When it comes to the world of video production, there are a multiple types of videos that can be produced. Videos are great ways to communicate messages to a particular audience in a way that really stimulates the right kind of reaction.
The video director and the entire production team come together to make sure the audience does not have to develop images in their heads. They manufacture the exact types of images, sounds and dialogue they want the audience to experience, hence communicating the message through multiple pathways, visual, audio and sound. Videos are very powerful tools of communication when done right and through the proper ways.
There are music videos, documentaries, movies, advertisement videos and so on, but our major focus today is on corporate video. In this particular article not only will we be looking at writing a script for a corporate video, we would also be talking about the corporate video as a concept. We would be explaining exactly what a corporate video is, what it is used for, what audience it is created for, the various types of corporate videos, tips on video script writing and how to write a video script for a corporate video.
I am sure the information you will find here will not only quench your curiosity but also inspire you to get even more information so that you can be more successful in whatever purpose you seek to use this information for.
What is a Corporate Video
Contrary to what you may think, a corporate video is not a commercial video for a business, company or organization. In as much as a corporate video may have a persuasive tone, it may not necessarily advertise products or services of an organization.
A corporate video is a video that has been put together to communicate specific messages about a corporate brand to very specific audience within and outside the organization. Like was stated above, the purpose of this kind of video is to communicate certain messages to the audience it was intended for.
This audience could be any one from office staff to investors and shareholders. It could also be some sort of introductory video on the company’s website, welcoming first time visitors to the brand.
Corporate videos are powerful tools to pass across information in a more visual and creative way. Yes there are written means like memos, written proposals, emails, texts, calls and so on, but a video tends to stimulate the intellect and further drive messages home.
Examples of Corporate Videos
Market Update Information Videos: This type of video is targeted towards stake holders in the organization as well as potential investors as the organization intends to communicate certain updates in the market wherein they operate. In as much as written copies of the report may have been sent to the emails of those who the video is intended for, this type of video presentation gives a visual summary of the information.
Client Testimonial Videos: this is another powerful tool for convincing prospective clients about giving your organization a chance. What can be better than showcasing the people you have worked for on your site as a means of telling prospective clients that “if these people are satisfied with our services, then you will too”. Normally, when prospective clients see these types of videos about the organization, they are further convinced to work with them.
Corporate Event Screening Videos: This is not the documentation of the event on video, but rather short video clips that communicate different ideas about the organization placed at strategic positions within the location of a corporate event; so that as visitors pass by the lobby, the halls, even the main venue where they are having such events, they would see the videos. This type of video may or may not have its audio turned on, depending on the area where the screens are placed.
Event Coverage Videos: When organizations attend or host events, they may require the services of a video production company to document such an event. Organizations would like to have the memories of these events stored in visual form for different purposes such as referring back so as to identify ways of improving the said event.
Executive Proposal Videos: Management may want to approve certain projects for executive members of the board. Such proposals may have already been written and made available to the executive members via various means, but a video summarizing the intent of the proposal may be just the thing to further convince this audience to buy into whatever project or idea that is proposed.
Stakeholders Videos: Sometimes shareholders need to get information about how the organization is doing. A video communicates faster than a forty page documentation of the activities of the organization. The fifteen to twenty minutes video can bring all that information into a summary.
New Service or Product Online Videos: Organizations sometimes may want to advertise certain products or services to their customers. Such videos have to be properly produced in a manner that stirs up interest in the visitor, enough to make them learn more about the new service or product.
Live Web Videos: The production of live web videos are powerful for keeping customers engaged with the organization, so that they get to follow the organizations activities from day to day. In this way the organization can further make sales on their services or products.
Product Demonstration Videos: When new products are manufactured, with new maybe complex features, there might be need to ease the clients into the use of this new product by making a demonstration video. The demonstration video can also be for any number of things, it is not just restricted to new products.
Safety Videos: This usually appropriate for companies that are into potentially dangerous activities like maybe construction or oil drilling. The workers may need to watch these safety videos in order to become conscious of the various safety measures that are available to them.
Promotional Videos: These promotional videos are not commercials for the general public to view in order for the organization to make more sales. That’s a different type of video, not being covered in this article. These are promotional videos for certain ideas or ventures within the organization, to further synthesize the workers, investors, or other people involved to take action. This type of video could be promoting a corporate event or seeking workers to register and get involved.
Corporate Social Responsibility Videos: Today many corporations engage in corporate social responsibility activities and may want to showcase the good they have been doing for their communities. Sometimes it is important to make these kinds of videos so as to educate the audience on how the organization is making a difference in people’s lives.
The various types of videos described above gives us an idea about what corporate videos are exactly. There are other examples not covered by the list above, but the list makes us understand the general idea of corporate videos. There are video production companies that specialize in these types of videos. Those that major in these types of videos leverage off of the organizations marketing materials and other information obviously given and approved by the organization itself.
Sometimes organizations knowing they would have to do a lot of corporate videos would invest in having some type of in house media team. They may purchase their own video production equipment and train in-house staff members on how to operate these equipment.
THE CORPORATE VIDEO PRODUCTION PROCESS
Project Initiation: This is where the personnel in charge of the projects reaches out to a video production company concerning what the organization intends to do. The personnel in charge may not know how to put the idea into video format, but can explain the general message to the production company. An estimate is made concerning the cost, and once the price is agreed by both parties then the next part of the process begins.
Pre-Production: This is where the actual budgeting is done for the project. Locations are scouted, crew members are gathered, studios are booked, and equipment as well. It is in pre-production that the script comes into play, the script is developed at this stage.
Production: This is where the project kicks off. Crew members are put in place; props, costumes, lights and cameras are all made available at the location. The director goes to work heading the crew till what is written on the script has been fully played out. Production takes the shortest time to complete compared to the other stages of the process.
Post Production: This goes beyond cutting and pasting video clips. It also includes the use of audio, graphics and proper color correction to bring things together. After the work is edited, a sample of the video is sent to the organization to make comments recommendations. After the client is satisfied with what has been done, then he authorizes the production company to do the final export.
Final Delivery: After all tweaks and adjustments have been made, the production company makes the final output and delivers it to the organization.
HOW TO WRITE A VIDEO SCRIPT FOR A CORPORATE VIDEO
The Video Concept: Writing a corporate video script is not much different from writing any other kind of video script. However, you need to understand that your concept must reflect the message your client is trying to communicate. You have already received from the organization exactly what they want to communicate; it is your job to discover the concept that would most effectively get the message across. You need to understand whether the organization wants a casual, exciting type of approach, or if they would prefer a more professional outlook.
This search for the video concept would also rely on the type of corporate video you want to do. If you are going to be doing this sort of thing professionally, you would need to be able to come up with great video concepts at the shortest possible time.
One way you can keep your video concept development process alive is by reading a lot. Read newspapers, magazines, books and such, with the mindset of discovering new story ideas. As you go through the information on these media, video concepts ideas will come to you as to how to present your next video project.
Another way of developing the video concept would be to watch other corporate videos. Now you are not looking to steal any concepts from these videos, but you are looking to spark some sort of idea within your own mind. Take note of the organization’s message and how they want that message communicated as you carry out your research.
Brainstorming Concept Development: The amount of work that goes into producing even a three minute video is more than people imagine, especially if you want your video to stand out. In fact, this is where you get to discover if the video concept you have chosen is worth being used for the video you want to do.
As you think about the concept and characters, you may even begin to imagine how the finished video will look like. When brainstorming, you get to poke holes in your video idea, twist and turn this concept until it is full proof and ready to further be developed.
Research the Concept and the Organization: This is the place where you begin to blend the video concept with the organization. The concept carries the message in a way that engages the audience, but it must also communicate the core values of the organization in question. Members or workers of the organization must be able to watch the video and not just enjoy the concept of the message but should also be able to see elements of the corporate ideologies in the video.
One of the first places to start your research from is the organization you are about to work for. Even if you have worked for them before, it is still important to do your research on them again so as to approach this new project with a set of fresh eyes. You would need to know the things that are important to the organization, the things those in decision making positions would want to see in the video, and also the values they are most passionate about.
One of the things you can actually do is to pay a visit to some of the influential people within the organization to gather ideas as to what the organization stands for and what kinds of images they would like to leave in the minds of the audience through the video. Organizations take how they are perceived very seriously and would frown at any attempt to distort their image.
Developing a video concept that distorts the message of an organization or the very concept they are trying to pass across would be very unprofessional on the part of the film maker. So do your research not just on the concept you want to use, but also how this concept blends with the corporate values of the organization. This research process goes hand in hand with the brainstorming process.
Character Building: Depending on the type of corporate video, building your character is an important aspect of the video. In fact, develop your character so much that only a tip of the iceberg is seen on screen. There should be so much information on the character that the actors really get an in-depth feel of who these people are, even if they don’t get to say anything in the video. A vast knowledge of the character in question will give the actors more information to work with, so that their acting can be more believable.
Plot Development: Now it’s time to develop the plot, still keep in mind that this part of the process may happen together with character building, but these are very strong stages to address individually. You have to develop your plot for the video, putting everything together in way that best communicates the message.
Beginning, Middle and End: These are the different parts of the script that makes up the weight of the entire video. The beginning should be good enough to engage the audience so they can anticipate the rest. You could choose to go for a dramatic captivating beginning or a more elusive beginning that stirs up the curiosity of the audience. I would want to say that the beginning of the video is the most important because it is the first thing the audience encounters. The beginning is sort of like the introduction to the video, where the content of the rest of the video is not given away but is hinted at.
The middle carries most of the weight of the information that the video desires to communicate. This is where the major massage is passed across to the audience; everything is made clear and plain in the middle. If it is a persuasive type of video, this is where the audience is pulled into the concept being communicated and they are prepared to make a decision.
The ending is the place where the audience receives some type of conclusion or closure on the subject matter. If it was a persuasive video that intends to inspire some type of decision from the audience, the ending seals the deal. The ending is the part where the audience gets some type satisfaction from having watched the video. If the video was done well, then the desired response from the audience would be realized.
Write the Script: It’s time to finally get to work, time to begin writing your script from scratch. You have done all the preliminary work, you have gotten all the concepts you need to make the video come to life, so now is the time to put it together in a way that would visually stimulate the audience. It would be important to take note of some very basic script elements.
- The Scene Heading
- Sub-header
- Character
- Action
- Extensions
- Dialogue
- Transition
- Parenthetical
- Shot
The actual script will have the dialogue or/and narration with the names of the characters speaking it properly positioned within the pages of the script, the narrative description or action would be written in a short paragraph all through the script. The scene and shot description will be written in capital letters, while other elements like “cut to” or “pan right”, would be written at their designated positions according to the universally accepted standard.
Second Draft: There is a popular saying “Writing is Rewriting”, so in the second draft, you would be re-writing the script you have already written. This is where you begin to look for lapses in your storyline; you begin to fix certain problems like structure, the emotional feel, the logical flow of the video and so on.
Edit: It’s time to edit your script before you take it to the production team. Take a look at all you have written, pay attention to things that can be changed or moved. Some texts or narrative could actually be presented a different way; certain scenes can even be designed in a different way. This is where you fine tune the script to better communicate the message the organization intends to pass across.
CONCLUSION
If this were a different type of video production, the process of writing it will be slightly more detailed than what was expressed in this article. But most corporate videos may not require all the dramatics of a full length movie, except of course the corporate video is themed as a short film to communicate its message. However, most corporate videos may not need most of the dramatics of an actual movie for entertainment.
The amount of work required to put together a project like this is much, because as a film maker in this particular field deals with very sensitive material that communicates the core image of the organization. So much care should be taken in approaching projects like these.