I attended a BMAKC event on Wednesday, Nov. 14. KJO Media gave a presentation on Video Content that gets Results. Over the course of an hour they walked from the the video production process from beginning to end. They managed to cram a ton of information into a short time. The single most important fact I took away from them was that they typically spend five to 10 times the amount of time in preproduction as they do shooting the video. If you are going to attempt to make any of the video types below, make sure you have a plan. Videos don’t just come together on their own. You will find the whole process easier if you plan. Consider everything from audience to lighting and budget to who will appear in the video.
KJO showed six main types of videos. Most video content falls into at least one of these groups.
About Us –
Clockwork from KJO Media on Vimeo.
About Us videos are basically an elevator pitch. Typically, these last 30-60 seconds. They can be great on social media or as header videos on websites. About Us videos should be paced quickly to hold attention. Opting for text on screen instead of voice-overs will allow the audience to follow along with while the video is muted.
Motion Graphics –
KJO Media 2017 Motion Graphics Reel from KJO Media on Vimeo.
Motion graphics have no live action elements. This means no location scouting or fancy cameras. The rise of web based animation tools have made these types of videos popular. They can be great for explaining a complex idea. Turn a white paper into an animated video.
Branding –
Black & Veatch Holiday Video from KJO Media on Vimeo.
Branding videos are exactly what they sound like. They don’t have a call to action, and are simply meant to showcase the brand. The two examples above do just that. First Black & Veatch created a video holiday card showcasing all the things they do. KJO created a Rube Goldberg machine featuring all of the different things the company does.
The second video is about KJO’s whiskey Friday event. Each week they create a cocktail and a video showing how it is made. Both of these examples so highlight each company’s culture and view of itself. Branding videos can be very popular and are easily shareable.
Product or Service Sales Video –
A sales pitch. It is crucial that a sales video stands a part from the crowd. They are the most common form of video. We get bombarded with commercials all day every day, so find a way to differentiate yours. Keep them short. 60 seconds at the max.
Testimonial
On Demand Advisors (Dallas,TX) // Lemonlight from Lemonlight Media
Customers want to hear from other customers about why they should shop at your store. Testimonials are the perfect way to achieve that. I am sure there are customers you see week after week that will give glowing recommendations. Testimonials can be as simple as recording someone on an iPhone, or they can be fully produced like the example here. Reach out to people in the store. Make good relationships. Testimonials can’t be faked with actors, so you will need to find the right people.
Training
Training videos can take many forms. Most are for internal use. This above example is something most people are familiar with, a pre-flight safety video, it trains passengers on what to do in an emergency. You don’t need to hire the New Zealand rugby team to make your training videos useful. Know what you want the audience to learn and focus on that. It isn’t practical to have six separate videos before a flight, but if you want to train your employees on different concepts consider having a video for each. Your employees aren’t the only people who might need training. Are you launching online shopping? A video walking through the steps for ordering and pick up could help people unfamiliar with the process.
These are six main types of videos you could create. Obviously, anything you make will probably fit into multiple of the categories. Let these examples serve as inspiration as you consider possible video production projects. Once you have settled on the type of video you want to make, there are plenty of other decisions before cameras roll. This post should give you a good place to start though.
