A Video Production Company can Produce a Great Corporate Video - on a Low Budget

So, you’d like to make a corporate marketing video to promote your business, but perhaps budget is an issue? Here are a few tips on how to keep your costs down, while keeping production quality high and successfully meeting your communication objectives.

1. Script Smartly, Script Simply: The kind of script you write (or commission to be written) can also incur more production costs down the road. Most writers will start by writing down what they want said – the narration – but more important is what will be shown. The visuals will work in tandem with what’s being said – but have you figured out what those visuals will be? How will abstract processes or statements about multiple locations, experience, or quality be expressed visually? Will multiple locations then need to be scheduled for filming? Or will the script become dependent on motion graphics, which can also be labour-intensive?
2. "Now Half As Long": The father character in Robert Redford's A River Runs Through It tells his sons when they write compositions, “Great… Now half as long.” When they cut their essays down by half, guess what he says? Exactly! "Now, half as long." Do a first draft, then try to cut it down to half. Sounds harsh, but it’s true: sometimes, you’ve got to kill your babies. Decide what’s absolutely essential to communicate, and what can be left out. Most writers – seasoned marketing directors included – will write way too much, and forget that a great corporate video should be a strong call to action. Ask yourself: "If this video is part of the company website, is the information in the video overly redundant with what’s already on the site?" Oftentimes, the owner of the company is not the person who should be handling this task. They will find it difficult to extricate themselves from the company history and culture, with both its triumphs and insecurities, and look at the company objectively from the perspective of the audience: what do they need to hear?
3. Careful Pre-Production Saves Production & Post-Production Cost: The more detailed the script is, the more time is spent storyboarding and planning the shots, preparing interviewees, pre-scouting locations, etc., the more smoothly the production will go, and the less hiccups will happen in post-production.
4. Actors vs. Talent: Using professional actors requires time for casting, and they charge a fee for their time and the right to use their image. Talented employees within your company may be able to handle acting tasks, spokesperson roles, etc.
5. Maximize Shooting Time: Production companies don’t charge by the hour; loading up gear in and out of a vehicle and driving to a location can take 2 hours in itself (without setup time or takedown time), so virtually all companies charge a minimum half-day rate, and some only charge a day-rate for their time. Maximize shooting time by scheduling interviewees to be in one place (or two) on the same day(s), keeping multiple locations as close to each other as possible. Better yet, reduce multiple locations down to just one: multiple locations means multiple setup times and takedown times. Also, make sure on-camera talent are prepared, memorized, and have run through the material in front of you or someone else, not just by themselves.
6. Narration: the Voice from Within. Our industry is a big fan of professional voice-over artists: they save time by delivering consistently excellent results. However, if VO artist fees need to be nixed, you can have the president or CEO of the company (or another elected spokesperson) fill the job. In some cases, it is more suitable to put a face to the company anyways. Other options include using on-camera interviewees or testimonials do the narration, or to have a video that’s completely free from narration (e.g. product videos, music-led montages, etc.)
7. Location, Location, Location: Always pre-scout any filming locations. Determine if they are suitably quiet (this can be a problem in manufacturing facilities, or if there isn’t enough sound isolation from a busy urban exterior), have enough electricity available (outlets? Total amperage/wattage available per circuit?), are accessible for equipment (e.g. loading bay? Elevator or stairs?), and if filming is permitted there. Some locations, depending on the size of the production using the space, will require permits from a city or municipal hall. This is especially true when you are filming in a public space and would like right-of-way, space for vehicles and pedestrian control, and your filming activity is considered ‘disruptive’ in any way. Also, remember that Vancouver weather is notoriously difficult to predict, and usually ends up on the side of wet. Still, overcast cloudy days make for a much easier task of lighting your talent, as there are much fewer harsh shadows to deal with: the lighting tends to be quite diffuse and omnidirectional.
8. Additional Things: Makeup and hair artists will do an excellent job making your talent look great, but their services may not be required for the kind of video you’re doing. Chromakey (green or blue screen) backgrounds allow you to place your subjects anywhere, and so can save on multiple location fees – but remember, they process of keying out a greenscreen will add some labour to your post-production costs, so choose wisely. A dedicated sound person is a great asset to have, especially when the style or subject of your video requires a boom mic; however, if your production is centered on sit-down interviews for a corporate video, a lapel mic can just as easily be used, and often does not require a dedicated sound recordist.
9. Future Proofing: Remove things that will date your video. A company website URL will not likely change, but a mailing address might. Tweak some of your phrases so that they’re not anachronistic: “Serving the Vancouver area since 1975” is always true, and is much better than “Serving the Vancouver area for 36 years”, which will become out-of-date within a year. 
10. Cover Your Butt: Get talent release forms from everyone who appears on-camera. Disgruntled ex-employees can legally ask to be cut from a video if no such talent release form was signed! Make sure you’re using music that’s royalty-free (less expensive), is permission-cleared, or pay a license fee if required: using popular music without getting permission is risky, and can result in a lawsuit.

Ultimately, the most cost-effective approach to making a corporate video or promotional video for business is to ensure that it has a long shelf life. Make a great quality video that thoroughly satisfies your communication objectives, one that you’ll be happy with years down the road.

To do that, pick an experienced video production company backed by a glowing list of references and clients – and partner up with them, as they will give invaluable guidance to prevent headaches, save your marketing dollars, deliver a great final product – and that will help you get the most bang out of your buck!