you own a small business, the idea of trying to set aside a large budget for marketing can be frightening. The great thing is that this is not a necessity. There are many companies that are taking the marketing skills of their current staff, putting their heads together and creating solid strategies. You do not have to let a lack of an unlimited cash flow stop you from doing well in this arena.

5. Most business-related video content is viewed on laptops and PCs

With the influx of people who are using mobile devices, it is generally assumed that this is how most would view business videos, but this is not the case. In fact, the likelihood of someone using mobile for this purpose is a meager 11%. This does not mean that you should discontinue optimizing sites and content for those users, but it is something to think about.

The reason for this is likely the fact that people like watching informational content on larger screens. They tend to understand and retain this information better that way.

6. The middle of the week is the best time to post business videos.

There was something mentioned about this several years back, but this is true now more than ever. The reasoning behind this is probably because many business people log off on the weekends so they are hit with a barrage of work on Mondays, so they need a day or two to get back into the swing of things. By the latter part of the week, they are focused on wrapping things up to get ready for the weekend. Ideally, Tuesday through Thursday would be your best bet for posting if you want people to watch your content while it is fresh.

7. Most social media videos are watched without sound.

This means that you need to work on adding things like captions and appropriate text to the content you create. By ignoring this and refusing to do, you will be turning your back on a large part of your target market. This is also an indication that social media usage is increasing, so add video content to these sites if you have not already.

8. Internet Explorer is second to Chrome when it comes to choosing a browser for videos.

While many people turned their backs on IE after the hiccups some of the older version had, there are some who favour this browser over others and you need to consider this. Always make sure that your content is optimized for all browsers types. Your individual browser preferences have nothing to do with this; it is about what others want.

9. Demos, explainers and product videos are the most popular content types.

Integrating one or more of these into your plans is a winning idea. The more you are able to create videos that others clamour for, the more likely it is you will attract and retain their attention. If you are not adept at creating these kinds of videos, you need to seek out the help of someone who is.

Statistics mean everything when it comes to creating a video marketing plan that will catapult you to success. Consider all of the points mentioned here as you move forward in 2019. Otherwise, you and your business will get left behind while the rest of the world is focused on moving forward. check back at www.vebu.co.uk for more video marketing trends

Top 6 Tips For Corporate Video Production in London

Are you struggling to know where you need to start when it comes to corporate video production? Well, you’re probably not alone because, for many, video is usually intimidating and considered expensive. Besides, shooting a corporate video could present challenges you will probably not face when shooting other projects, like weddings. Subjects who are not used to being on the spotlight are often times nervous, shy or even uncomfortable when on the focus of a camera. Some could appear a bit rigid and might find it difficult figuring out what they should say. However difficult corporate video production seems to be, it does not have to be entirely that way. Here are some expert tips, a corporate video guide perhaps, that will aid in making your corporate video production a successful undertaking. Let’s get started.

1. Create a Script

According to many, script writing is often left to those who are producing videos for commercials or reality shows. However, the truth is that the style of video you are shooting does not matter, you will need a guideline to help your content flow. Creating a script is the easiest way to beat the first hurdle of corporate video production. In most instances, messaging is tightly controlled by marketing and human resource, so having to plan beforehand could save you a lot of time in addition to the agony of having to deal with frustrations. If you are shooting an interview, it is advisable to approach it with quite a conversational tone so that it looks more natural and so that the interviewee feels comfortable ” this aids in maintaining an excellent flow in addition to making the pulling of sound bites in your post much more natural.

2. Understand Your Audience

As with most forms of marketing, knowing your audience is crucial. You need to determine the most relevant and vital information for them. Without this aspect, you will produce corporate videos that do not align with your audience and its needs. After you have a concise definition of your audience and their needs, you now stand a better chance of demonstrating to them how your business can handle their problems, fulfill their wants, and improve their lives. If you are a company that deals with fashion products, it is obvious that your target audience is the youth so the content of your corporate videos must align to their needs. An important aspect to bear in mind is that you should be engaging; do not just tell the audience about your business, you need to show them.

3. Integrate Stellar Visuals

We earlier mentioned something about engaging your audience and here is a point to emphasize that. The easiest way to engage your audience is to get your video content noticed, and incorporating visuals is an excellent way to achieve that. Adding some animations as well as motion graphics can make the video interesting and encourage your audience to watch your corporate video and share it with friends. Besides, the addition of visuals is a good way to reinforce the messaging and identity of your brand without being too forceful with sales.

filming director of company

4. Choose the Core Message

To successfully produce a corporate video, you will need to decide on the core message you intend to deliver. You should establish what you want the audience to learn, know or feel after watching your corporate video. Without proper selection of the core message, you will find yourself producing a video that has no message to its intended audience. Deciding on the core message ensures that all parties involved have a concise idea of what your final product must convey. Besides, having an excellent definition of your end goal makes weaving a great story in the post-production process much more manageable. Moreover, it ensures that your competitive advantages and mission are correctly articulated.

5. Find the Perfect Backing Music

Have you tried watching a good video with sound and then without the sound? The difference is significant, backing music and quality sound are vital to engaging viewers in your corporate video. Combining sound and video helps create a more emotionally stimulating and compelling video. This is particularly essential when you want to encourage viewers to perform an action once they have watched your video.

6. Hire a Professional

Shooting and producing corporate videos is often rocked with challenges most of which you do not have to deal with on your own. Hiring a professional in video production can help relieve pressure from your team. Video producers are professionals in video production, and their input and experience shall be invaluable in helping you know the ins and outs of creating engaging corporate videos. Even when you have thoughts and ideas of your own, it would be great to share it with your video production expert for the best results. At vebu.co.uk we specialise in corporate video production that engages your audience

Hopefully, you found the above-mentioned tips useful. Get your next big corporate video idea and get down to production. contact us at www.vebu.co.uk if you you need any assistance with video production

5 Essential Steps To Grow Your Brand YouTube Channel

YouTube is a crucial platform to help build your brand!

According to a report from Google and Pixability, Interbrand’s Top 100 Brands are collectively uploading a video to YouTube every 18.5 minutes. With video marketing being on the rise, as a business, it is important to utilise YouTube as a medium of engagement and promotion.

However, there are certain ideas and factors you should consider to optimise your business YouTube channel efficiently. This ranges from setting up the overall channel, making sure individual video SEO is up to scratch, and even taking a step back and analysing the content your company produces. Take a look!

Do You Need A Creative Platform?

1 – Channel Setup

The overall YouTube channel setup is important. It needs to be optimised in a way that it can be discovered by appropriate audiences, and can be navigated in an engaging way. The core fundamentals of the SEO revolve around customising the channel information. The ‘About’ section should showcase your target audience, express the important information and values regarding your brand, and naturally include relevant keywords that can provoke outreach. Don’t forget to include all of your appropriate social media links too. Add ‘Channel Keywords’, they are essentially tags for your channel. Services such as Google Trends can be used to see what people are searching based on your field. No more than 10!

In terms of the visual navigation, you should have a well-designed banner that showcases your logo, fits the brand guidelines and maintains optimal resolution (2560 x 1440). A channel trailer should also be included to show the video you want new visitors to be introduced to. This could be a YouTube video that you have explaining your product or service, or a highlight video from one of your current campaigns.

2 – Individual Video SEO

So you’ve got the channel ready, it’s now time to optimise those YouTube videos! You need to have a catchy title that contains the exact keywords that you want to feature for. This also applies to the description. Use this as a chance to summarise the important points of your video and brand. It’s also an opportunity to link to your social media accounts.

Tags. Arguably the most important but most overlooked factor. Too many tags are counterproductive to SEO. 15 is the magic number. Break down your tags categorically into different styles:

Longer coherent tags with keywords
(e.g. if it was a gym in West London, you could say “west london gym classes sale”)
Medium more generalised searches
(e.g. “exercise classes”)
Single words that are broken down from the prior
(e.g. gym, classes etc)

Custom Thumbnails should be added to provide consistency and visual appeal. End screens and info cards that link to your other content and website (if you are partnered) can also be added to increase navigation between videos.

3 – Produce Quality Content Consistently

Sustaining a video marketing campaign with success on YouTube requires effort and time. Videos you produce need clear formulated plans. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. Spending lengthy amounts of time, resources and financial investment on videos you’re going to upload once every 6 months is not going to be beneficial for building your brand. Create and develop ideas for consistent videos relating to your brand, that even audiences without a connection to your company can engage with. This gives more of an open barrier for people to engage with your idea and can contribute to developing a consistent audience.

4 – Encourage User Participation

Start a discussion! Engage with your audience! Perhaps offer a chance for viewers to influence the content in some way! Developing interaction makes videos more memorable and can motivate audiences to participate actively. Replying to comments can also alter the perception of your brand because it makes it more human and relatable. If you manage to reply to every single comment, you will certainly notice a community start to form. Familiar faces will start to return and the outreach will start to grow. YouTube will reward channels with higher interaction levels, placing them in a more prominent position within the algorithm.

5 – Promote Your Videos

This might seem like an obvious pick, but it is so important. For the majority of cases, even the most active supporters of your brand are rarely going to actively search for your video marketing content. Promoting your YouTube videos on your prominent social media accounts will provide your videos with the attention they deserve. You already have your communities, why not transfer them to YouTube? There are several social media management platforms you can use, to upload and schedule your videos, and then share them on your relevant socials.

Do You Need A Creative Platform?

These are the core fundamentals for developing your brand on YouTube. Implementing these changes isn’t going to boost you to the top of the trending page. It provides brands with professional optimisation that encourages growth on this competitive platform.

The Explainer Video. What’s so great about it? Everything!

An explainer video drives sales

The explainer video really comes into it’s own in an age where customers want to know what you do but they want to know this quickly.

Will your product solve a problem, more their company profitable or help their customer service flow more smoothly?

An explainer video explains many facts in 60 seconds.

This was your problem. Here’s our solution. Here’s where you buy it. Boom.

It’s worth taking your time with the key messages

We call them explainer videos but really it’s a brand video. It’s probably the first time some-one will see your product. It’s your shop window. You have their attention but now you need to convert that interest into a lead.

So your script needs to be very tight. It needs to sing. The overall look needs to reflect your brand. This video needs to hit the ground running from the get go.

An Explainer video needs great creative

Many marketing companies talk about having a video strategy but our experience tells us that what really drives customers to your site isn’t just the process behind releasing video content at the right time in the right channels….a much stronger element is the creative idea.

You can promote a video until you are blue in the mouth but the creative behind it will make people watch it and share it.

Think about your video content strategy

We think the creative behind the video is more important than the strategy but only just.

There’s no point in producing a very clever video without thinking about how people are going to view it. So think about where your customers are. Video’s on Linkedin have a more business like feel than a video on Facebook. People don’t watch videos on Facebook with the sound up so what about subtitles? Instagram video’s may only be short ten second ident video’s.

Explainer videos come in many forms

It can be an animation. Talking heads or a mixture of both. Think elevator pitch but using video or animation.

One things for certain. Eighty per cent of all searches on the web by next year will be for video content.

Your customers expect video content and will be put off from your business if you don’t have it.

If you need any help with putting together your businesses own video strategy then get in touch with us at [email protected] or call 02081332995

Don’t forget about a decent sound design

It’s 50% visual and 50% sound design

So said George Lucas and he seems to know what he’s doing with sound design

And Vebu contributors Gulliver Moore and Olli Club were keen to shown the importance of design for their promo for Audio Networks

I think I must have been the last person to realise that great sound design can really lift a production.

I’m going to put my hand up here and say it’s probably because I came from the first generation of cameramen/reporters who were basically trying to do everything.

Soundie’s were just relics from the past weren’t they? The cameraman can just do sound can’t he?

Well, no.

The world has come full circle for me. A video producer can shoot what they like on an iphone but the first thing you notice is the sound.

“The truth is, for me, it’s obvious that 70, 80 percent of a movie is sound.”
Danny Boyle

There’s a nice blog on this from the guys at Story & Heart

For those who just need a quick blast of what you should be thinking about – there’s 4 basic elements; voice-over, music, effects and finally emotional sounds (usually in the background) that really create a mood.

It’s this final type that can be quite interesting; the indiscernible screeching sound we can’t quite hear but know thats there…just as you’re hiding behind the sofa.

Because let’s face it horror movies do sound really well.

Sound Design doesn’t have to cost the Earth

Sound Design isn’t just for high end film-makers. A decent free-lance sound designer can work wonders on your corporate video or brand animation for £300 a day – a couple of days including client feedback should be enough for a two minute video.

For anyone producing an animation sound design is a must, it’ll add character and personality.

Interestingly we’ve found that if you’re running out of budget to fill the screen sound really adds an extra layer of interest to the brain. Sound design really can keep the interest and the flow…flowing.

If you need any help with putting together your businesses own video strategy then get in touch with us at [email protected] or call 02081332995

A decent voice-over artist is worth it

Voice-over artists really are the cherry on the cake

It’s amazing how many times I’ve watched a half decent animation or explainer video and thought; this is well written and the animation flows quite nicely, but why have they got the marketing assistant to be the voice-over artist or it’s the Head of Sales who I can imagine when pitching to an audience is quite engaging but doesn’t quite translate to video.

Being a great voice over-artist really is a skill and there are many actors who don’t have this skill either.

The bad ones come in to the studio and don’t try and get a feel for what their “character” needs. The good ones get a real sense of the timing, tone of voice and understanding of the audience.

So I thought this week I’d shine the spotlight on a couple of great voice-over artists I’d recommend.

Interestingly two of them are based in the US but that wasn’t a problem with the work flow. Once you’ve put a call in, most are happy for you to sit on on the recording on skype or send over a take and if you don’t like it or have some feedback, they just re-record it.

I can’t stress enough how an experienced voice-over artist can really lift a script.

Getting the tone of voice right

I’ve worked with Andy Barnett a couple of times and I never get bored of his voice. I read a lot of gumshoe Americana fiction. Andy is very versatile but the way I’d describe my favourite voice of his would be film noir. The private dick who’s been beaten up a couple of times and lived to tell the tale and get the gal at the end. Here is is on a job we did for McDonald Butler. Their client was Atos

Let your voice-over artist add a bit of fun to the proceedings

Victoria Shepherd is a Brit based voice-over artist in San Francisco – very professional and has a great range from the serious to funny. She has her own studio and is very prompt and professional in providing alternative takes.

If you need any help with putting together your businesses own video strategy then get in touch with us at [email protected] or call 02081332995

The Power of Video Content

How powerful is video online?

It’s going to be another year where video tops the to-do lists of most marketeers. The stats back this up.

Recent surveys show that 60& of visitors to a website will watch a video than read text. So no wonder Youtube is now considered the second largest search engine.

Your website is 50 times more likely to appear on the top pages of a search engine if it contains video.

When learning about a company 80% of those surveyed said they expect to see a video to help them trust that company.

If you need any help with putting together your businesses own video strategy then get in touch with us at [email protected] or call 02081332995

The Circular Economy & Branding – Notes from a Speech by Nick Liddell

What is the Circular Economy

Vebu caught up with some of the key speakers at the Transform Conference where we heard The Clearing‘s Nick Liddell discussing the circular economy.

The idea of the circular economy revolves around the premise of zero wastage from producing goods in the world today. Image if we could recycle 100% of the materials used in any given goods.

The economics behind this make for very sound reading. We live in a linear world where we are consuming ever more goods; production needs to increase, and we are running out of the raw materials needed to keep up. The traditional manufacturing processes are struggling to extract profit because we all want these goods ever more cheaply. While, even in poorer countries, wages are slowly rising, the rate of consumption of goods is rising even faster still.

The circular economy revolves around the principle of total recycling, looked at from an economical perspective.

Let’s go over some of the key points from Nick Liddell’s talk:

How do we implement the principles behind the circular economy?

There are now many ways in which we can make better use of the raw materials we have at hand.

First off, we can design out the waste – that is, looking at what would otherwise be considered waste in a new way, giving it new life. Reuse, repair or refurbish. Furniture reuse is an obvious one here.

Cascading of resources is also becoming mainstream. That is, using the by-products of production to make other products. Marmite has been around for decades, the base product of this delightful spread coming from the brewing of beer. We are now able to produce jet fuel as a bi-product of the steel industry.

Modular design is another great way of making efficient use of resources. Modular design means that when one part of an item needs replacing it can be detached and replaced whilst leaving the rest intact.

Changing sense of ownership

Nick finished his talk with a word on the changing sense of ownership. Do we still need to own anything? We’ve seen the change in ownership in cars and music, it doesn’t have to stop there.

There’s also the idea of viewing your clothes in much the same way that people are now viewing music – not fully owning them but instead merely renting them over a period of time. Think of models used by companies like Airbnb – could you make money out of the clothes your not wearing?

If we are constantly seeing products move through a life-cycle of re-design and re-invention during their own life-cycles we are merely owning them for a part of their lives.

All in all, it was interesting talk and we’d recommend you catch Nick Liddell from the Clearing when you can.

If you’re interested in learning more about how we have been producing award winning video content over the past 15 years then get in touch with [email protected]

Matt Gardner

Vebu