Journalist led
Audience-focused content creation
Deadline-driven
On-time and on brief
Editorial ethos
Structured process ensures accuracy
Audience focused
SEO aware but created for humans
Authentic
Balanced content – not marketing fluff
Video production
Are you looking to add video production to your comms plan?
Video content is booming.
The likes of YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook mean we all consume more video every day.
And brands are turning to corporate videos to showcase products and services, reveal their human side, project personality, bring their story to life and attract new customers.
Research from the Aberdeen Group has shown revenue grows 49 per cent quicker for organisations that use video. And 90 per cent of customers report product videos help them make buying decisions, according to Forbes.
But video production is not just for video marketing.
High-quality video is also starring in internal and external communication and customer service strategies, enabling organisations to communicate faster and more efficiently with their teams and customers.
Rather than travelling to a meeting, employees can watch videos from leaders at a time convenient to them, from anywhere in the world. Instead of reading pages of information, explainer videos can ensure they get the message in a fraction of the time.
Imagine you’re a new employee. On your first day at the business, you're greeted by a welcome video from the CEO and a film capturing the organisation's culture, values and internal processes - company onboarding done better.
Creative video is also a crucial component in the growth of on-demand online training courses, bringing inspiring lessons into our homes and offices when we need them.
If your company workforce has a hybrid system or is based remotely, regular videos can ensure your people feel connected.
Good video can inform, entertain, remove miscommunication, boost awareness, create more sales and change behaviour.
How can you ensure your video content stands out?
People want to hear stories about other people.
Our speciality is interview-based video content, where our journalists pull on their years of broadcast experience to ask questions that uncover the human interest angle and create captivating and authentic content.
And they are supported by our team of filmmakers who shoot incredible footage.
We can guide you through every part of the video production process, from writing a compelling script and storyboard to getting the right narrator or presenter and completing all the technical wizardry and editing to ensure a polished final film for your audience.
But we are not just a creative video production company. We can call on our media training expertise to coach the people you want to appear in the film, ensuring they feel comfortable and can communicate with clarity and confidence when the cameras start rolling. We can also help with message development and test the message you want to get across.
And we can produce marketing material to help you promote your video and guide you through repurposing it into other forms of quality content.
NHS Royal Berkshire Hospital
Protocool
Media First promotional
The three key stages of video production
We believe there are three main stages of creating brilliant video content.
Pre-production
This could also be called the creative development stage, and it is where we develop ideas with you.
Before we start filming, our creative team will spend time getting to know you and your brand.
We'll explore what you want the video to do - are you looking for a promotional video, video ads, an explainer video, training videos, social media videos, corporate video, or films that take your internal comms to the next level?
We'll also look at your target audience, where you want to use the video, what you want it to include, and how it fits into your broader content strategy.
We'll also look at where the filming should take place. It may make sense to use our state-of-the-art studios. Or we can come to your location. Or our film production crew can shoot at any other venue you have in mind.
Production
Once the pre-production is in place, it's time to shoot.
This could include filming video at multiple locations and interviewing several different guests.
Our experienced camera technicians and creative video production team are perfectionists and know how to bring your ideas to life.
Post-production
This is where the magic happens. Yet it is often the hidden part of video production.
Post-production probably accounts for around 75 per cent of any video production project.
To give some context, let’s say you are making a five-minute promotional video with multiple filming locations or guests. You might spend a day on admin and getting kit together. The filming could take another half-day or full day.
And you could then easily spend two to four days on post-production and editing.
This editing phase includes colour-grading, audio matching and sound enhancements - there are lots of ways to improve the raw footage and turn it into high-quality films.
What types of video content do we create?
Our video production team has worked on different projects for a range of companies and organisations.
We've worked with everyone from NHS hospitals to air conditioning companies, as well as promotional video we send to our clients - you can watch some examples below.
Interview-based video
Our speciality - and what makes us different from other video production companies - is journalist-led interview-style videos.
Our team of journalists pull on their extensive experience and creativity to ask questions that produce captivating conversation.
This video format is perfect for client testimonials, internal communication or CEO announcements.
It works flawlessly regardless of whether filming takes place face-to-face or remotely.
And the great thing about being more than a video production company is we can provide all the training needed to ensure those appearing in the video communicate with clarity and confidence.
We can train the interviewee and the interviewer (if you choose not to use one of our journalists in your video).
Social media videos
We can work with your brand to create social media video content that helps you grow your audience and reach more customers.
This could be for a new campaign or project or simply to increase your social media presence.
As well as our video production expertise, our social media training means we know what works well, whether you want to publish on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or TikTok.
Marketing videos
Is video production included in your marketing strategy?
It should be. Marketeers increasingly report video content playing a vital role in lead generation and driving traffic to websites.
Creative video marketing can intrigue, influence and inform. And our video production services can turn viewers into customers.
Internal communication video content
Corporate videos shouldn't be restricted to your external content strategy.
Creative video is a brilliant way to ensure employees access the latest information and that the leadership team are visible - something more businesses must consider with the move to hybrid working.
And it is increasingly used to onboard people to a business - much better than making them read pages of text.
Additionally, visual learners are more likely to retain knowledge about new processes and systems from training videos.
How a misplaced comment cost a business £500M
NHS Awards
Team building
What makes us different from other video production companies?
Two crucial aspects that make our video production projects stand out.
Firstly, we specialise in interview-led videos and have access to creative journalists who know how to create compelling conversation and understand what makes an audience tick.
The other crucial difference is that we have been working in communications for 40 years, helping our clients overcome challenges, creating new ways of getting their message across and growing their audience - and this increasingly includes video production.
Our clients include 40 of the FTSE 100, public relations companies, charities, public sector organisations and businesses of all sizes, and they regard us as trusted communication advisers.
Your questions answered about our video production process
Video production can feel new and overwhelming. So, you are likely to have a few questions.
Here are the ones we get asked most often:
Not only do we have a studio, but it is new and shiny. And it is fitted out with the latest video camera equipment and video editing software.
We also have access to filming studios in London.
Additionally, our small crew can work across the country and will travel to any location you have in mind for your video.
Yes, we can record video directly over the internet. And it can be done through Zoom, Teams and similar video conferencing software.
But there is dedicated software we prefer to use. And that leads to better video production results for you.
It records locally, leading to smooth recordings and avoiding that pixilation and grainy video sometimes caused by poor internet connection.
The result is a final cut looking like it could have been recorded in the same room.
Every video production company would say production values matter. But there is a balance to strike. There are occasions where lower production values can add to the authenticity of your message.
Slick video used to be considered the best way to capture the attention of an audience.
But we believe video production has moved on and that this is now trumped by well-told stories. People want video that teaches them something new, creates emotional connections and keeps them entertained.
Quality is often in the eye of the beholder and needs to be considered based on the message you are delivering.
No one wants cheap and nasty-looking video. And no video production company would admit to making it.
But our video production is cost-effective.
This takes experience and an understanding of where you can make compromises and create efficiencies in the video production process without impacting the viewing experience. Or detracting from the message you want to get across.
Sometimes low-cost video shot on smaller handheld cameras such as GoPros and even smartphones is the answer.
Our creative teams include writers and journalists who can prepare a script.
But you need to tread carefully with scripts in video production.
Why? Because they can lead spokespeople to appear robotic and remove their personality from the video. And that impacts authenticity and believability.
Our preferred videos are interview-style ones that feel like natural conversations. We would storyboard those but believe scripting them would be a mistake.
Typically, we would only use scripts for voiceovers.
Possibly. But it may be better and more cost effective for you if we reshoot it.
One of the issues with video production is the time and effort that goes into post-production. Using video from different sources will extend that process and delay the final edit.
And even then, viewers may still be able to tell the difference.
Tricky one. The answer depends on the complexity of the video, how you want it to look and what you want it to do for your brand.
What we can say now is that video production will not take up much of your time.
Our clients trust us to get on with the work. We don’t need our hands held and are happy to get on with making the video while you carry on with your other work.
We’ll ask for help if we need it.
This is all possible because of the pre-production planning that goes into a video project before we pick up a camera or come to site.
The answer to this depends on what you want the video to do and where you want to post it.
Videos on social media, where people tend to have short attention or boredom spans, must be short and punchy.
Training videos or case studies, to give some other examples, will probably need to be longer.
This is all possible because of the planning that goes into a video project before we pick up a camera or come to site.
Every filming project is different, and prices will vary. Location, hosts, voiceovers and production values will all impact the price for your company.
But our creative team can always find more than one way to tell a story and produce video that educates, entertains and informs.
Like the sound of our video production services?
If you think we sound like the best video production company for your project, chat with one of our account managers about our services.
They’ll answer all your video production questions. And they'll explore your video production needs, aims and requirements in more detail.
Get in touch to discuss your training needs 0118 918 0530 or hello@mediafirst.co.uk or tell us how we can help…
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