Corporate Video Guide
You've decided you need a corporate video. Maybe you've never commissioned one before, and you're nervous or unsure about the process involved. You don't know how much you're expected to do yourself and how much will be taken care of by us. The answer to that question is - as much as you want.

This simple guide to the work flow of a corporate video production will help you understand the different stages involved, and why it can often be vital to complete one stage before moving onto the next. The steps are similar whatever type of corporate video you want, whether it be promotional, motivational, informative or for training.

It's a little like building a house. You can't build the walls until you have the foundation. And you can't put in a foundation until you have the plans. Do everything in the right order and you have a corporate video production with an efficient work flow, where each step of the process builds on what's been done before. Get the timeline wrong and you end up having to re-do previous work to make things fit and work.

By following our Corporate Video Guide, the work flow of your production will be as efficient as possible. We'll know what you want from us, and you'll know we're working to your goals.

The work flow of a corporate video should be a straight line from beinning to end. There may, occasionally, be some parallel routes as processes can be carried out concurrently, but ideally a corporate video production consists of a number of specific events, each of which should be completed before the next begins. So let's break down the process for a typical corporate video.

Corporate Video Concept
Before we start to do anything there has to be a germ of an idea. It may take the form of a need - you need to make a film for an Annual Report, or you need a training film explaining the process for cheese making. Or perhaps you have an idea for a corporate video which shows the four factories in your group, and what each of them does. This is the starting point, and it's important that the aims are clear and well defined. We will help you focus the concept in this earliest stage of your corporate video production.

Storyboard
A storyboard is a route map for your production. Think of it as a series of building blocks which are laid end to end. You can see part of a very simple storyboard on the left. It has details of the content of each section of a corporate video for a cheese maker, Bloggs Dairy, and an idea of the running time that's expected of it. At this stage, running times will be approximate, and even the order of items may change if it becomes obvious that they work better in a different way. Flexibility works well at this stage.

Who appears in your Corporate Video?
Next we need to work out who will appear in the corporate video and what their role will be. We'll offer our best advice on how to do this - for instance, we don't recommend that the chairman tries to become a television presenter overnight. If you want, we can interview him to allow him to say what he wants to say in as natural a way as possible, or If someone really needs to talk to camera we can use an autocue to read from. But it's best to discuss the role of those who will appear on-screen as part of the general debate on the look, feel and content of the corporate video.

Script
The script tells the story. It's the binding which holds the corporate video together, providing a link between the various elements and segments, guiding the audience in the direction you want..

There are some sections of script which break our usual flexibility rule. If any part is to be delivered on-camera, this must be signed off prior to the shoot. While most script changes can be accommodated even at a late stage in post-production, any changes called for in the scripts for your corporate video after they've been shot to camera will incur an additional cost because of the re-shoot and effect on the production schedule.

The Shoot
The shoot must be planned with precision so that the time allocated is used efficiently and effectively. If an interviewee isn't available at the required time, for instance, or a production process isn't running, it can have a knock-on effect on the whole of that day's schedule. We will always be highly flexible in our approach to shooting your corporate video, but it's best to stick as closely to the shooting schedule as is possible. Health & Safety issues during shooting are important. We take this very seriously, as you'd expect us to, and welcome the presence of your appropriate representative for advice as you feel necessary. Our aim is to capture the material we need for your corporate video without causing disruption, and it's something we've achieved with a huge range of companies around the globe.

Post production
The editing stage is where you begin to see the hard work, and the shape of your corporate video, come together. We may suggest bending the storyboard and script at this stage as we see how elements blend. The final cut must be signed off before we record the narration. Again, script changes after this point will be very expensive, so it's better to get it right first time. We'll then finish off the corporate video and deliver it to you in your chosen format. You can then use it as you want. Show it at exhibitions, send it to customers or investors, use it in training sessions; confident that the quailty of your production reflects the standards and image of your company. With Creative Imagineers your corporate video really can become a reality.