Video and what it can do for your brand should be top-of-mind in any marketing strategy when planning on how you can effectively engage with your target market. Why? Because people respond to people – to faces, voices, actions and emotions, and video portrays many of these elements making it an all-powerful marketing tool.

Creating impressive video content might seem like a bit of a mission – like, where do you even start? – but shooting in-studio is actually super easy to do, especially when you have the right support and guidance.  Rysiu Moscicki, a visual wizard from specialist IT and Edtech company Metisware, (who have just launched The Virtual Learning Studio, a custom-built, multi-media, can-do-it-all production space), shares his tips on what needs doing to organise and execute a successful studio video shoot.

“Some preparation is key.  When you sit down with the multi-media team you will need to tell them about your product or service, your ideas and who your audience is.  From there they will be able to convert your vision into a project brief and plan detailing the main elements you want to get across and how to go about doing that, so that come shoot day everyone is on the same wavelength,” says Rysiu.

Project Brief

It’s all about storytelling – if you have a clear understanding of the narrative you are wanting to relay and to whom;  it makes for a good start.

The topic

Before you do anything, you need to determine the topic and purpose of your video.
What key points and messaging do you want to convey?

The audience

Who you are talking to will determine the tone and register of the narrative – you will want to touch the emotions of your audience through meaningful, useful, fun and engaging content.

The concept

Once you have narrowed down why you are creating a video or videos, what your main messaging will be and who your target market is, think about the key aspects or features you want to get across during each clip.
“Finding 2 or 3 videos and what you like about them will go a long way to helping everyone involved in the creation process and do wonders for the final product,” suggests Rysiu.

Project plan

Now that you have a project brief, the copywriter, videographer and producer will get involved to plot the course of bringing this shared vision to life. “This is where the magic happens, where we extract the golden thread that weaves through any story,” says Rysiu.

The final outline will form the basis for the script or scripts which will be written for you. This outline will be easy to follow, short and to the point, and will fall within the timelines for each video segment.

The project plan will also factor in all the extras like: props, background, lighting, music, sound, make-up, teleprompters, speakers, talent, voice-overs etc.  All you will need to send through is any and all marketing collateral, imagery, links, logos, presentations and product samples if required.

The budget

Time in studio is worked around every minute of dialogue requiring 5 minutes of work and through clever editing as shorter video clips can be extracted from longer versions. In this way you can save both time and money. Bringing in your own talent, clothing, and specialist speakers is another way of managing that totals column.

The shoot

Scripts written, studio booked, everyone on the same page – roll camera!

You will likely do a few test runs to calm any nerves and to make sure everything is running smoothly – video angles are where they should be, no shadows in the background and audio is crisp.   It’s a good idea to keep track of takes and jot down which parts of any particular take you especially liked.  This will help a lot with the video editing process.

The final product

Armed with any notes from the client, final scripts, the video outline and project brief, and any creative inspiration, the editor will then bring it all together to produce and deliver an original and inspired end product. “This is where we put the sprinkles on,” says Rysiu.

Then it’s up to you to share this great content because without a well-thought-out distribution strategy all your efforts will be wasted.

Viva la video!