Corporate Video: Actors vs. Employees

When you’re looking to create a #CorporateVideo for your business, a big question you’ll want to ask yourself is whether you want to utilize employees or hire #ProfessionalActors.

We all know someone who is not comfortable in front of the camera. Whether they run away, hide their face, or try to smile but produce a grimace instead, they are usually captured in an unflattering fashion. Of course not everyone has such an extreme reaction to the camera but along with your budget, whom you feature in your corporate video is of the utmost importance. So, how do you determine what is best for your needs? You will want to consider a few things to make the best decision for the video and your company.

Budget

Using company personnel for your next video might be your first instinct to cut costs of the project during the production stage as it’s less expensive to take advantage of the people who are readily available and already know details of your business. However, this inclination could work for or against you depending on different elements. Non-professionals usually need multiple takes to deliver dialogue with an authentic feel. This can throw a wrench in your timeline, resulting in delays and additional costs.

Professional Actors vs. Employees – Budget

Project Timeline

Something to consider in your timeline is that if employees are participating in your video, they are being taken away from their current tasks to do this. This may not be cost-effective as it could slow down production or workflow of the business. Also, the selected personnel may only be available for a limited amount of time, causing you to rush the process and leaving you unhappy with the result or without what you need.

Professional Actors vs. Employees – Timeline

Brand Identity

Consideration of your target audience is important when deciding who you want to represent your brand. Are you looking for “real people” to create a casual feel for your video or you are looking for a more polished corporate tone? Putting your “best foot forward” is integral to how your company is represented and perceived, which in turn can affect your reputation.

Professional Actors vs. Employees – Brand Identity

Delivery

It’s not only the message of your video that is being delivered but also how it comes across. You may think that involving employees in your corporate video would automatically provide a natural feel, but this is often not the case. Employees can potentially be uncomfortable on camera and therefore can become quite rigid and unable to take direction. They may know your business better but actions, speech patterns and body language might not be in sync with the tone you want for your video. Professional actors are more comfortable on camera and therefore come across more naturally in their speech and actions. They can re-create the same feel of the same script with minimal adjustments or provide different variations depending on direction given during production.

Professional Actors vs. Employees – Delivery

Working with a professional #VideoProductionCompany can help you achieve your goals regardless of whom you choose to feature in your video. While hiring professional actors can increase production value and save you money in the end, if you have a budget that’s on the smaller side, employing personnel from within the business is possible as long as you plan ahead and take steps to increase the quality of your video. When it makes sense to utilize company personnel, the video production company can advise you on the best approach to meet your goals.

At Key West Video, we cast professional actors regularly for our clients’ needs, ranging from dramatic training videos to product and service videos, and everything in between, but we also provide advice and assistance for clients who wish to feature employees. We can advise you whether it’s better to include footage of your personnel with minimal dialogue, showcased in b-roll footage combined with professional voiceover talent, or help you take the necessary steps required for them to play a bigger role. Most importantly, we will help you ensure that the feel or tone you want to represent your company is maintained throughout the corporate video you envisioned.

Check out this #Corporate #RecruitmentVideo Keywest produced using real employees of Home Depot:

Corporate Video: Actors vs. Employees