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Options for Capturing Testimonial Videos During a Pandemic

As a result of Covid-19, many brands have had to reinvent how they create video content. But video is still the most powerful and cost-effective way for companies to generate new business.  In fact, with the cost of video advertising falling due to the pandemic, there’s never been a better time to invest in video.

Case study videos are one of the most effective ways for a business to harness the power of video to let prospects and customers know what their specialisms are, why they’re experts in their field and how they’ve helped their clients or provided a valuable service.  Hearing a testimonial from a delighted customer is powerful social proof that a brand delivers upon its promise.

However, the only stumbling block is getting the video made.  During lockdown it’s logistically difficult to send a large film crew to a place of business. Plus the fact that most people are working from home. So what are your options?

Well fear not, there are plenty of ways that you can capture testimonials from satisfied customers and use them to create high quality, entertaining and informative case study videos.

Bring to life a written statement

One way could be animating a written testimonial. This removes the need for any social contact, as everyone involved in the project can work from home. Creating an animated video from a written testimonial gives the animator a chance to be visually creative. Most voiceover actors have home recording studios too, meaning that a professionally sounding voiceover can also be captured whilst adhering to government guidelines. Although not seeing the speaker’s face could make the video feel less credible, this is a great option if you’re looking to create a testimonial video.

Record audio at home

The quality of audio recording on smart phones is good enough that it could be used as a voiceover to an animated video. Having the speaker’s voice would bring an authenticity to the testimonial. However, this does rely on the interviewee’s ability to record usable audio that isn’t too breathy and doesn’t have any “popping”. If this is of interest, we’d be able to guide your interviewees on how to record good quality audio on a mobile phone to ensure that the video sounds as good as possible.

Record a Zoom call

Video calling is an easy and accessible way for people to speak face-to-face. During lockdown, people became familiar with video calling software like Zoom, Skype and Microsoft Teams. It’s possible to record a video call and capture both the sound and the audio simultaneously, which makes this a suitable and cheap way of capturing video and audio content when people cannot be in the same room. The quality can be poor, so it’s worth considering whether this might have an impact on brand perception or if you think your audiences will be sympathetic.

Live stream

In general, recording a live stream will have better quality than recording a video call. There are apps that make it possible to record a live stream from someone’s phone, but these come at a cost. Although set up might be tricky, it’s a good option if you need material urgently.

Record at home

It would possible to provide an interviewee with the equipment to record their video at home and guide them through the filming process on a Zoom call.  Sending a gorilla pod means that they could support their phone on a desk, and a small LED light will help to make the shot look as flattering as possible. A small audio recorder might also be helpful to ensure the best possible sound quality. This would be relatively quick and easy to record and avoids human contact which is necessary during a pandemic like Covid-19. The only thing is that you’re reliant on the quality of the interviewee’s phone and their ability to frame and light the shot, however, if we’re present on a Zoom call we’d able to assist with set up. Unfortunately, the footage will always look like it’s been recorded on a phone, but this would be a good way to capture good video content and adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Send professional equipment

If you’re nervous about the film quality impacting your brand identity, we could courier one of our professional cameras and a laptop to your interviewee. This would guarantee high quality video and audio, especially as we can stream the feed directly from the camera so we can keep watch on the lighting, focus, framing and background. Being present on a video call would also be helpful to guide the interviewee through set up and filming. Although this might be a relatively expensive and time-consuming option, it does guarantee a high quality video that has longevity beyond the pandemic. If your interviewee doesn’t feel comfortable adlibbing, there is also the option to send an autocue that the person could insert their mobile phone into. This means they could easily read the script whilst maintaining eye contact with the camera lens. All equipment would also be sanitised to ensure the safety of all involved parties.

Hire a studio

It would be possible to hire a studio close to the interviewee and send a camera and camera operator there. We’d encourage all parties to drive or take taxis to avoid travelling on public transport. We’d also provide a full risk assessment and method statement prior to filming; check the ventilation system in the studio to ensure that it’s a safe environment; and provide recommended PPE for the camera person. Using a studio would be preferable to another inside location, as there is plenty of space to maintain social distancing. Recording in a studio is also beneficial as it would result in superb sound quality. However, hiring a studio can be expensive and does require travel. A studio background can also sometimes feel inauthentic, but a few props could make the background feel livelier. If the interviewee is happy to travel, this could be a good option to record high quality video content that can exist beyond the crisis.

Film at the interviewee’s home

Filming at the interviewee’s house would also be an option. Wearing recommended PPE, we could send a camera and a camera operator to their home with all the necessary equipment to capture high quality video and audio. They’d be able to direct the interviewee and give them any feedback to make sure that they deliver the performance you’re looking for.

We’d provide a full risk assessment and method statement prior to filming and sanitise all equipment to ensure a safe working environment. We’d also speak to the interviewee about ventilation in the property and whether or not windows can be open. Although please bear in mind this does run the risk of having outside noise creep into the recording, so the location of the property might need to be considered when deciding if an at-home recording is suitable.

If the interviewee would be happy with filming at their home, it would ensure that the video has an authentic background that is both visually interesting and has a personal touch that lasts the test of time.

Film the interviewee in their place of work

We’re still able to film in offices and other places of work so if the most convenient and authentic location for the interview is in the person’s workplace we can send a single camera person or a crew of two people to attend the shoot. They will wear full PPE and observe all safety guidelines. The major benefit of this approach is that we can also film cutaway shots to show the person going about their daily routine. This makes for a more engaging film than just a straight talking head.

So as you can see there are still plenty of options for capturing high quality case study films, even within these unprecedented times. We’re happy to work with you to determine the best solution for you and your interviewees in terms of safety and creativity. Please get in touch using the form below if you require assistance with your case study video creation.

The post Options for Capturing Testimonial Videos During a Pandemic appeared first on Bold Content Video Production.

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Film Funding Research

When looking for funding there are a few paths a filmmaker can take. Applying for government funding via a body such as the BFI can bring a large sum of money to a project. But a lot of small-scale films do not qualify for these grants. This is why crowdfunding has become a popular way to finance creative projects, giving filmmakers a chance to share their concept with the aim to find backers.

Government Funding Most government funding opportunities are open to projects that contribute to society, whether through sustainability, social responsibility or diversity. Each grant has a specific criterion that they’re looking for, so it’s only worth applying for ones where your project is eligible.

If you do meet the criteria, make sure you spend time preparing your application. You’ll want to make sure that you effectively communicate all the ways in which your film would benefit from the grant and how it would contribute to the community.

Including biographies, examples of previous work, why you’re the right person to make the film, detailed descriptions of the synopsis, what your concept is, your budget and how the funding would be used will also help to make a strong application.

When looking to apply for a grant, spend time getting to know the organisation and what its mission is. What sort of projects have they supported in the past? Who are the judges and what is their taste? This will give you a sense of how to tailor your application.

Take time familiarising yourself with the legal procedures, rules and regulations. Understanding the legal jargon will help make your application and any future interviews airtight. It will also help to ensure that you hold onto your IP over the course of the process.

Crowdfunding

Kickstarter and IndieGoGo are two of the largest crowdfunding platforms in the world. Crowdfunding helps ventures secure a small amount of money from a large group of people. The general public can look at campaigns and donate to a cause/project/start-up that resonates with them. However, both sites work slightly differently.

Kickstarter has an “all-or-nothing” policy, where, if a campaign doesn’t reach its target within the timeframe, the venture won’t receive any funding at all. This works as a way to encourage start-ups and other projects to invest time and energy into the campaign and create realistic fundraising targets.

The possibility that you might lose all the money that’s been pledged by the public is certainly daunting. It means that filmmakers have to have enough belief in the project and be prepared to take the risk, but the “all-or-nothing” policy can help to motivate audience to donate, especially if the campaign is running out of time and is close to its target.

IndieGoGo, on the other hand, lets you keep the money that’s been raised, but will charge a larger commission if the campaign hasn’t reached its target. Although less risky, IndieGoGo’s policy also helps to encourage users to create realistic and detailed campaigns that are thoughtfully managed.

Both platforms are popular among creatives as it serves many purposes. Firstly, it offers the team a chance to consolidate their concept and learn how to pitch it. Once it’s published, a crowdfunding campaign can help to spread word of mouth about the project and create some buzz. Additionally, crowdfunding makes financing creative projects possible without the constraints of grant applications and lengthy regulations.

Other smaller crowdfunding platforms also exist such as GoGetFunding. Many creatives find GoGetFunding attractive as there are less projects competing for funding. GoGetFunding is unique as it offers help with the preparation of a campaign. But does using lesser-known fundraising sites hinder your ability to raise substantial funds or impact the public’s willingness to donate? It’s worth considering the pros and cons of each crowdfunding platform when you want to start a fundraising campaign.

Applying for Crowdfunding Preparation

Decide what platform is right for your campaign. Make sure you understand all the guidelines and policies.

Think about how long you want your campaign to run. In general, you’ll need twice the run period to prepare the campaign.

Next, think about how you can get audiences excited about your project. Videos are always an effective way to communicate your message, but what other supporting material can you use?

Look into fundraising incentives, what can you offer to encourage donations? Some films include perks such as a credit, a day on shoot, tickets to a screening etc.

Budgeting

Deciding your budget is your next big step. This is important, as setting realistic targets over a realistic timeframe is essential to a successful campaign.

Make it more tangible by drawing up an estimate of the amount of people that you’ll need to reach. If you set the average donation £25, you’ll need to reach at least 400 people to collect £10,000. Creating estimates like will help you plan your campaign and set measurable goals.

When you’ve analysed this, you might have a better idea of whether crowdfunding could cover all or part of your costs. Either way, make it clear in your campaign whether you are raising funds for post-production, paying actors or whether it’s covering the entire budget etc. The more specific your campaign, the easier it will be to encourage donations from an audience that perhaps do not understand the financial workings of film.

It’s often beneficial to share your budget when crowdfunding, so the public know how their money will be spent.

When building your overall budget, don’t forget to make a contingency for any percentage that the platform will take from your campaign. This might impact certain financial decisions you’ll have to make when making your film.

Content Planning

Preparing your campaign will also involve designing your campaign, including artwork, videos, graphics and text.

A lot of creators launch their actual with a video where the producer or director introduces the project, the goal, the deadline and why they need funding. Other useful material includes cast shots, production team biographies, uploading parts of storyboards, actors performing a scene etc. Including content like this will help you gain the trust of your audience and give them a sense of your concept.

Other content that has proven to be successfully received are information about characters, costume renderings, location photography and insights into the project such as behind-the-scenes footage.

Launching Your Campaign

When you first launch a campaign, the early drive often results in a peak of donations. Typically, campaigns will achieve 30% of their target within the first few days.

Sharing the campaign with your network will help to trigger early support and generate word of mouth.

The second peak often appears just a couple of days before the deadline, where videos of appreciation and asking for help encourage audiences to donate in the final stages of a campaign.

These two peaks are the pillar of your campaign, but it’s important not to let the momentum drop over the course of the campaign’s timeline.

It’s helpful to create a post schedule, so you can release content methodically over the course of the campaign.

Sharing content on social media, getting bloggers and influencers to talk about it and finding platforms to speak about your project and promote your crowdfunding campaign will help to keep your campaign active in the time between the two peaks.

Keeping your campaign up to date is essential to sustain audience engagement. It also helps to ensure that your campaign seems urgent, important and valued.

Responding to supporters will help encourage an inclusivity in your campaign which might help to encourage people to share your campaign with their network.

Key Elements 1. Humanise Your Campaign

Appointing one person to be the face of the campaign is a great way to personalise your campaign without the confusion of multiple voices. If the face of the campaign is a creative involved in the project, it can help to make it feel more relatable and passionate. If the same person is used consistently over the course of a campaign, it will build a relationship of trust with the viewer as the campaign highlights the human story and why it’s important.

2. Award Your Audience

Another important factor when building a campaign is the rewards you offer. Offering an incentive will help to leverage audience interest. Make sure you’re clear about what you’re offering and manage expectation. Successful incentives range from name in credits, a free copy of the film, tickets to a screening, meeting the creatives etc. Just make sure that you don’t give donors access to your IP rights.

3. Don’t pressure

In the early stages, don’t ask for money. Pressuring audience early on will only put them off donating to your project. Save this for the latter half of your campaign when time is running out and you need to reach tour goals.

Let your audience know that every donation is helpful, however small. Even £1 can help you reach your target.

4. Be Serious

Treat your campaign as a full-time commitment. Having good communication with donors, answering questions and keeping content fresh is key to the success of your campaign and the goodwill it fosters. The more time you spend on your campaign, the more it will be reflected in donations. People notice how regularly content is posted and will be more likely to see this as a real opportunity and something to trust.

5. Use Your Network

Start by sharing your campaign with your network. They might help by donating, sharing with their friends and offering some tips on how to improve your campaign. Asking friends and family to share your campaign on their social media channels will help to increase your reach early on.

Most donors to crowdfunding campaigns are family and friends of the cast, crew and production team, so use this to your advantage and get their support early on.

6. Use Your Socials

As the majority of the donors will be the people that you know, your personal social media channels will be an important asset throughout the campaign.

7. Tell a Story

Setting up and monitoring a successful campaign is all about your ability to tell a story. Share personal success stories or challenges to give the viewer some insight into why this project is important to you and how it can benefit the wider community. Present your campaign like a quest, with you as the hero. You’re on a mission to reach your targets and you need your audience to help you make it. A transparent narrative will help you gain the trust and support of the general public.

Use POV videos to regularly share updates on your progress. Make the journey exciting by making your audience feel like they’re part of the adventure and that they’re in control of the happy ending!

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How to Increase Audience Engagement: faith, trust and a little bit of pixie dust

Engagement. It’s one of those holistic and glorified terms that every marketer bombard you with. Audience engagement has been proved to significantly raise your ROI. But what is it and how can it be used? This article will demystify the magic of its true meaning and how it can be boosted to optimise the ROI of your marketing videos.

Firstly, within a marketing context “engagement” means nothing more than attracting your audience’s attention and having them respond to your content. It’s about getting them interested in who you are and what you do. So how do you accomplish this? With faith, trust and a little bit of pixie dust.

All jokes aside, we’ve summarised how to increase audience engagement in five easy steps!

1. Personalise with Insights

A great first step to increase the engagement with your audience is through detailed segmentation based on demographics, behaviour and needs. The more specific the analytics, the better you can target posts and tailor content to your audience’s interests. This will not only optimise direct engagement but also trigger indirect conversations and sales.

So, get to know your audience! Find out where to reach them, what social media platforms they use, how to talk to them and what images and culture will tap into their emotions. Being specific in your tone will only help you build your audience and sustain engagement. The effectiveness of your reach can only be improved by understanding your target audience better.

2. Search for Topics

Once you’ve decided how to reach your audience, you need to determine what to reach them with. Carefully monitor analytics on your posts and see which ones are the most successful in terms of reach, likes, comments and views. Try to emulate similar posts to keep engagement high. Deepen research on your audience behaviour by looking out for their interests or hobbies. Use metrics to find out whether people have been talking about you, sharing your content etc. See who your audience are following and analyse your competitors. See what they’re posting, how often their posting and track their level of engagement. This data will only help to influence your social media campaign.

3. Go Interactive

In a world where customers are seeking immersive experiences, interactive content is key. Generate content that will allow the audience to respond or reply. This helps create a more inclusive social media presence that will boost engagement. Getting your audience to generate content is also a fantastic way of increasing your reach. 85 percent of consumers indicate that watching user-generated content has more influence on their purchase than brand-created content. The reason for this is reliability. It comes full circle, the more you show that you value your audience’s opinion, the more that the audience will value yours. So, go for draggable 360-degree video, polls, quizzes and include user-generated content to create a really dynamic presence. But don’t forget to provide them with a clear call to action, so your customers know what you expect from them.

4. Increase Your Accessibility

As we’re living in a “content-flooded” society, it’s hard to stand out from the crowd and pop up when being searched for. Therefore, video accessibility matters. Reinforce your message with a voice-over that carefully explains what is happening on the screen and use captions, subtitles and other (motion) graphics to increase the accessibility of your videos. The latter will not only affect the accessibility of your video but also significantly contribute to your SEO. The more material Google can scan the more likely your videos will be found and consumed!

5. Think Events

Want to give your audience that immersive experience? Invite them to your event video. Event videos, if done well, are one of the quickest assets to turn your local reach into global brand awareness. Think about all the events you couldn’t attend – maybe they’re sold out, too expensive or too far away. Now think of all the events, performances and speeches you’ve watched online. Even just short clips. It’s a lot, right? Content like this is a sure-fire way to boost reach and engagement. So, what are you waiting for? Next time you have an event, don’t worry about multi-camera set up and editing crews, just place your tripods and lights strategically and get sharing!

Engaging videos start with having great content. But understanding your audience will only help to boost your reach and meet your targets. Spend some time getting to know your audience, find out what they want to see, what they’ve been engaging with and what they haven’t. Data like this will be invaluable as you increase your video content. It will be trial and error, but over time this combination of strategies will help you achieve the “unachievable” and reach your ROI goals for 2020.

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Promote Your Properties! – A Guide to Why and How Social Media Marketing Can be Vital for Advertising Real Estate

Social media marketing: it’s nothing new. Yet it seems like this trend has only recently reached the real estate industry, but better late than never! More than half of internet users aged 25 to 34 use social media as a product-research tool and this key age demographic makes up 66% of homebuyers in the UK. This article explains why social media can be an impactful platform to promote real estate listings and how agents can use it to their advantage to boost reach and build connections of trust.

Why? Specific Targeting Social media platforms have access to a massive amount of data about their users: from household income, to spending habits and relationship statuses. Marketing on social media lets you identify your target audience and tailor your promotional efforts to their specific interests and needs. This allows you to access a wider reach and optimises the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of your marketing campaign.

Optimising Interaction Social media marketing allows you to interact with your audience in their “natural habitat”. With millennials spending on average 2 to 3 hours a day on social media, it offers fruitful channels for direct communication. The possibility to instantly connect with your audience through commenting, posting and internal chats enables you to have a dynamic presence online and communicate with your audience more frequently. Being able to answer prospective buyers’ questions in a timelier fashion will contribute to high-quality customer service and will strengthen the relationship with existing clients.

Saves Time Although having an active social media channel can be time-consuming, it will hugely benefit your business and will save you time in the long run. With access to comprehensive and relevant data on your clients and prospects, it is not always necessary to have initial in-person meetings to determine price ranges and needs. With direct messaging capabilities, you will save time answering enquiries and sending links to possible properties. Promoting listings on social media can also save you money on print and expensive advertising. Uploading videos and livestreaming property viewings can also help to broaden your potential buyer market, as it removes to need to be there physically, and busy prospective clients can look “on the go”.

Enhances Credibility Buying a property is expensive. Therefore, people who are interested in such an investment need transparency and comprehensiveness. Social media marketing can help you to establish an image and enhance your brand credibility. Posting regular content and building camaraderie with clients through commenting and liking posts, can build a positive online environment for prospective clients. This is also important as it can be used to provide relevant information and advice to your audience. Posting content frequently allows you to attain the image of topical authority and shows that you’re an active player in the industry.

Improves Visibility  Social media is a major lead generator. Regular posts that link to your webpage and feature SEO friendly terminology will encourage more traffic to your page and boost your searchability on the internet. Moreover, social media marketing provides you the option to streamline content on different platforms which does not only enable you to extend your reach, but also enables you to interact with the same audience in different places. This helps to reinforce your message and visibility of your brand.

Builds a Network Building a wider network will help you drive indirect sales. Posting relevant and informative content such as ‘How to Find the Best Mortgage Broker’ might prompt your followers to share it with their network and as a result, increase your visibility beyond your current audience. In addition, using social media platforms as part of your marketing strategy enables you to build a strong community with stakeholders other than just your consumer. It offers you the opportunity to connect with fellow real estate agents to gain insights on your competitors, see how they market their products, exchange ideas and get into collaborations.

How? In short, social media marketing is a gold-mine ready to be exploited, but before you start crafting your marketing strategy, here’s a view tips on what content might help you optimise your efforts.

Be Comprehensive, Not Exhaustive Your content must radiate confidence, so don’t be shy to post regularly and on multiple platforms to show your company milestones and list your properties. Consistent posting across different socials are noticed by algorithms as valuable information and helps to improves your SEO. Having an up-to-date feed full of your listings, and keeping on top of industry trends and providing tips and tricks on overcoming the struggles that come along with the purchase of property, reflects your expertise and know-how. However, the key is not to oversell! Use your social media to create an interesting and exciting presence that’s passionate about the real estate industry, rather than just use it a sales tool. Be Part of The Community Post about the neighbourhood! Share relevant content from locals, announce events in the area and feature neighbourhood walkthroughs to show the perks of the property and, thus, increase its value to your potential audience. Posting content like this radiates transparency and integrity and can be used to tap into the emotions of the audience and get them excited about their future home. Engage Your Audience Drive engagement by replying to comments, using and reposting user-generated content and inviting your audience to participate in contests. Try to keep content across different social media channels varied, so you’re not posting the same thing everywhere. Featuring success stories and customer testimonials will show audiences that you value their opinion and prioritise their happiness. This works extremely well with millennials as they are highly receptive to values of peers. Like and share buyer’s posts about their new property, and upload behind-the-scenes videos to give your audience a sneak peek into your properties and your business, triggering their curiosity and making them feel special.

Go Beyond Pictures Posting high-resolution property photos prompts likes and engagement from people even outside your target audience, this is good as it helps to enlarge your reach and drive indirect sales. However, to optimise engagement you’ll need to post more than just head-turning pictures. In general, infographics and videos work well on social media as they represent information in a comprehensive yet digestible way and are often a striking way to catch your audience’s attention! Video content on most social media platforms play without the user needing to hit the play button, which is great for increasing audience engagement.  Don’t forgot to sprinkle posts with hashtags, as these stimulate engagement and facilitate potential customers in the discovery of your brand.

Humanise Your Brand Star in your own videos and let your personality shine through your social presence. Live-steaming and answering Q&A’s in a video will connect your brand to who you are, increasing your brand’s humanity, credibility and emotional value. As buying a house can be stressful, so a relatable and reassuring face can help strengthen the emotional connection between your brand and your (potential) consumer. Optimise Your Profile Make sure that your social media features complete and up-to-date information about your location, email address, phone number and website etc in order to drive (direct) leads. This also works the other way around. Feature your social media pages on your website, email signature and business cards to increase your searchability and improve your SEO. This will direct more traffic to your webpages and, thus, completes this circle.

Wrap Up Social media marketing helps you find and engage with your target audience, optimises interaction with your potential clients, saves you time, enhances your brand credibility, visibility and searchability, and extends your network – which is vital in promoting your real estate listings!

If you have any questions or would like to talk to us about how Bold Content can create some impactful videos for your social media channels, please do not hesitate to give us a call. We love helping brands achieve dynamic and efficient marketing strategies.

The post Promote Your Properties! – A Guide to Why and How Social Media Marketing Can be Vital for Advertising Real Estate appeared first on Bold Content Video Production.

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Repurposing Your Content – Stretching Your Creativity Instead of Your Budget

As a marketer you might have experienced it; creating compelling and relevant content on a regular basis is a daunting process. 80% of your efforts will translate in 20% of your footage. Only for it to disappear into the clutter within one, maximum two days. It sounds rather depressing. However, there is a way to extend the lifespan of your content and get more out of that 80%. It’s called: repurposing.

What? Repurposing, also referred to as ‘repackaging’ your content allows you to alter content that you’ve already published and give it a new look. The latter allows you to repost it on another or even the same platform, increasing your return on investment. Moreover, it improves your SEO, increases your views, extends your reach and improves the efficiency of your audience targeting. In order to reap those benefits, the following article will look into several ways that your videos can be repurposed.

How? Audio Podcast Extracting the audio track from your video to mould it into a Podcast. The latter might sound far-fetched but it allows you to create two different media products from the same content and, thus, diversify your reach. Moreover, audio is easier to consume as it does not require the full attention of your audience. The consumer can listen to a podcast while doing other things at the same time. This is harder when watching videos.

Transcriptions Likewise, your video can be transcribed and translated into written pieces. Transcription can be used for multiple purposes. Transcriptions of interviews and talking heads provide great content for a Q&A and FAQ on your webpage whereas transcriptions of explainer videos will do well for a “How It Works” page on your website. Other than that, quotes from your CEO, other inspiring leaders or even your customers can be extracted and used as references on your webpage. Finally, transcriptions can be used as the basis of a blog post. Self-evidently, the latter involves a bit more effort but allows you to reach consumers who prefer reading over watching and listening. However you decide to use your transcriptions, they will boost your SEO as Google indexes captions but not visuals.

Multiple Shorter Videos You can also decide to stick to the medium but alter the product by cutting it into multiple shorter videos. The latter is especially fruitful when you want to distribute your content on your socials. Short and concise videos work better on social media platforms and, thus, you may be able to cut and recreate several videos from the original video that you’ve created for you e.g. your website. Examples are short six-second vine camera videos, looping boomerang videos, time-lapse videos, etcetera, etcetera. No matter what form you decide to mould your original video into, short videos make your content easier to digest and are more likely to be consumed completely. The latter increases audience engagement. Besides that, you could make a trailer or social media stories out of your original video to spark the viewer’s curiosity and, thus, leading them from your socials back to your website or video channels.

One Long Video With various pieces extracted from different videos, you can create a completely new video. Take for example the customer testimonials from your old footage and create a case study out of it. Or, collect footage from your old corporate video(s) to showcase different elements of your company culture to create a behind-the-scenes, a founder film or a recruitment video. Similarly, you can stitch together footage to create an overview of the company’s highlights from previous years for both internal and external usage or combine quotes from experienced employees into an interesting thought-leadership piece.

Behind The Scenes Video Behind the scenes videos are thriving nowadays as they provide the viewer an exclusive look into the production process. They engage with and educate the viewer and, at the same time, offer them transparency, integrity and intimacy. This strengthens the connection between your brand and your customer. A behind the scenes video can be created by extracting footage from the respective marketing video or compiling footage from different videos which were shot in the past. The same can be done to create a compilation of funny moments such as the bloopers shown at the end of a film. Such videos help to make your brand more human and relatable. Whether you opt for a BTS video or comedy piece, both will significantly improve your engagement with the audience.

Images Most of the videos are shot at 30 frames per second. This means you can extract a lot of stills from them. The images taken from your video can be used on your socials or website to either give this an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look or lead traffic to your video.

Update Footage Never delete old footage! “Old footage” does not necessarily mean that it is outdated and when it is, there are often easy ways to update or modernise it. Firstly, the outdated parts could be replaced. For instance, the statistics in your animated explainer videos can be replaced by the newest data. Or, an interview with your former CEO can be replaced by a new interview snippet. Secondly, old footage can function as a silent clip on the background of your website, to give visitors a first impression on who you are and what you do. Finally, old footage might look outdated but it may still contain relevant information. To solve this, the video can be modernised by adding 3D animated elements such as motion graphics or the edit can be redone by subjecting the footage to a different piece of music, colour grading or more creative cuts and transitions. Thus, old footage is extremely valuable for re-usage!

Why? There are more different and creative ways to repurpose your content but the message must be clear by now; Repurposing your video does not only extend the shelf-life of your video but also uses your marketing budget, time and effort more efficiently to increase your traffic, extend your reach and improve your audience engagement. Why start from scratch every time your boss wants a new marketing video if you have content available that has proven to perform well? Creativity is not coming up with something new every time but it is about finding ways to keep your content fresh and build on what you’ve published in the past by simply repacking it!

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PRODUCING UNDER THE PANDEMIC

Now that the UK government has confirmed that film production in England is allowed to restart if guidelines are followed, at Bold Content we are readying ourselves in order to get back to filming for you right away. 

We would like to stress though, that we will closely follow and continually monitor the latest government advice, and along with the rest of the country we will still spend a majority of our time working from home. However should a camera need to be picked up and any filming be done, you can rest assured that we are now able to set ourselves up for filming in a covid-19 safe way that will ensure the safety of all on set. Health and safety on set has always been our paramount consideration with any production, but it certainly is so even more now than ever. 

With more rigorous, but necessary, H&S precautions in place we have come up with a number of clever workarounds that ensure the quality of the production will not be compromised. 

As a result, we have outlined a number of measures and precautions which we will be adhering to, both on and off set, to allow your production, scripted or non-scripted, to be up and running soon. We have undertaken extensive research from industry peers and leading bodies within the film industry (inc. The Advertising Producers Association Shooting Guidelines available here), to make sure that no stone is unturned and that all facets of production are considered now that we can get back to doing what we love: shooting films. 

To give you greater confidence that we can take on the scope of your project, our first step before anything else, will be to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment so that you know we will be taking on the project in a way that is both safe and practical to deliver you a film of the highest quality. 

Minimising risk during pre-production:

Directors, Producers, PM’s, PA’s will all continue to work from home and conduct virtual meetings for all pre-production aspects

Location scouting to be undertaken virtually or by sourcing multiple still images of the location from previous shoots

Casting and callbacks all done virtually 

Casting excludes anybody at increased risk of severe illness following infection owing to underlying health conditions until health authorities indicate risk of infection is negligible

All production equipment will be deep cleaned before and after a shoot

Use of in-house equipment as much as possible and minimise external kit hire (N.B. if external kit hire is required, all kit will also be deep cleaned before and after a shoot)

All documents, contracts, release forms etc are signed digitally  

All crew and talent to travel to location in either their personal car or taxi and dissuaded from using public transport if at all possible

Minimising risk during production: 1. Minimising the number of people on set:

No more than 1 person present on-set per 4m2 of unfurnished set.

Crew numbers to be kept as minimal as possible and only vital crew members on set

Where possible and when necessary a live-stream of the filming or a remote video village can be setup for remote direction and / or client viewing in order for communication to be given to on set crew and talent 

Call times will be staggered so that each department is given access at timed intervals, to prevent crowding on arrival to set – all actors / talent will only be given call times that mean they will be arriving on set once it is fully setup for turnover of filming

Ensuring social distancing is met on set:

Implementation of visual tricks such as shooting long focal lengths, or over the shoulder, to give the impression the actors / talent are closer together than they actually are

Each person present on set requires a minimum of 4m2 for unfurnished space and 6m2 for furnished space so 2 metres of distance can be kept to at all times

Every crew member is responsible for bringing his/her own food on set and breaks will be taken separately 

Every talent needs to take care of their own make-up, hair and wardrobe and will be guided and advised on the specific style requirements for this in pre-production by the director and the producer

Minimising risk of infection on set:

All people present on set and their partners will be asked to declare 8 hours before production starts to the producer that they have been symptom free for the two weeks in advance of filming – latest government advice outlines a dry cough, fever, muscle pain, sore throat and loss of sense of smell all as symptoms of COVID-19

Nobody allowed on set who has travelled to the UK from abroad within two weeks of filming

All people in the risk zone (over 70 years old and with underlying health conditions) are not permitted to be on set

We will prioritise ventilation of all interior spaces either by means of open windows or mechanical ventilation

All filming to take place at a single location on any given day to avoid unit moves

Sound to be captured on boom microphones. Should a lavalier microphone be needed then the talent will be instructed on how to put it on from on an on-set member of the sound department

Promoting hygiene on/off set:

Hand washing stations in the form of hand sanitiser will be available on set at all times 

Although not mandated at this time, we will provide masks and gloves (instructions for usage) for all crew on set and we strongly recommend their use for interior spaces, where social distancing can be difficult to maintain consistently

Any prop on set is marked for a single actor’s use only and this will be planned out in advance of the shoot

In the event that physical contact is required by a scene, participating actors are required to sanitise hands before and after

Contact surfaces including door handles, surfaces, bathroom fixtures, and any equipment handled by more than one person will be cleaned frequently during the shoot

Any equipment or workstation used by more than one person needs to be cleaned between each user coming into contact

All operators of camera, lighting and sound equipment to only use their allocated kit on set and not to share or assist one another with each others kit setup

On wrapping a day of filming the premises and equipment should be deep-cleaned

Minimising risk during post-production:

All editing will be conducted remotely

Amendments will be made digitally and via online consultations and conversations

The above guidelines are things we will consider for all productions for the foreseeable future. However, we do know that taking a one-size fits all approach will not be best practice. Each production will have different requirements and we are constantly reading and learning of new innovative ways to shoot content that are being trialled and experimented with around the world to adhere to social distancing measures. 

As a London based production company a majority of our shoots are in the capital city and therefore keeping crew sizes small and casting local talent is something that we will enforce for the time being in order to avoid unnecessary movement of people. Though London based, we have a number of partners further afield around the UK and the globe so if filming is required at alternative locations we can plug into our production partners in order to carry out filming for you and will ensure the above standards and practices are kept to. 

We are keen to get filming again and get back to doing what we love as quickly as we can, so we are ready to talk about your next project and to help you get an awesome video made. 

Photo by Branimir Balogović on Unsplash

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Recession Marketing: To Spend or Not To Spend?

With more than a third of the world’s population in lockdown, the global economy has been subjected to one of the steepest downturns since the Great Depression. Stock markets have been crashing, unemployment has been staggering, consumers have lost their confidence and businesses have become desperate. Consequently, companies have started to slash costs dramatically in order to ensure short-term revenue rather than generating income for the long-run.  This would seem perfectly logical in the same way as if you were attacked by a shark during your surfing holiday you would focus on how to get back to the beach as soon as possible rather than thinking about what to wear during next week’s work meeting. When the economy faces a downturn, cutting costs seems to be the most logical response to ensure your company’s survival. However, the opposite seems to be true. This article will illustrate how maintaining your marketing in times of a recession will lead to long-term success.

Increase to Succeed

A great deal of research has proven that, even though it opposes our primal response, companies should be increasing their spending in times of an economic downturn. Self-evidently, not on every cost area, but cutting costs in one area allows spending a little more in others,  with the marketing department being one of those areas of the business that should benefit from reallocating costs. Therefore, cutting costs should be decided strategically. It is said that increasing your marketing expenditure in a recession leads to long-term profitability. Cutting your marketing costs will mitigate short-term losses and result in (misleading) short-term profitability while it unnoticeably endangers long-term profitability. The brand image and brand usage are damaged significantly when a company quits its marketing from one day to the other as it gives off a perception of failure. It takes those businesses twice as long to get back to normal profit than businesses who cut half of their marketing expenditure. Moreover, businesses which maintain their marketing budgets or even increase them will be more likely to experience long-term success in terms of increasing their market share and return on investment at lower costs than in times of prosperity. The reason for this is that in times of uncertainty, when customers lose their confidence and get more cautious on their expenditure, the right marketing can capture the consumers’ attention and redirect them towards your brand. Thus, brands should focus on maintaining their share of voice in times of a depression rather than on share of market as a powerful brand image and strong brand awareness will ensure future profitability.

Maximise Marketing Effectiveness

However, solely reallocating budget from one cost area of your business to your marketing department does not provide you with the solution to survival. In order to maximise the effectiveness of your profitability, you have to ensure that you maximise your marketing effectiveness. The following will take you step by step through optimising your marketing in times of a recession.

Map your Customers

First and foremost, take stock of your customer’s wants and needs in times of recession in order to ensure that your messages tap into their current emotions and thus have a more effective reach. In general, customers value more durable and reliable goods and tend to negotiate harder in tough economic times. They are willing to trade down, buy less and buy later. Yesterday’s necessity goods belong to today’s luxury items. Consumption becomes irregular and unpredictable. In times like these, attaining loyal customers are key. However, loyalty needs time to develop as it depends on promises being kept and customers’ expectations being met. Right now trusted brands and goods are thriving whereas new ones are having a hard time to penetrate the market. Another way of ensuring consumer loyalty is by connecting with your customer on deeper emotional levels. Here’s where on-point marketing steps in. It is said that in times of trouble, marketing should focus less on visually-pleasing content and more on it’s reassuring and informing ability to tap upon your customers’ need for certainty, safety, connectivity and unity. The latter stimulates a more deeply embedded connection and will be more likely to ensure your customer’s long-term engagement.

Kill your Darlings

Secondly, don’t go spreading your scarce resources amongst all your different brands or products, but focus them on your most profitable and viable ones. Customer behaviour changes and so does the demand for your products and services. Based on the current needs of your customers, forecast which of your products or services will thrive during the recession and let products which currently provide less value swim or sink.

Reprioritise your Channels

Thirdly, reconstruct your marketing tactics and reprioritise your media channels within your overall strategy. Your customers look for value for their money and so should you! Look at the costs and effectiveness of each of your marketing channels and trade down which one you want to focus on. Channels that seem to thrive in economic downturns are point-of-sales marketing also known as in-store marketing (especially point of sale displays with video) and readily measured media also known as digital media (including digital video). Broadcast media, on the other hand, seems to lose popularity. Therefore, the costs for marketing on online platforms usually increases.

However, marketing on social media, when unpaid, is often ineffective as very little of the impressions are high enough quality that they will contribute to building your brand. On the contrary, these channels might inspire people to damage your brand with negative comments. Therefore, it is said that there is little to gain and potentially more to lose from maintaining your organic socials in times of a recession. Now is the time to take stock of the cost and effectiveness of all your channels and reallocate your marketing budget accordingly.

Increase your Creative

Fourthly, set the bar high on the creativity of your marketing content. According to a meta-analysis of econometric sales modelling published in Admap (2006), creative marketing content can double your profit. Thus, leverage your media budget as effectively as possible, now more than ever.

Anticipate your Competitors 

Finally, whatever you decide; to cut or not to cut, you should not forget to keep your finger on the competitive pulse. Especially in time of recession, the moves of your competitors might have a significant influence on your company’s survival and vice versa. Therefore, you should never cut or increase costs without having anticipated your competitors’ response to your actions.

Reinforce your Values 

Most importantly, do not abandon your current marketing strategies but adapt it to focus on your strengths! Focus your marketing efforts on reinforcing what made your brand successful in the first place. The reason for this is that most consumers find security in buying an established and trusted brand. Therefore, you need to stick to and emphasise core brand values. If you deliver premium-priced products don’t go price promoting in order to retain a price-sensitive customer. Usually, premium-priced products offer a rational or emotional advantage over competitive products and the people who purchase these will return as soon as the economy is recovering. Cutting prices does not only lower your margin in the short term but also risks losing the premium status of your product and trains your loyal customers to expect lower prices in the long-run.

Moreover, don’t go cutting quality to save costs as the reason for your customers to return is your brand’s exceptional performance and experience. Instead, you should make your brand more accessible through reframing your brand’s core values. For low-price brands they should definitely emphasise their low pricing aggressively So, whatever you decide to do, do not renounce your original brand values!

In the Long-Run

Running a business all comes down to generating profitable sales. As marketing encompasses everything that brings money into the business, maximising marketing effectiveness should, in theory, maximise the effectiveness of profit generation. That is why an increasing amount of companies start looking at marketing from a more strategic perspective, yet marketing is often still separated from other departments in the organisation such as the sales. Many marketers argue that in order to optimise profit, businesses should implement full-funnel marketing. This means aligning your marketing with all the different specialities inside your organisation such as finance, operations, etcetera, to create an entirely measured marketing communication network or so-called funnel in which information is transparent, measurable and accountable. A recession is the time to reinforce the fundamentals of your company by setting up the practice of full-funnel marketing. Therefore, today is the day to start investing in your marketing, identifying the life-time value of a customer, locating the most profitable customers and determining how to target them. In other words, to warrant profitability in the long-run.

Wrap Up

During recessions, consumers and businesses alike must make the best of a bad situation. Those companies that decide to slash costs in the short term will find themselves in more trouble in the long-run than those companies who maintain or increase their expenditure. Being able to maintain your share of voice in tough economic times like these gives you a competitive advantage when the good times return.

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Animate Your Marketing! – A Guide To Using Animation In Marketing

76% of the marketers say that animated marketing videos increase profitability. When used appropriately, animation can be one of the most effective forms of marketing communication. Animated videos are able to convey complex messages in a simple and cost-effective way, express more abstract ideas, be styled fully in line with your brand assets, be altered at any time during the production process and make the ‘impossible’ possible. This article will show how animation can lift up your marketing communication and convince you on why your next video should be animated.

The Key Elements Of Effective Animation Marketing (1) Choosing The Right Style Animation is very versatile and entails many different styles. The style most commonly used in marketing videos are 3D animation, 2D animation drawn and vector-based, stop motion animation, and motion graphics.

3D Animation 3D animation gives your marketing video a more realistic touch. It is used most often by businesses in industries such as medicine, real estate and construction to create a more comprehensive view and elevate specific objects.

2D Animation Hand-drawn or vector-based 2D animation is less dynamic and simpler but radiates authenticity and allows for the creation of images and worlds that are very hard or impossible to create using 3D animation.

Stop Motion Stop motion is probably the most versatile animation style as it can be altered during the production process at any time. The most popular type of stop motion animations in marketing is the animated explainer video. The latter conveys the value of products and services through simple yet comprehensive visuals.

Motion Graphics Motion graphics allow your marketing video to elevate an emotional connection with the viewer in a concise though imaginative way. It allows for a brand to express their uniqueness and makes your brand videos more engaging. Therefore, motion graphics significantly contribute to raising your brand recognition.

All styles are different, and the benefits of one do not explicitly rule out the other. However, in order to ensure that your animation is reinforcing rather than damaging your brand, it is important to consider which style is most appropriate for the subject and in line with your brand assets. For example, if you have a 300-year-old business telling it’s company history, then you may want to use a traditional, hand-drawn style of animation. This can give the animation a lyrical, poetic style which helps convey the branding that the company wishes to express. Conversely, if you have a young, start-up, then you may want to use a CGI animated style. This could include large block colour and a more corporate, tech feeling to the video.

(2) Selecting The Right Pacing Pacing for the video will depend upon its purpose and the buyer persona. You want the animation and maintain a pace which retains the interest of the audience. Too fast might confuse the viewer whereas too slow may bore them. Explainer videos, in particular, need to keep impetus so that the viewer is delivered the key benefits and features of that product or service in a direct way that doesn’t waste their time. In other words, the pacing is a critical aspect of your animated video as keeping your audience engaged until the end stands or falls with the timing of the action and the story.

(3) Making The Most Of Music Music is a very important element of the story, especially in animation. It stimulates a different part of the brain which, combined with animation, stimulates multiple senses to help the viewer process and understand information more effectively. Thus, music and animation go hand in hand. Music elevates the emotional response that animation evokes. Other than setting a mood, music reinforces the message of your animated video. An informative marketing video such as a training or explainer video, for instance, is more likely to reach its full benefit when you add an underscore that carries the emotion but does not distract the viewer from the content. On the other hand, a slick, fast-paced advertisement is more likely to reach its full potential when you add a more up-tempo and uplifting tune. Alternatively, you could start your video with lower and deeper tones when the problem is introduced and swiftly turn these into higher and more hopeful tones when a solution is introduced. Finally, your choice of music depends on the target group. Music helps to keep up your audience’s interest or attraction it in the first place. In short, music reinforces the beneficial elements of an animated video and lifts your animation to its next level.

Benefits Of Animation In Video Personalises Your Video The versatile character of animation provides businesses with a huge canvas to express their brand on. If you’re a medical institution you can use animation to embrace a clean, professional and traditional look within your video. If you are an educational institution you can use a bright, cartoony and friendly animation style. Moreover, animated elements can personalise generic (stock) footage, aligning it with your brand image or modernise old footage, allowing it to be reused.

Captures And Holds Attention Animation significantly improves retention. The combination of eye-catching graphics and exciting movements grabs the viewer’s attention almost instantly. Approximately 65% of the population are visual learners, meaning that they understand and process information presented in a visual format better and faster. Hence, focussing your marketing video in an animated form can help you to produce a more receptive audience for the content that you want to bring across. It is not only more memorable but also stimulates deeper audience engagement. In other words, animation helps you to deliver the information in the way that your audience is most likely to consume it.

Simplifies Complex Content Animation has the ability to convey complex information in a quick and easy way by abstracting the most important points from your message and turning them into simple though understandable visuals. The latter works in particular for messages that entail training instructions or highly technical information.

Stimulates Creativity Animation especially works when you’re subject is intangible as there are often no pre-determined visual concepts that you are bound to in order to satisfy your viewer’s expectation. The audience is less concerned with how the product or service displayed in the video feels, tastes or looks like allowing the animator to be more creative. Thus, animation allows for the expression of more abstract ideas and make the impossible possible through visualising ideas that cannot be visualised in a live-action production.

Reduces Costs Animation in a marketing video is usually a very cost-effective option. It saves you time, money and effort in terms of preparing, travelling and filming on a shoot. Moreover, it makes expensive concepts, such as shooting in exotic locations, affordable. With animation, you are only limited by your imagination! Finally, animation allows you to make changes to your video at any time in the production process whereas with live-action videos this would be practically impossible without spending a lot more time, money and effort on it. Hence, animation makes it possible to still change your video at the very end of the production or even a couple of years later when you decide to update or modernise its visuals or the content without the need for a significant increase in budget.

Wrap Up Self-evidently, animation is not suitable for every single concept or brand. At the end of the day, your choice between animation and live-action or the style of your animation depends on your brand image, your target audience, the message that you want to convey and the purpose of your video content. Curious whether animation suits your business or concept? We, at Bold Content, are able to give you advice as to whether animation is suitable or not. Use our contact form or call us on 0203 637 1467.

The post Animate Your Marketing! – A Guide To Using Animation In Marketing appeared first on Bold Content Video Production.

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How to get your short film funded?

At Bold Content one of our company goals is to support talented filmmakers. Sometimes that comes in the form of providing them an opportunity to work on real client projects, other times it can mean helping them to get passion projects off the ground. But we realise that funding is often a stumbling block for emerging talent.

In an ideal world, you would make a film, and once it is produced people are queuing up to buy the licensing costs to distribute it onto diverse platforms and exhibit it in numerous theatres. Unfortunately, the bare truth is that, especially for independent or emerging filmmakers, these parties won’t be queuing up. On the contrary, often these filmmakers need to get those parties on board before the actual production of the film has started, in order to gather enough funding to make its creation happen. A struggle which all emerging filmmakers have faced or still face and, therefore, the following article will cover ‘how to get your short film funded?’

Fortunately, the British government is relatively generous in supporting the films industry. There are many different sources of funding, ranging from non-profit organisations to private production companies (like ours) that are willing to help emerging filmmakers with getting their film off the ground. Below is a small selection of these sources, which will point filmmakers, who are in need of funding, into the right direction and give them a head-start on their short film financing research.

Bankside Films Bankside Films is London-based international sales and film finance company offering independent films, no matter their genre or budget, financial and distribution support for international theatrical release. The size of the fund depends on the scope of the project and the creative idea. To submit your idea, contact Bankside Films using the following link: https://www.bankside-films.com/contacts

The British Film Industry The BFI runs the largest public film fund in the UK and, therefore are the biggest financial supporters of UK independent film. They invest over £26 million in the development, production and distribution of films. Amongst their diverse funds, they offer the ‘Short Film funding programme’ in collaboration with BFI NETWORK, which provides funding to fiction shorts and advice on finding screening opportunities, potential collaborators, festival strategies and other means of industry exposure. They even helped to fund our short film Drug Runner. Eligible films should not exceed 15 minutes and can be provided with a maximum of £15,000 of funding. To apply for this fund sign in using the link below: https://www.grantrequest.co.uk/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fapplication.aspx%3fSA%3dSNA%26FID%3d35195%26sid%3d106&SA=SNA&FID=35195&sid=106

Creative England Another big player is Creative England, which offers creative projects diverse funding and distribution support for projects of any size from shorts and features to high-end TV programmes. One of the funds that they offer is called the shortFLIX and nurtures emerging filmmakers via training, mentoring and script development support. For this fund, and many others, you can apply via the following link: https://applications.creativeengland.co.uk/

Doc Society Doc Society is a non-profit organisation which works together with other funding agencies to offer different kind of funds enabling the creation of feature documentaries and shorts and connecting those to a global audience. Unfortunately, the application deadlines for all their funds have closed for 2020 but closely monitor the following website; https://docsociety.org/funds/ to be updated on the presentation of any new funds soon.

Film London Film London supports the creation of both feature and short independent films by offering substantial grants and training, allowing young filmmakers to get hands-on experience and get their craft noticed. To keep informed about the different funds that they offer visit their website: http://filmlondon.org.uk/funding

Liverpool Film Office No matter your origin or location of your company, if you are planning to film in the region of Liverpool, you are eligible to apply for the Liverpool City Region Production Fund. It can fund up to 20% of the production budget with a maximum of £500,000 per production. International co-productions with Liverpool-based producers are encouraged. To apply or find the detailed guidelines on this fund visit the following website: http://www.liverpoolfilmoffice.tv/production-fund/

There are several smaller film funding organisation such as Film Cymru Wales, Welsh Government Media Investment Budget, West Midland Production Fund, Northern Ireland Screen, Screen Scotland and Yorkshire Content Fund which offer support to regional creatives. However, it is worth to visit their website if you are planning to film in one of those areas.

John Brabourne Awards If you already have a showreel but face obstacles to success, you can join ‘The John Brabourne Awards’ which offers financial funds up to £5,000 to UK-based filmmakers. The award is presented several times a year with the next round of qualifications starting in May. To see whether you are eligible for qualification go to: https://filmtvcharity.org.uk/we-can-help/financial-support/john-brabourne-awards/guidelines/

Genera Quarters Another award-based film funding agency is the ‘Genera Quarters’. Unlike the John Brabourne Awards you don’t need to apply with an existing production. A script and a budget breakdown of your short film will suffice. The award is presented every quarter but opens for application 365 days a year. Apart from receiving £5,000 when winning the award, every applicant receives deals and discounts from Genera’s growing number of partners to other competitions or film festivals all over the globe. The only downside is that you need to pay an admission fee. Due to current circumstances, Genera Quarters offers to showcase ready-to-go short films on the Made at Home platform www.mah.studio for free. To submit your short film or find out more about the award visit their website: https://www.generafilms.com/en/

Crowdfunding When traditional commissioning might not be possible, you can also fund your short film using crowdfunding sites such as IndieGogo and KickStarter. IndieGogo and KickStarter are known from success stories like ‘The Veronica Mars Movie Project’ which raised over £4 million. However, not every project is guaranteed to be fruitful. Many filmmakers have been able to create their short film due to a perfectly designed crowdfunding campaign but this takes time. Crowdfunding requires a lot of research to specify your target, solidify your pitch and completely breakdown your budget, which is time-consuming. Another downside is that the money raised is not eligible to tax breaks and many investors often want something in return. The latter can range from a ticket to a screening to exclusive access to a string of private content depending on the size of their investment. To find out more about how to set up a crowdfunding campaign visit the websites of IndieGogo and Kickstarter.

As evidenced above, there are a lot of different and diverse ways of funding your short film but before applying we advise you to look into them in a bit more detail and do some proper research to prevent any unpleasant surprises after its completion. Finally, don’t forget to create a solid funding proposal and update your reel! Good luck!

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Using ASMR for Video Marketing

Already millions of subscribers on YouTube and Instagram follow the trend around Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR). Enough evidence to look closer into what this phenomenon entails and how it can be relevant for your video marketing.

The Fastest Growing Genre for Relaxation Online What is ASMR? Back in 2007, on a website called steadyhealth.com, a form discussion talked about “a weird sensation which feels good”. The term ASMR was coined later in 2010 by Jennifer Allen who was searching for answers regarding that weird sensation.

ASMR is a phenomenon induced by sounds and visuals where viewers experience brain tingles, goosebumps and an overall relaxed feeling. According to the University of Sheffield’s Department of Psychology, ASMR shows significant reductions in heart rates and benefits the overall physical and mental health of people. Even though there is no scientific evidence that these videos produce reliable neurological responses, millions of people tune into ASMR every night to help them sleep. What started out as niche content has made its way to the fastest growing genre in relaxation online.

So-called ASMR’tists publish videos on social media channels, in which they whisper into microphones, eat crunchy food or scratch on items that are placed next to their microphones. All of this allows viewers to experience a tingling sensation!

Existing ASMR advertising campaigns What might sound like a super strange and odd pleasure, has actually made its way into advertising, shifting advertisers from loud and overstimulating ads towards quieter and more relaxing versions.

For instance, the advertising campaign of Michelob Ultra “organic” beer which got aired during the Super Bowl in 2019. A campaign starring Zoe Kravitz who is surrounded by waterfalls and mountains, whispering into dual microphones, tapping on the beer bottle and popping off the cap. The brand went with ASMR since Michelob Ultra-Pure Gold Beer is aimed at bringing more people interested in general wellness, health and nature towards buying that product.

Another good example of ASMR in an advertisement is the “Oddly Ikea” campaign, promoting a new range of dorm room solutions. A female narrator is gently de-crinkling pillows as well as grazing her nails over a lamp. The target audience “Oddly Ikea” is aiming at, fits the demographics (18-24 years old) ASMR has on YouTube.

Tips and Tricks to Implement ASMR Advertisement The right approach to video marketing is essential for brands to stay relevant to the market. ASMR marketing works with visuals, audio and tactile stimuli, hence it can create a more immersive experience for viewers, resulting in higher brand recognition. Tactile stimuli are probably the strongest experience. Only the thought of getting touched through these so-called “personal attention” videos, in which ASMR’tist pretend to give you a facial massage, can trigger.

Getting one of the popular ASMR’tists onboard of your video marketing campaign gives you access to their millions of followers. ASMR Darling with over 2 million subscribers on YouTube helps her viewers fall asleep by whispering and tapping into the microphone. ASMR’tist Gentle Whispering who has over 1 million subscribers speaks with a soft Russian accent and is probably the most known ASMR YouTuber in mainstream media. Some of them are already partnering up with brands and feature their products in ASMR videos called “Tapping on all Apple Products” or “The Lush Store Roleplay”.

But be aware that not every product is suitable for ASMR. Depending on what kind of product you are selling and if that can produce soothing sounds eliciting a certain sensory response. Moreover, if you want to make ASMR work, the video needs to have a human component, a human element. It needs to involve personal attention, a feeling of safety, security and slow movements.

Another aspect worth mentioning is the risk of audiences not being able to respond to ASMR. According to research, some people have responses to stimuli such as endorphins, dopamine, oxytocin or serotonin and some simply don’t. Parts of those stimuli can be FELT by individuals experiencing ASMR.

Maybe ASMR is just another trend that comes and goes. It is no secret that brands have been using psychological marketing approaches for quite some time and ASMR happens to be one of them. In the end, it is all about pulling off a creative content marketing strategy, and if your product fits the concept of ASMR, it is definitely worth looking at it!

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How to Stay Creative with your Video Marketing in Turbulent Times

Like every other industry, Coronavirus affects the video production industry. Major events such as Coachella and the release of the newest James Bond film has been cancelled or postponed which has a knock-on effect for supporting industries such as video producers. It is said that Hollywood has already lost billions of dollars due to theatres closing. In addition, film productions, whether major or independent, were cancelled due to their people-intensive nature. So how do we continue video production without the accessibility to studios, actors and a production crew?

Animation The limitations imposed by the government’s social distancing measures has challenged many video production companies, major and independent, to think outside the box and get creative. Numerous video production companies have started to focus on animation. Whether you’re going to animate frame by frame using stop motion, use 2D animation to bring an old illustration alive, use 3D animation to create more realistic visuals or use motion graphics to personalise stock footage or revigorate existing footage, the animation process revolves around numerous decision moments allowing you to create a creative and personalised marketing video. The great advantage of any animated video is that it can be created remotely. This means that in turbulent times like these, in which film production is put on hold, existing projects and live-action videos could be converted into an animation format. The latter is time-intensive as it forces production companies to go back to the phase of ideation and re-creating storyboards. On the other hand, it stimulates companies to go down a different path and activate different parts of our brain, in other words, get creative! As a result, the videos produced remotely tend to have a fresh look and have reduced costs. A win-win for the client.

Stock Footage Another way video production companies can make do with what they have is by diving into libraries of existing footage or imagery. An increase in the sales of stock footage confirms this. Some clients are afraid that this will result in generic and repetitive videos but on the contrary! It stimulates video production companies to think outside the box! There is nothing wrong with using footage that has been used before as long as it is presented to the viewer differently. The latter seems daunting but as a matter of fact brings us closer to the origins of our industry: creativity. Our decisions made on the montage, transitions, compositing, audio, animation, 3D elements, etcetera, etcetera, will influence the way the story is told and, thus, the originality and creativity of the end product. Whether you browse your own library or use material from large stock footage databases, videos can be personalised and modernised by, for instance, re-mixing different footage, adding 3D animated elements or applying different colour grading. You could even use those (still) images and turn them into a video by adding an appealing music track or a supporting voice over. Thus, there’s no shame in using stock footage, because, in the end, it all depends on the quality of the idea, the emotional connection and the skills of storytelling.

This is a perfect example of how well-chosen stock clips can help produce an entire video with post-production only. We have carefully listened to our client’s wishes and footage preferences and later on proceeded to source stock footage which met those demands. Through the use of stock footage, we have managed to creatively put together a video which perfectly tells the story of LHH, without needing any additional original footage.

Supporting New Clients Other than altering the production process, video production companies can ensure their survival by reaching out to new clients who thrive during crises like these and, thus, express an increase in demand for video production. One man’s misfortune is the other man’s opportunity. Look at the gaming industry for example. According to app analytics firm App Annie, China has recorded 222 million downloads of games and apps from the AppStore since February 2. Other industries that are doing well and, therefore form an interesting new target group, are the food delivery businesses, digital communication platforms, logistics, storage and of course the healthcare industry. Yesterday, the United Nations has called upon creatives all over the globe to come up with creative and innovative ideas to “translate critical public health messages into different languages, [to] different cultures, communities and platforms, reaching everyone, everywhere” (United Nations, 2020). So reaching out to these kind of parties with proposals, may just be the way to go in surviving the current crisis.

Supporting Existing Clients Looking after your existing clients in another way to keep your head above water. Even though companies may not immediately prioritize video marketing in today’s situation, videos turn out to be essential for survival. Offering your creative perspective on how to promote services differently and thinking about how to continue connecting your current clients with their customers within the boundaries of their current (financial) situation, might be highly valuable. After all, many businesses are in the same boat and, thus, appreciate any initiative to help each other out and fight the virus together. Another way to keep connected with your exciting clients is to draw up plans and video proposals for the future on how to promote the company’s products and services after the crisis in order to ensure re-growth.

In short, the virus brings video production companies a lot of hurdles but also allows us to get back to the origins of our industry: creativity. Whether it is through offering slightly different services such as animation or through reaching out to new prospects, thinking out of the box is a great challenge for us all.

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Influential Female Filmmakers

At Bold Content, we’re a team of film nerds who love and celebrate cinema and we occasionally blog about topics that are close to our heart. In this post, we’re going to be discussing a concept that we like to champion…getting more women into creative roles in the industry.

Last year, women represented 20% of the global Behind the Scene workforce in the film reaching a historical high. Unfortunately, gender equality in Hollywood remains a serious issue, especially when you look at the Oscar nominations of 2020 and notice that none of the Best Picture nominees are directed by a woman. Ironically, it is not because there are none as, according to Celluloid Ceiling, the number of female directors is on the rise. It is simply because female filmmakers are “not yet a trend”. So in order to contribute to the inspiration of such a “trend”, this article will give a platform to a small selection of the most influential female filmmakers of all time.

First Female Filmmaker The first female filmmaker is said to be Alice Guy-Blaché. Although her name is for many unknown, Guy-Blaché is considered to be the true pioneer of narrative fiction film. Guy-Blaché started her career in 1894 as a secretary in a French camera manufacturing and photography company. It was in her role of secretary that she developed a desire to introduce fictional storytelling elements into the concept of film. Even though back then, films were merely seen as a promotional tool to sell cameras, Guy-Blaché got her manager’s permission to execute her ideas and make her own film. After the release of her first film La Fée aux Choux (1896), Guy-Blaché got promoted to Head of Production. 10 years later she moved to the United States with her husband and together they found the Solax Company, an American motion-picture studio, were Guy-Blaché was responsible for directing films. As a filmmaker, Guy-Blaché is known for her usage of audio recordings in conjunction with the images on screen and the employment of pioneering special effects such as double exposure, masking and reversing film.

First Oscar-winning Female Filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow is the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Director for her film The Hurtlocker (2008). Surprisingly this happened just 12 years ago. Up until today, she has won 85 awards including an Emmy and a BAFTA for respectively Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking and Best Film. She is known for her manipulation of movie genres and mainstream conventions and her head-on expression of violent realities and controversial subjects such as gender, politics and racial conflicts, without losing the entertaining value of her films. Bigelow started off as a student of painting but entered the graduate film program at Columbia University as soon as she received her Bachelor. At Columbia, she made her first short film, The Set-Up (1978) but it wasn’t until the making of Blue Steel (1990) and Point Break (1991) when Bigelow got recognised as both a Hollywood brand and auteur. With her fierce belief in the political power of the film medium and her determination to give victims of injustice a voice, Kathryn hopes to wake up and inspire her audiences to take the issues featured in her movies further. Despite her success and fame, she remains humble and repetitively mentions her valuable team. Honesty and reality is what Kathryn likes to express most in her films which is why she aims at safeguarding the spontaneity and immediacy of a piece by avoiding over-analysing her work before release it and occasionally keeping an intentional distance during the actual making.

First Black Female Filmmaker In 2014, it was Ava Marie DuVernay who got to stand in the spotlights as she was the first black female filmmaker to get nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Director and the Academy Award for Best Picture for her feature film Selma. 10 years earlier she wasn’t acquainted with the film industry at all. However, DuVernay has been everything except for inactive. She started off as a journalist, moved into PR soon after and founded several ventures amongst which DuVernay Agency, a public relations firm which introduced her to the film industry. In 2005, Duvernay decided to make a U-turn once again and single-handedly gathered $6,000 to create her first, 12-minute long, documentary inspired by her own mother. Up until today she still occupies the role of a filmmaker, though her portfolio has extended with many other documentaries, feature films, television programmes, commercials, music videos and the very popular Netflix series When They See Us (2019). Even though her portfolio is extremely diverse the majority of DuVernay’s work is characterised by her personal mission of “furthering and fostering the black cinematic imagine in an organised and consistent way, and to not having to defer and ask permission to traffic our films: to be self-determining.” (DuVernay, 2014).

First Sexuality Struggles on Screen Another powerful female filmmaker using the power of the audiovisual form of storytelling to convey controversial topics is Dee Rees. Unlike other influential female filmmakers, Rees explores a relatively new and, unfortunately, still taboo subject of sexual expression within an Afro-American context. Being raised in an orthodox, African American family, her coming out was far from easy. However, Rees managed to turn the struggles of her outcoming into a source of inspiration for her very first feature film Pariah (2011). Even though the completion of the film took around 5 years, due to funding and formatting difficulties, it is one of Rees’ best-known works. Most of Rees’ works let themselves be characterised by their political, ethical and racial messages. Her most recent and best-received work, Mudbound (2017), was inspired by her grandma’s journal, and has been nominated 113 times and won 36 awards.

First Female Superhero Filmmaker Someone who pushed the trend of “filmmaking feminism” even further is Patty Jenkins. With the release of Wonder Women in 2017, Jenkins did not only receive the title of ‘first female director of an American studio superhero film’ but also became the author of the highest-grossing female-directed film of all time, surpassing Phyllida Lloyd, director of Box Office Hit Mamma Mia!. Jenkins was raised by her mother, who thought she was going to be an environmental scientist when she grew up. Nonetheless, young Jenkins was inspired by Richard Donner’s Superman film and had her heart set on an entirely different future: directing superhero movies. When she was 20, Jenkins persuaded the manager of the company she was interning at, to provide her with film training in return for working on set for free. This led to Jenkins operating as a cameraperson for the next 10 years. Even though this was only a small step in her route towards her dream it turned out to be her stepping stone into the world of filmmakers. She got recognised for her talent and ambition and got offered a spot at the American Film Institute which taught her the profession of directing. In 2003, Jenkins directed her first movie Monster with Charlize Theron, which won critical acclaim. However, Jenkins still faced a series of rejections for the next 15 years in her attempts to get films made. In 2017, Jenkins made a splash with her come back movie, Wonder Women, giving her the biggest domestic opening for a female filmmaker. With the film, Jenkins contributed to raising awareness on one of the UN’s most pursued goals: ‘achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls by 2030’. Recently, Warner Brothers asked her to return for Wonder Women 2, which Jenkins accepted provided that she would receive the same amount of salary as her male counterparts would have gotten for directing the film.

First “Bold” Female Filmmakers We, as a relatively small video production company, value the importance of a diverse and all-round team including female filmmakers. We have worked with many different female filmmakers over the years, who have delivered great and influential work. Amongst them is Tamara Rosenfield. Tamara graduated in film production from the School of Cinematic Arts at USC. She has gone on to win multiple competitions for commercial spots, which brought her to Cannes Lions Awards two consecutive years (2011, 2012). After moving to London she worked with us as a director on many projects for brands and advertising agencies, including Coca-Cola, Jameson, Chevrolet and Lowe & Partners and non-profits such as Akshaya Patra. She was selected for the prestigious SHOOT Magazine New Directors Showcase in 2014 for a Coca-Cola spot she directed in Brazil. The film was screened at the DGA in NYC. She is now a member of the Director’s Guild of America and is Directing episodes of Chef’s Table Street Food for Netflix.

Another one of our female filmmakers who we greatly value is Sogol Ashar. Sogol Afshar is an Iranian filmmaker, living in London whose powerful and compelling work is born from her love of fine art. She has a strong connection with female empowerment issues which led to the creation of a commercial for the Fawcett Society which was nominated for a 2017 Adcan award.

Finally, we want to give the stage to Charlotte Regan, one of our youngest female filmmakers. Before she became a filmmaker, Regan worked at a scrapyard and as a paparazzi photographer. She had no obsessive interest in film but got involved in directing music videos for friends because of her love for the rap and grime culture. Nowadays she has a diverse portfolio including commercials, branded content, short films and documentaries. Regan is not so much fixated on type of audiovisual storytelling that she creates but more on adding human interest to the stories that she tells. Drug Runner is such a human interest story following the evolution of a 15-year-old child as he falls into the world of drug dealing. We are honoured to have been able to work with Charlotte Regan on this project, together pushing the boundaries of documentary storytelling. Charlotte has won numerous awards for her work, including the BFI Future Film Award, the BFI New Talent Award, a Cannes Lions YDA Award, and now her second Vimeo Staff Pick for Drug Runner.

So, female filmmaking is far from dying, however, the growth of the number of women working behind the scene is still terrifyingly low. This is, once again, proven by this year’s Oscars featuring zero female Director nominees. Thus, in order to change this, hopefully, by the next year’s Academy Awards, awareness needs to be raised on this, still an often-ignored issue. Although, many more things can be done; giving influential female filmmakers a platform is one step along the way in turning this “trend” into the norm. So to all female readers, what’s stopping you from picking up that camera and taking film directing in your own hands? We’re willing to help!

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Video Marketing: How to use video brand guidelines to elevate the production of an interview video?

For a lot of purposes, simple talking head interviews are a great way to achieve communication goals with both, external and internal parties. Done right, they are authentic, honest and the interviewee is usually the expert in their field. They work well for case study videos, recruitment videos, internal explainer videos of new strategies and upcoming plans…

The only problem with a simple talking head video is that it might quickly get boring and the viewer may switch off. The interviewee is – in most cases – not a professional presenter, so he or she might not be highly engaging, so often a filmmaker will use ‘cutaway’ shots (also known as B-roll). These are shots which add visual context to what the interviewee is discussing. However, when an interviewee is discussing office-based work (as they often are in case study films) B-roll shots captured in an office, can become repetitive: typing on a laptop, talking on the phone, drinking coffee, having a meeting with colleagues or clients. The point is, those videos quickly lose their uniqueness as well as the interest among the audience.

The key to successful video communication is keeping in mind that any video content created for your company needs to be in line with your overall communication strategy and, more specifically brand guidelines. Thus, the message, the tone of voice, the look and feel have to match your online and offline communication style. While the first two aspects depend on the script and the interviewee, the look and feel of the final video is up to you. So how do you make your videos look in line with your brand? How to use video brand guidelines to elevate the production of an interview video?

On-Screen Text

A good start to giving your videos your brand personality is by using kinetic typography. Simple on-screen text in your branding fonts and colours will not only make the video more engaging but also break down the information and help the viewer to digest the content. A great additional advantage that comes with on-screen text, is that it subliminally reinforces brand awareness and recognition. It’s a win-win!

Bespoke Brand Assets

This motion graphics game can – and should – be taken to the next stage. Just like your branding guidelines include brand elements for digital and print marketing, they also should have brand elements for your video marketing. There are so many brand elements that can be used across all different kinds of videos, which will not only support the brand awareness and give your marketing efforts a clear consistency but will also allow you to save time and money on future projects. The reason for this is that the editor will only need to adjust the existing project files to the video, instead of creating new ones every single time.

Brand Elements to consider:

Logo: How would you like the videos to open, just a simple fade into the establishing shot, or would you rather have a fancy Logo Reveal? One of the most important assets in your branding is your logo. Video gives you the unique opportunity to present your logo in an interesting and engaging way. Moreover, you could ask the editor to add your website name to your logo reveal to create a call to action at the end of the video. To support your logo reveal and help you reinforce your brand awareness a bespoke musical sting can be created. A sting is a few-second sound that is associated, with the logo reveal at the beginning or at the end of the video. Often the choice of whether to add an opening logo is dependent on the channel the video will be shown on.  If it’s going on Twitter or Facebook, do you want to add a logo to ensure the viewer gets an immediate brand impression or do you want to hook them in with a bold opening shot that will grab their attention and stop them from scrolling? Do you need an opening logo if the video is embedded on your website and it’s obvious that the video was made by your brand? Maybe not, but, if the video is embedded from YouTube then maybe you do want to have the logo there in case it pops up in a YouTube search. All these elements can be decided upon in a video brand guidelines document.

Titles and Question Cards: Would you like to guide the viewer by introducing questions that the interviewees are answering using the question cards or give them additional keywords using title cards in your branding colours and fonts?

    Lower Thirds: Lower thirds (sometimes called straplines) are used in most interview-based videos to introduce the speaker and tell you their job title. This is one of the elements that would be used repeatedly in every video you create. So why not have that as a standardized brand asset? Placement of the lower third should be considered because you need it to be high enough to avoid being cut off if the video is shown on TV screens or projected at a conference, but low enough so as to not interfere with any subtitles you may want to add. The text also has to be big enough to be read on a mobile screen.                                                                                                    

Watermarks: To make sure that certain information stays on screen throughout the entire video, you could add a small watermark in a corner, for instance with your logo or a hashtag. Things to consider are its legibility against different backgrounds. If you often film interviews against a white backdrop, you may want to have a semi-opaque black logo as a watermark.

Transitions: Even the transitions between shots are an opportunity for increasing brand recognition. You could use a coloured swipe in your brand colours, or even a fast logo reveal, similar to American sports networks. Things to consider are whether it’s cheesy and whether your viewer needs that much reminding about your brand.

Music: Does the music you use reflect your brand’s tone of voice or, in other words, comply with your brand guidelines? For example, high-quality luxury brands are likely to use music that will resonate with their audience. A more down to earth, friendly brand may want to use music that feels positive and upbeat.

A sting: Consider one of the most beloved brands in the world, Coca-Cola. They use the ‘Coke tones’ an arrangement of five unique musical notes that have become synonymous with their logo, the shape of the bottle and the colours of their brand. They often appear at the end of a video as a ‘sting’ a short arrangement, woven into the music that makes whatever the style of music becomes uniquely Coca-Cola. Could your brand also use a sting as a piece of brand recognition to tie together all your videos?

Motion Graphics

In some cases, the topic of the interview might be intricate, abstract or it might be hard to visualise. We often find that with software companies or financial services organisations the interviewee is explaining a complex subject and there’s no B-roll that we could capture that would help to explain it.  That’s when animated motion graphics can be our best friend.

Using your brand guidelines, a talented creative team can conceptualize motion graphics to help explain the ideas being discussed. Not only is this another chance for you to increase brand recognition, but you can also impress your viewers with your creativity and visual flair.  This is especially pertinent when working with dry subject matter. Motion graphics can liven up the video and illustrate complex concepts so that your audience feels both informed and entertained by the video.

Wrap-Up

Remember, the devil is in the detail. Pay as much attention to your video communication as you do with all your other communication forms. Differentiate yourself visually from your competitors, however, within the scope of your brand guidelines. Thus, be unique and, most importantly, recognizable in all your communication forms.

The post Video Marketing: How to use video brand guidelines to elevate the production of an interview video? appeared first on Bold Content Video Production.

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Video Marketing: How to approach an Animation Project?

“We need an animated video”, thought probably every marketing professional at least once. This thought is sometimes the beginning of a beautiful video project but more often the end of a potential opportunity, because people simply don’t know where to start when it comes to animation. Here are 3 simple steps to approach an animation project from the initial idea to the final video. 

Step 1 – Define the essentials

The first step is identical for any video project. When approaching a marketing campaign you need to define the essentials:

What is your goal?

Who is your target audience?

What is your message?

Which channels are you going to use to spread the message?

What tone of voice suits your brand and your target audience? 

With animation it is no different, all of these questions need to be answered in order to create a strong piece that will serve the purpose of promoting, explaining, informing, engaging, teaching, storytelling or whatever else it might be. 

Step 2 – Find the right tool

See it this way: for each message, you need the right tool to communicate it, and animation is just a box of tools  – you only need to find the one that suits your purposes. Here are some of the most common types of animation. 

2D Character Animation 

As the name indicates, this type of animation has a character – drawn in 2D – that helps you tell the story. The advantage of having a character is that it can be based on your user persona / average customer, so the viewer will be able to identify with it and relate to it. Especially when using affective messaging strategy, this would be the most effective way to approach the project – creating a character the audience can use as a proxy for themselves, thus forming an emotional connection. 

One of our recent character animations was done to promote the Health Data Exchange. The characters featured are medical researchers as well as the research participants that the target audience can identify with.

Motion Graphics Animation 

Motion graphics are possibly the most common type of animation. It is suitable for informative content as it can make any dull subject accessible, engaging and exciting. So no matter if you want to inform your audience about recent statistics, explain a complicated operational process, or celebrate the achievements of your brand over the past 100 years, motion graphic animation will be a suitable approach for your next video.

For our long-time client Trafalgar Travel, we have created a fun timeline animation for their 70-years anniversary to celebrate their achievements over the last seven decades.

Another great example of motion graphics is the Chrismas video we created for AncestryDNA. In this example, it becomes visible how important it is for visualise numbers in order to help the audience retain information and stay engaged throughout the video.

Curious how we did it? Read our Case Study Article about this Animation!

White Board Animation 

Whiteboard animations probably take most of us back to our school times, when the teacher tried to explain to students what they meant by drawing it on the board, which – depending on their drawing skills – usually caused the A-HA-effect in student’s heads. It is a great approach for explainer videos, especially when it comes to explaining processes, or cause-and-effect relationships. However, they became very popular as video marketing became more prevalent and now, a few years on, they look a little dated. There may be creative ways to reinvigorate the genre but the classic whiteboard animation should only be used if really necessary. 

The example below shows how Coca-Cola makes use of interesting whiteboard animations to communicate their plans for the upcoming year.

Stop Motion 

Stop motion is a unique way of approaching an animation since in its core it is still photography or illustration that is moved only a small amount each frame, to create an illusion of motion. It is a suitable approach for promotional and storytelling-based videos, and we do recommend commissioning it because it can provide very creative results. Not many people are using stop motion due to the time and costs involved, but of course, this makes your video more likely to stand out from the crowd. Especially if a distinctive style, art design, or colour pallet is used.

However, it needs to be considered that it is a time-consuming practice and once the stills are finished, there is little to no flexibility in terms of changes. Proper prior planning can prevent disappointment by enabling all stakeholders to pre-visualise the animation before the shoot starts and more thoroughly before it is wrapped. 

Often expert Directors and DOPs are brought on board to create stop motion videos because there are many nuances to this approach that can only be learned over time and experience. Often we learn by making mistakes but it’s preferable not to be making those mistakes when the client’s budget is on the line.

A good example of a stop motion animation is the video we created for Exodus Travel. This explainer video uses kinetic typography to communicate the message and therefore goes well without a voiceover. Because the video explains a charity project for children, the style of the illustrations resembles a children’s book.

Screencast 

The easiest and most straight forward way to approach walk-through videos, to instruct your audience how to use a web platform or an app is to animate screen grabs or screen recordings.  This approach is very goal-oriented to make information accessible and digestible for the viewer. The usage of actual screen recordings ensures that the audience is familiar with exactly what is going to be on their screens once they start using the platform/app. 

However, don’t think that this style limits your creativity. You can still create visually engaging videos to keep your audience transfixed by augmenting the screen capture with other forms of animation. For example, for our client AncestryDNA, we used an approach that took a screenshot of a webpage and animated it within a 3D space as we also animated text being added to show an example of a potential user journey. This enabled us to blend the screen capture seamlessly with other parts of the video which used 3D CGI style animation. The results made for a visually interesting video which also familiarised audiences with how to use a specific part of their site.

In the example of the Thirst.io product walkthrough, we animated still screengrabs and existing brand assets into an engaging explainer video that clearly visualizes the advantages of the platform.

In the case of AncestryDNA explainer video, we used a mixed approach of motion graphics in 2D, together with 3D animated screen captures. This method allowed us to elevate the production value and to create an engaging and dynamic walkthrough video to highlight the benefits and the client’s product.

Typography 

Kinetic typography is one of the most exciting animation tools out there. It can be easily combined with other types of animation such as motion graphics or stop motion but it’s just as powerful on its own. It conveys the core message in the form of text, which is why it doesn’t require voiceover, unlike any other type of animation. 

Airbnb offers us a beautiful example of how to use kinetic typography. Mixed with some motion graphics to support the message, the entire story is told through animated on-screen text. 

Another great example of kinetic typography is The clock is ticking video used by The Girl Effect. By combining it with character animation and smart transitions, the creators are able to tell a very emotional story.

The absolute best thing about typography animation is that it works perfectly well in combination with live-action footage. You’ve got very technical and specific topic with no suitable b-roll/ the interviewee had no time for b-roll / you think b-roll is too mainstream – b-roll is simply not always the solution. Combining live-action footage with animation will help the viewer retain information, make the topic exciting and visually appealing and simply elevate the production value of the video to the next level. 

If you’re going to use Kinetic Typography you can brief your animator to use the illusion of depth of field, music and sound effects to make a cinematic video and even tell a visual story just by using these three elements.  After Effects allows you to create the feeling of depth within a 2D image and by pulling the focus from the foreground to the background you can highlight different words at different times to help tell the story in an interesting way.

Our client Colt approached us to create an interesting case study video of their collaboration with Google. The basis for the video is an interview, however, instead of using generic b-roll, we decided to add exciting and dynamic animations to illustrate the topic and help the viewer process the industry-specific topic.

Mixing techniques can also bring excellent results. We’re really excited to be using a mixture of 3D photorealistic animation along with 2D motion graphics in a current animation for a financial client. But think of the possibilities afforded by mixing stop motion with 3D characters or kinetic typography to bring a screencast to life.

Step 3 – Involve Professionals

Once you know what your project is going to be about, how you are going to achieve your goals, and which style of animation to use, half of the work is done. Now you can hand over the project to a video production company or an animator who will take over the video, starting with pre-production, such as scriptwriting, creating style frames or characters depending on the project and storyboarding. You should ask them to provide regular updates and pre-visualisation so you can make any changes earlier on in the process because changing a fully animated scene can be time-consuming.

Final Thoughts

When breaking up the process into steps, it seems clear that animations are not different from any other marketing projects and you can follow similar procedures to those that you would usually go through. As with every project, thought needs to be put into selecting the right team to help you bring your vision to life. Make sure that your selected team consists not only of skilled animators but that they also understand and appreciate your marketing and communication strategies and goals and will help you find the most appropriate way of getting those across to your target audience.

Now you know that thinking “we need an animation project”, is a decent start. But thinking “we need a __[type]______ animation to _____[purpose of the video]_____ our target audience about _____[message]______ in a ______[tone of voice]_____ way.”, is the beginning of a beautiful video project. You fill in the blanks in the sentence, we will take care of the rest. 

The post Video Marketing: How to approach an Animation Project? appeared first on Bold Content Video Production.

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How to write a script for an explainer video

Explainer videos are an incredibly powerful tool for business to introduce themselves, their products, services and the solutions they offer to clients.

Here are five of the most important elements for developing an explainer video script with impact.

1. One clear message

What’s the one thing you want the audience to remember a week after they watched the video?

This is a really useful question to ask to help remove any clutter from the video.

Too often we see people trying to cram too much into their explainer videos. Leave all the intricate details for your website and use the video as a breadcrumb to lead people to your website. If you have one clear message that resonates with your target audience they will click trough to learn more. Content tells and copy sells, so keep your content clear and concise.

You may choose to use repetition in the dialogue or text on screen to underline the one key message.

Once the script is written and you move onto planning the visuals we recommend underlining the one clear message in the imagery as well.

2. Hook them in

Nowadays you need to hook people in from the start. So you can use a hook line. That could be in the form of a question. Or you can ask the audience to imagine something. Or set a scene…

Setting a scene is a powerful storytelling technique that can be used to activate a prospect’s imagination. You can give them the incentive to put themselves in the shoes of a character… “Early one Monday morning, after a hectic weekend, Jane got into the office early. Imagine her surprise when…”

Whilst writing the script, think about how to hook the audience in with a great opener. This might be as simple as telling the viewers what they’re going to learn. If the video is targeted correctly then they’ll be willing to sit to the end to get that nugget of information.

Summarize The Content at the start

In order to allow the viewer to decide whether they want to watch the video, it can be useful to summarize the content within the first fifteen seconds.

This serves two purposes. Firstly the viewer can decide whether they want to watch the rest of the content and don’t feel like they have had their time wasted. The other benefit is that even if the viewer clicks away after fifteen seconds your core message will still have been delivered.

3. Speak Directly To The Audience.

Your tone of voice is a reflection of your brand persona, so decide whether you want your dialogue to come across with a comical tone, a friendly tone, a caring tone or a regal tone, depending on what suits your brand.

Use personal pronouns like “you” and “your” to speak to your audience one-on-one. Give them what they need to know about you that will help them to trust you, and to take the action you want them to take.

e.g. We can help you to …

Example video

4. Leave lots of pauses for the audience to absorb information

Keep dialogue to between 125 and 150 words a minute.

Keep in mind that the voiceover needs time to breathe, allowing viewers to absorb what you’re saying. Videos are way more memorable when the audience is given short bursts of key information, with plenty of time to take on board the information.

5. Problems and solutions

One way to explain your core offering is to introduce a problem faced by your audience and then explain how your product solves that problem.

In this type of video, you pose your brand as the one who comes to the assistance of your audience.

First, you establish the audience’s goals, and then you identify the barrier to those goals. Make this clear and relatable, but don’t spend too much time on this part of the script because you want to move onto the solution and dwell on that for as long as possible.

You then introduce your brand as the catalyst for change, the helper who enables them to get over their barriers and achieve their goals. This is a classic story arc that will feel familiar to the viewer. By the end of the video, they should have a clear understanding that your brand is there to make their lives easier.

We recommend thinking of the audience as the hero and your brand as the helper – you are the Obi Wan Kenobi to their Luke Skywalker.

6. Process Overview

This is an alternative approach to the problem and solution script. A process overview may not mention the problem at all. It just presents a process as a means to making life easier. The audience may not know that a problem exists or there may not be a problem but your brand may just do things faster, better, of higher quality, and make things simpler for the viewer. If so, then bullet point the service offering in a way that’s clean and concise and move onto the call to action.

7. Don’t Try To Sell With The Script

Your audience has been exposed to marketing messages since the day that they were born. This has created a generation of sales saturated, media savvy consumers who aren’t going to sit through a sales pitch if it doesn’t offer any value to them.

Yes, the script should list the features and benefits of what you have to offer. But these can be detailed in a straightforward way, which doesn’t insult the intelligence of your viewer or condescend them.

It’s about giving the viewer the information that they need to make an informed purchasing decision.

8. Leave time for a Call To Action

The shorter your video is, the more you show respect for your viewer’s time so don’t try to cram too much in there and leave time to get to the call to action. Often the success of the CTA is the KPI which your video will be measured against. If the viewer doesn’t even get to the KPI you have little chance of succeeding.

Have your voice over artist read a call to action to tell the audience what you want them to do and back it up with onscreen text.

Example video

I believe the above video is a good example of a mixture between an introductory video and a solutions video.

It starts off by introducing the company’s goal: “A few years ago we set out to find…”

It establishes the problem: “We couldn’t find one.”

Then introduces their solution: “So we built Thirst”

It mentions the features and benefits: “helpful, intuitive, cloud-based etc.”

It has a strong Call To Action.

It’s a good length. Any longer and people would start to lose interest and would not remember the details.

Specific tips for Introductory Videos

Opening Hook

Tell them what they are going to learn about your brand.

For example: We are Brand X and we exist to help make people’s lives simpler.

About the company

The below is a list of suggestions rather than a list of things you have to mention:

Why you do what you do?

Why should people care about what you do?

How can you make their lives easier?

How did the company start? / Where did you come from?

Who is involved?

What service do you provide?

Specific tips for Solutions based Videos

Opening Hook

Pose the problem that your product solves:

e.g. Managing your business can be time-consuming and difficult, but it doesn’t have to be.

Introduce your product as the solution (add the logo on screen at this point).

e.g. Brand X is a software product that makes managing your business simple.

Explain what your product does and why it’s different to the competition.

Keep this concise. You just want to make people aware that your product exists and it can help them.

Show how the product has worked for others:

Written testimonials on screen or a quick comment from a client can work well but are not essential.

Add a call to action to tell people what to do next.

Another approach is to tell it like a story about a character

Set the scene. Introduce a character and their goals:

e.g. Mary runs a busy small business. She wants to service her clients to the best of her ability.

Inciting incident. A barrier to your character’s Goal:

Something happens to make Mary change.

e.g. One day she double booked an appointment.

The hero gets a helping hand:

Introduce how your product was there to help.

e.g. Mary found Brand X and thought she would give it a try

The Main Event: How your product helps the hero

e.g. Now booking appointments is quick and simple and the integrated software allows her to….

The resolution: Your product has helped and now the hero is free to help others.

e.g. Mary can now focus on her business and help more people.

Capitalize on the Full Capabilities of Video

They say that a picture tells a thousand words. This is something that no one who is writing a corporate video script should forget.

Sound and visual elements can be used to tell the story in often a much more effective way than with words. The amount of exposition in the script is often a sign of a poorly created video script.

Reward Your Viewer For Their Attention

Before you begin writing a word of your explainer video script you need to carefully consider your intended audience.

The old way of writing an explainer script was to think foremost about the message the business wanted to express. Whether the audience wished to receive this message or not was given far less consideration.

This old-style of interruption marketing no longer works because consumers now have much greater control of the content that they consume.

Viewers can choose which videos that they want to watch on YouTube and for how long. If content doesn’t provide value, in the form of entertainment, education or inspiration, then they will quickly click away.

In order to gain and keep the viewer’s attention, it is essential that they are rewarded for their time.

If you need any help with writing a video script or you feel that working with a video agency is the best way to go, take a look at our post about how to write a comprehensive brief for a video and feel free to get in touch if you think we could help you with your video requirements.

The post How to write a script for an explainer video appeared first on Bold Content Video Production.

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Case Study: PlayStation Influencers Plug Into Virtual Reality Headset

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Instagram & YouTube Influencer Marketing Case Study: PlayStation Marketing Teams Up With Tech & Gaming Influencers

For the most part, influencer marketing and gaming go hand-in-hand. Leading gaming influencers—whether they’re Twitch streamers, YouTubers, or stars at the top of professional esports—are becoming centerpieces of influence in a booming market. Gaming influencers are trusted by their fans to a strong degree, making them perfect candidates for brand endorsements.

This hasn’t gone unnoticed, least of all by brands and marketers looking to tap into that all-important Millennial demographic. You don’t need to look far to find influencers and creators of all disciplines being employed to promote various brands, from mobile games to chocolate to underwear.

PlayStation generally has its finger on the pulse when it comes to marketing and is no stranger to influencer marketing. With 18 million followers on its main Instagram and 38,000 followers on its regional Canadian account, it makes perfect sense to leverage the following and garner some positive engagement for the brand.

PlayStation Marketing Goes Small To Hit Big With Gaming Community

With buzz surrounding the announcement that Sony is currently working on a new gaming console to succeed the PS4, maintaining goodwill within the gaming community will be a major objective in the run-up to any potential launch.

PlayStation VR, the company’s flagship virtual reality headset, remains high on the agenda as the company’s most important periphery. This campaign, aimed exclusively at a Canadian audience, leveraged smaller-tiered influencers—often employed by brands because of their propensity to drive higher relative engagement rates—to head up their push.

Goals

Increase awareness of the PlayStation VR headset

Drive engagement with its regional Canadian account

Use tech influencers to bridge the gap between tech audiences and gamers

Approach

Channels: Instagram and Youtube

Influencers: Canadian tech and gaming influencers, including mid-tier, micro-, and nano-influencers.

Preview Of Influencers

@karlconrad - 72K followers

@justin.tse - 57.7K followers

@stalman - 53.3K followers

@canoopsy - 11K followers

@the.girly.geek - 9.6K followers

Themes

In keeping with longtime campaign messages that PlayStation has employed for several years, the themes of this effort reflect an emphasis on gamers and positive gaming experiences with their products:

With the exception of one, all the influencers uploaded two posts for the campaign.

All but one of the posts were images, with one short, looped video being the exception.

Influencers used the hashtags #PlayStationVR, #ITriedPSVR, and #PSVR, while also tagging @PlayStationCA.

Each marked their posts as #sponsored or #ad or used Instagram’s paid partnership tag.

Captions ranged from short blurbs showing off the headset to longer captions featuring brief VR game reviews.

Results

Combined Results: 9 posts total

Social Reach

Instagram followers targeted: 200,894

YouTube subscribers targeted: 941,882

Instagram Engagement

Likes: 12,728

Comments: 230

Engagement rate (overall average): 3.64%

YouTube Engagement

Views: 28,322

Likes: 1,324

Comments: 368

Engagement rate (overall average): 3.19%

Karl Conrad Shows Off Snazzy System

Karl Conrad, a YouTuber boasting half a million subscribers on the platform, is known for his vlogs demonstrating all kinds of tech—from phones to TVs to laptops. In his highest-performing Instagram post, Conrad shows fans a custom orange PS4 with a VR headset in full view.

In the caption, he praises the large catalog of games available to him and asks his 72,000 followers what their favorite VR game is. He incorporates all the associated PlayStation tags, in addition to an #ad tag at the beginning. He garnered 3,490 likes and 117 comments for an impressive engagement rate of 5%.

Tyler Stalman Imagines Childlike Wonder

Tyler Stalman, a professional photographer approaching 200,000 followers on YouTube, is a tech vlogger who places an emphasis on reviewing camera gear in addition to hosting his own podcast.

In his post, Stalman wonders what his 12-year-old self would have thought of the VR headset in a positive reflection of the tech. He again uses the hashtags consistent with campaign along with a #sponsored tag. Stalman got 2,536 likes and 19 comments from his 53,200 Instagram followers for an engagement rate of 4.8%.

The Girly Geek Straps On VR For Fans

The Girly Geek, also known as Erin, is a writer and blogger is a nano-influencer with an Instagram following of just under 10,000. She frequently posts about games and gaming culture for her fans.

Her post features her trying out the VR with a copy of Skyrim in-hand. Her caption, like the others, is personalized, with her talking about enjoying the experience she’s had playing the game in VR. She is consistent with the campaign hashtags and singles out @PlayStationCA with a ‘thank-you.’ With 354 likes and 17 comments, she accrued an engagement rate of 3.8%.

Conrad Shows Subscribers Custom Setup In YouTube Vlog

Two of the influencers took the campaigns to their YouTube channels (the other being Justin Tse), with Karl Conrad giving his fans a vlog about his custom PlayStation and his VR setup.

He again touted the extensive library and mentioned the sponsorship with PlayStation, linking to the official VR site page. With 500,000 subscribers, his view count for the video of 9,725 is relatively low. It’s worth noting, however, that the total likes and comments on the video was 890, meaning an engagement rate among viewers of the video of 9.2%. In terms of average video views though, he performed well under his normal range of 50,000 views per video.

Takeaways

PlayStation marketing primarily employed tech and gaming influencers for the campaign to garner interest in their flagship piece of gaming tech.

PlayStation influencers were all mid-tier or lower, suggesting an attempt by PlayStation to drive solid engagement at a smaller scale than larger influencer marketing campaigns.

Tech influencers often have strong authority among fans for their knowledge of peripheries, making them the ideal cheerleaders for PlayStation’s VR set campaign.

Cross-channel promotion on Instagram and YouTube proved to be valuable in showcasing the PlayStation VR to a wider and more varied audience.

The post Case Study: PlayStation Influencers Plug Into Virtual Reality Headset appeared first on Mediakix | Influencer Marketing Agency.

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Case Study: All Eyes On Oakley Influencers

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Instagram Influencer Marketing Case Study: Styled Out Oakley Influencers Ask Followers “What Do You See?”

Instagram’s visually robust design has been a boon for athletes looking to show off their talents. From warm-up routines and training sessions, to competition runs and freestyle lines, to podium placements and bittersweet defeats, athletic images and videos have intrigued, informed, and inspired millions on the platform.

  View this post on Instagram

  See the future. See it in PRIZM™️. #OakleyPrizm #OneObsession

A post shared by Oakley (@oakley) on Apr 18, 2019 at 9:14am PDT

Traditionally used as a type of celebrity endorsement, professional athletes have been a popular means for brands to connect with consumers. Porting over the practice from print, radio, and television, athlete influencers on social media have evolved to include a wide range of individuals from different sports’ disciplines and influencer tiers.

Oakley Marketing Gazes Into The Future With New PRIZM Push

James Jannard started Oakley in 1975, selling motocross grips out of his car at local events. The company expanded into BMX, eventually launching functional goggles as its first piece of eyewear in 1980. Four years later, Oakley introduced the iconic sunglasses that would simultaneously embolden its action sports roots, as well as put the company on the worldwide stage.

Today, prominent athletes from a variety of disciplines can be seen sporting Oakley shades on their Instagram feeds. Ranging from nano-influencers to mega-influencers, Oakley’s own brand ambassadors help to broadcast the company’s products and values to different lifestyle and sporting communities. The Oakley marketing approach also includes an affiliate program that rewards supporters and promoters who generate sales.

In a recent marketing campaign around lenses “designed to enhance color and contrast” throughout different environments, Oakley partnered with a variety of athletes to introduce their Instagram followers to the company’s novel PRIZM technology.

Goals

Create awareness for Oakley’s new PRIZM lenses.

Engage with followers by asking, “What do you see?”

Approach

Channel: Instagram

Influencers: Among the 15 sampled influencers,Oakley marketing collaborated with athletes from a variety of sport backgrounds, including cycling, motocross, triathlon, volleyball, and surfing.

Preview of Influencers

@marcmarquez93 - 3,900,000 followers

@markcavendish - 542,000 followers

@annika.langvad - 102,000 followers

@ester.meiliana - 53,100 followers

@nzalya - 45,200 followers

Themes

Of the 16 sampled posts, all were single images.

While some Oakley influencers posted themselves in action, others showcased headshots.

All of the images featured the athletes wearing Oakley sunglasses.

The influencers created different preambles in their captions that led to variations on the tagline: “I see it in PRIZM. What do you see?”

Four of the influencers in the campaign shared exact or similar captions.

Each athlete used the hashtags #OakleyPrizm and #OneObsession in his/her post. Many athletes tagged @oakley, while others mentioned accounts such as @oakleybike, @oakleysurfing, and @oakleymotorsports.

Results

Social Reach

Instagram followers targeted: 4,798,908

Engagement

Likes: 243,579

Comments: 1,470

Engagement rate (overall average): 7.24%

MotoGO Rider Sees “New Challenges”

One of the greatest motorcycle racers of all time, Spain’s Marc Márquez commands a whopping 4 million followers on Instagram. As the largest and only mega-influencer in the PRIZM campaign, Márquez also achieved the most total likes and comments of any Oakley influencer.

Offering a smirk as Márquez looks at his helmet, the seven-time Grand Prix World Champion’s hand and helmet can be seen reflected in his Oakley lenses. His caption notes his eagerness to take on new challenges in his motorcycling career.

Márquez’s post received 199,266 likes and 1,006 comments, resulting in an engagement rate of 5.01%.

Sprint Cyclist Sees “Opportunity”

For his Oakley PRIZM post, Maldivian cyclist Mark Cavendish sprints ahead during his intense cycling route while wearing a pair of PRIZM sunglasses. Addressing over 540,000 followers, the macro-influencer successfully captures his determination to achieve the top spot.

With 22,348 likes and 102 comments, Mark achieved an engagement rate of 4.14% with his Oakley PRIZM sponsored post.

Water Polo Player Sees “What They Can’t”

Alya Nadira is an Indonesian water polo player and micro-influencer with 45,300 followers on Instagram. In her outdoor shot, Nadira’s bright red frames and lenses pop from the screen as she looks back at the camera, while her caption alludes to personal feats and desires unnoticed by others.

Nadira’s Oakley PRIZM post garnered 4,725 likes and 83 comments, resulting in an engagement rate of 10.64%.

Takeaways

Oakley achieved brand authenticity by using athlete influencers who wear and use their products.

Oakley marketing’s PRIZM campaign fit well into Instagram’s culture of action and headshots.

Templated captions unified the various Oakley influencers across different sports and disciplines.

While Oakley marketing’s largest influencer received the most amount of likes and comments, the influencer with the least followers achieved the highest engagement rate.

Utilizing different influencers for their campaign, Oakley was able to reach a variety of audiences, as well as gain a range of engagement levels.

The post Case Study: All Eyes On Oakley Influencers appeared first on Mediakix | Influencer Marketing Agency.

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