As previously stated, nearly all corporate videos are so bad, that they only serve to drive customers away.
And
the worst of the lot, are those made by so-called professionals!
Here's a really, really bad corporate video from Australia -
That is a real shocker. An absolute turd of the highest order and a classic example of how NOT to make a corporate video. Each shot is too long, the content is repetitive and we keep getting the same pointless aerial shots and crowd shots.
Here's another corporate video that manages to be twice as bad - and again, it was made by Australian professionals. I say 'twice as bad' simply because it is twice as long and twice as toe-curlingly boring!
Brilliantly, it is ostensibly about how to make a corporate video! It does this, giving us a top-shelf example of how to make one of the worst corporate videos you will see anywhere!
That nonsense drags on for ever, well, ten minutes to be exact, getting more and more boring and content-less as it progresses. At least they used a pretty girl, who is able to stand on her hind legs and remember a script without getting a nose bleed. But that is where the professionalism ends!
Now here is a corporate video that is (IMO) the worst of the lot! At first, we are hopeful, as it is titled "Best corporate video ideas!" and is only 1m:40s long. Within a few seconds, we discover that it is 1m:40s too long!
Everything about that video is carefully crafted to ensure that no sane person would be using that boy's services any time soon! It states the obvious, the framing is wrong (head-n-shoulders middle of frame) the lighting is wrong (just one soft light) and all we get is some dweeb reading a script (No sign of a show reel anywhere!) And that is supposed to be the work of a professional! Wow!
So here are three myths that need to be busted -
Myth no.1 - It has to be short!
Bo-locks!
We watch 2hr movies without flinching, we watch 1hr reality shows from start to finish and I can site example after example of corporate videos that are 10m or longer and are highly informative and even entertaining. I sat through two hours and twenty minutes of '
War of the Planet of the Apes' and was so enthralled by what I saw, that I forgot to eat my popcorn or drink my coke! That's seven 2000ft reels of film in old currency.
Myth no.2 - It should be made by professionals.
Total BS! The three examples I gave about were all made by professionals. The sad truth is,
most professional makers of corporate videos are completely clueless - that's why they are stuck, making corporate videos! If they had the slightest idea of what they are doing, they would be making movies, or at least making adverts or a TV show: two activities that are more fun, more satisfying and pay better than making some rambling and pointless walk-through of a Wisconsin cheese factory.
Myth no.3 - The equipment is expensive.
It was, it ain't no more! When I stared out as a gofer in television, black-&-white 405-line cameras cost more than detached, four bedroom houses, sync'ing camera shots involved magnetic paint and a razor blade and changing lighting sometimes meant crawling along gantries 15-foot above the studio floor in testicle-melting heat. That was back in 49BC and the technical challenges of producing entertaining, slick television were formidable. Today, a cheap camera, a stand, a £100 microphone, lights and some freeware (See here -
http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/articles/nothing-worth-having-is-free-except-software.618/ ) is all you need. You may also like to learn framing and lighting, the basics for which are available on-line.
So, if corporate videos can be made by amateurs and you don't need $50,000 Arri-Alexas, $200k Angenieux lenses, about the same again in grips and lighting and a crew of twelve, half of whom are wondering where the catering truck got to - then what the hell does it take? Is there a secret ingredient?
Yes!
You have to have something to say!
If you don't have anything to say, nobody is going to waste time, hearing you not say it!
I was talking to the CEO of a San Antonio (Texas) property development company and he employed a three-man crew, full-time, just to make videos of their houses.
To cut a long story short, his message was
"The American Dream may be dead or dying in Pittsburgh, Portland or Providence, but here in San Antonio, there are jobs and business opportunities and the City provides affordable health care, child care and a first-class infrastructure. So if you are coming to San Antonio and you want a brand-new, high-quality, fully-appointed, no deposit home - we are the guys that can give it to you!"
To put it another way, he had a message, an evangelism. He was an evangelist for the American Dream and he saw his houses as being just one part of that dream.
Now here's a good corporate video that goes on for nearly 16 minutes. It is made by someone who sells new cars in Australia (and despite the fact that he rips into the Australian automotive industry, he sells loads of new cars!) It is a complete DIY job. One cheap HD camera, one $100 microphone, some self-built lights and a green backdrop, all put together, using free software.
The difference between this video and the above three, is that this guy has something to say and he grabs your attention, right from the first few seconds! He is telling you (in video after video) that most car manufacturers are lying and cheating the car buying public.
