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

Top 10 Q"s When Hiring a Production Company

Here are the Top 10 Q’s You Should Ask Yourself Before Hiring a Video Production Company

Once you are ready to embark on the creation of a corporate video for your company you need to ask yourself if you are prepared. The journey ahead is not always a short one, and you will be investing not only your time, but money and other resources on the endeavor as well. So you need to be informed, and ready to think about the serious questions that you need to ask yourself before you form a partnership with a video production company.

10) Are they a professional and reputable production company?

In today’s landscape it seems that everyone is a video content producer. And there are many production companies which students fresh out of college form, and do a great job creating innovative videos. But if there were ever something to go wrong, you want the assurance that a reputable, long standing production company can provide.

9) Do they have work samples to showcase?

Similarly, anyone off of the street can create a website and claim that they have been in business for thirty years. If you are able to take a look at some samples of the company’s work, then you can get a sense of their skill level, what types of videos they normally work on, and if you like their style.

8) Are they able to deliver a variety of styles and types of videos?

When looking at their samples, it is good to notice the range of productions they have worked on. Some companies specialize, such as in training videos, or commercials etc., and that is great if you are looking for that type of video. If you are looking for a video partner to produce a variety of videos, or help with some video concepts, then it is nice to work with a company which can provide you that range of services and styles.

7) Are they compatible with your company?

You want to ensure that the culture of both your company and the production company you are hiring fits. You are going to spend ample time corresponding with them through email, on the phone and probably in person as well. So you want to hire a team that you think meets your culture criteria and that would be pleasurable to deal with over the course of the project.

6) What other companies have they worked with?

A quick and easy way to analyze the status of any production company would be to check out who they have worked with in the past. If they have a variety of clients that they are proud to announce they have worked with, most likely the client was satisfied with the project and allowed for their name to be advertised. If there are some well known brands on the list then you know the company has been able to land big accounts in the past.

5) Do they provide good customer service?

Customer service is something that many people overlook when deciding on a production company. But everything from making sure someone is always available to answer the phone, to quick response times, and making sure all your needs are well taken care of without having to ask, are all things that lend themselves to the ease of the process, and will also be an indicator of how they handle other aspects of their business.

4) Do they care about your company?

You don’t want to work with a company that is just trying to get the job done as fast as possible. You want someone who is interested in what you do and wants to invest time in learning more. If they show up to the meeting with no idea of what your company does, or has not taken the time to come prepared with some ideas for your project, then they are not worth your time or money.

3) Do they provide good and creative ideas?

Sometimes you might know exactly what you want and have it already planned and mapped out in your mind. That is a producers dream and/or nightmare depending on how good the idea is. Whether you come prepared with a vision in mind or not, a good producer will always have feedback and often additional ideas or input that will help make the video better, the day run smoother, and the final product more effective.

2) Are they within your budget?

Often the most important deciding factor for some is budget. Although I believe it should be something to consider, it should not be the only reason for your choice. In order to get a successful and polished final product you will need to pay for quality work. On the same hand you don’t want to be ripped off, or paying for things that aren’t necessities. If the company can explain the price and reasoning for each item within their quote, then you can rest assured.

1) Can they deliver the quality of production that you are looking for?

As with any video the quality of the production will affect the way viewers see it. Everything from sound, to lighting, to framing, and the background can make a difference. An experienced, thoughtful and creative production company will be able to handle all of these elements and inform you well in advance what is needed in order to create a video with high production quality.

This list should give you a good starting point for thinking about what you should look for when researching a video production company. If you have any comments or things that you think should be on this list please let us know!

Top 10 Q"s When Hiring a Production Company