Do We Need a Script For Our Video?
We were asked during a discovery call, “Do we need a script for our video?
The short answer is it depends. The overwhelming majority of the time, we would say no.
Instead, we recommend that you use an outline.
During The Pre-production Call
We have a pre-production call before every video shoot. during this call, we are going over all of the speaking points. This allows us to create a shot list and have an outline loaded on an iPad the day of the shoot.
Our Production Assistant
Our production assistant will guide each speaker through the outline of their speaking parts. They will be feeding you the topics to allow you to speak from your heart, your mind, etc.
This way it comes off a lot more natural instead of looking like a bad commercial at 2:00 in the morning.
We will “clean everything up” as far as mess-ups and do-overs in the editing process.
The Exception to the Rule
Now there is the exception of people who look great and confident reading off of a script, but also it doesn’t look like they are reading. We recently shot a video with a high-end recruiter and he was brilliant reading off a script/prompter.
In this case, if you provide us with a detailed script (we can assist with this), we can load it into an iPad prompter for you.
The Bottom Line
So really it comes down to your comfort level and how you’re going to feel confident. Most of the time, we recommend that you allow us to guide you and help you get the content out of there naturally so it doesn’t feel robotic and scripted. Hope this helps, keep recording!
Your Next Step
If you need a professional video for your website, click here: GET A QUOTE
Our Video Production Process
Here at 12 Media Group, we have a repeatable video production process that helps us deliver high-quality videos to our clients every single time.
These are the steps we take to make it happen.
Discovery Call:
We start with a Zoom (or regular call if you prefer) call to understand your needs for the shoot. We need to dig in and understand why you need a new video (the goal of the video), where it’s going (website, social media, etc), how you want your audience to feel once they’ve watched it, and the funds available for the shoot.
It’s also important to know how many speakers you will have in the video, how many videos you need during the shoot, how many locations (and where they are), and how many days we will need to complete the shoot.
All this info allows us to create a quote/agreement for your video shoot.
Agreement:
After the discovery call, we put together a detailed agreement showing you the exact details of the video shoot, including the investment amount, the number of videos you’re getting, how the assets will be delivered, and editing information.
All of our shoots include editing and royalty-free music so there are no surprises on the back end.
Once we (you and our company) sign the agreement, we will schedule the shoot.
Preproduction Call:
After we schedule your video shoot, we need to schedule the preproduction call. This is the most important part of the video production process in my opinion.
On this call, we will cover these details of the shoot:
- What are the points/topics that must be in the video.
- Who will be speaking in the video.
- What to wear during the shoot.
- How we will get the b-roll and what those shots will be.
- Different locations of the shoot.
- Which room in your office is best
These details will help us build out the shot list so everything runs smoothly and efficiently on the video shoot day.
The preproduction call is the key to producing a video that you will LOVE!
Video Shoot Day:
The day you’ve been waiting for! Video shoot day. We arrive at your location (or your job site location) to set up our equipment (lighting, tripods, etc.).
We assign a production assistant to our video shoots.
Their role is to get all of the speakers prepped for their parts of the video, manage the shoot as far as ensuring our videographers are hitting everything on the shot list (speaking roles and b roll), manage the shooting environment (ensuring cell phones are on silent, speakers have water, other employees are quiet while filming is going on, etc).
Once we shoot all of the speaking roles, b roll, and drone (aerial) footage, we will debrief with you to give you expectations of when all of the assets will be delivered.
Editing/Delivery of Video Assets:
We are currently turning our video projects around in about 2 weeks or less.
The discovery and preproduction calls makes our editing process smooth because we’ve already covered all of the details, including the look and feel that you want the video to have.
This step-by-step process leads to us having little to no revisions since we nailed all of the details.
After we have fully edited your video, we then deliver it to you in Dropbox.
If you need a professional video for your business, we’d love to help.
You can get a quote here: BOOK A CALL
What is B Roll Footage in a Video?
We include b-roll footage in every video we shoot. During the last few discovery calls, our client asked, “What is b roll?” as we discussed the details of the video shoot. Let’s go over it so you know what it is and why it’s vital for your shoot.
What it Is:
B roll is the video footage that supports the main speaking parts (or A roll). Examples of this footage include an aerial drone shot of your office, a pan showing your team members collaborating, etc. It shows what’s being talked about in the video. We like to use your actual team members as much as possible for b-roll shots instead of stock footage. We cover how we will get these shots in our pre-production meeting.
Why it’s Important:
This type of footage is important because it helps with the flow of the video. Typically, talking into the camera for a minute or two is boring.
Adding b-roll footage breaks up the video and helps tell the story by showing what you’re explaining. We recently shot a lighting video for Hawkins Landscape & Outdoors. Instead of the project manager just talking about the app that controls the lights, we shot footage of him using it to show it in action.
B-roll also does a great job of making the points you’re trying to get across crystal clear, especially for those who process things visually.
How We Get It:
To build trust for your brand, we’re on a mission to eliminate stock videos and stock photography. One of the things we cover in your pre-production meeting is how we will be getting the b roll for your video.
This footage can be shot with your team members and/or customers at your office or job site.
We will also shoot aerial/drone footage and/or time-lapse footage to add different levels of creativity to ensure potential customers watch your video all the way through.
We hope this helps explain more about the video production process and we look forward to helping you with your next project.
How to Eliminate Ums When You Talk
Have you ever listened to yourself talk and realized you said a bunch of “ums” and “likes”? I know I have and it’s pretty rough. I’ve gotten better over the years, but they still show up here and there.
“Ums” can be distracting when you talk so it’s best to avoid them.
Here are 3 tips to help you eliminate ums in your speech.
Rehearse:
When we have “ums” when we talk, it’s typically because we’re trying to think of what we want to say.
You want to go over your content and rehearse a few times so you have it down on video shoot day.
This will not only help you eliminate “ums”, but you’ll come off as professional and confident.
Slow Down:
If you’ve been following our content for a while, you’ve heard this before. Slowing down your speech pattern will help you eliminate “ums”. If you need to think for a second, you have time to “catch up” without using filler words like “um”, “like”, and “ah”.
Slowing down your speech will help you come off as more trustworthy instead of sounding like a fast-talking salesperson.
Take a Pause:
If you find yourself at a loss for words, pause to gather your thoughts quickly. This is strong for a couple of reasons: 1: it eliminates an “um” and 2: people will tend to lean in because they are waiting for what you’re about to say. ex: a dramatic pause.
Please keep in mind, that we can eliminate some of your “ums” in our editing process but if there are a ton, the video can come out choppy.
So it’s best to not have them to begin with. This will also help you come across as more confident in your day-to-day conversations like phone calls and networking events.
What filler words have you been able to eliminate?
Vertical vs. Horizontal Video: Which is Better?
This is a question we get from potential clients from time to time.
When determining whether your video should be shot horizontally (landscape) or vertically (portrait), there are two factors to consider: where the video is going and what its goal is.
Let’s get into it:
Website
If the video is going on your website, we recommend that you have a horizontal video. When you embed it from a platform like Vimeo or YouTube, it will look better than a vertical video.
Also, if the goal is for the video to have a long shelf life, you should have it on YouTube and those look best shot horizontally.
These will also look better if you plan on embedding the video in an email campaign.
Social Media
Here is where it gets a little tricky. Both styles of video, horizontal and vertical, can look great on social media, depending on the content/type of post.
What we recommend for vertical video:
- Reels (Facebook and Instagram)
- Short Form Video (YouTube shorts, TikTok, LinkedIn)
- Stories (Facebook and Instagram)
- If the content does not need a long shelf
What we recommend for horizontal video:
- Promotional Video (Facebook and LinkedIn)
- Testimonial Video: (Facebook and LinkedIn)
- If the content needs a long shelf life
Since most of our clients need a variety of videos for their marketing strategy, we can provide both horizontal and vertical video assets so they are covered for their website (long-form content) and social media (short-form content).
If you are shooting your own content, you want to determine where you are posting the videos before you start recording.
What type of content does your company use most of the time?
3 Symptoms of Bad Branding
Some businesses are missing out on thousands of dollars in revenue each month without even knowing it.
Here are 3 symptoms to look for to see if it’s time to update your company’s branding.
Potential customers say you’re too expensive:
When you step into a Mercedes car dealership, you have a general idea of the pricing. You also know it won’t be cheap.
Due to their branding, Mercedes and other luxury brands do a great job attracting high-end buyers.
Your branding may be off if people are consistently shocked by your pricing or can’t afford your services.
Potential customers should be able to look at your videos, website, and social media and KNOW that you’re more expensive than your competitor (if you are providing a high-ticket service).
Be sure you’re showing off the quality of your work through videos and pictures to attract the correct audience for your business.
Confusion:
If potential customers routinely ask you what you do, even after visiting your website, your branding isn’t clear enough.
When someone hits your website or your social media accounts, they should know exactly what your company does within seconds. If not, this leads to confusion, and like Donald Miller (author of Business Made Simple) says, “When you confuse you lose”.
Make sure your messaging is crystal clear through your company’s branding.
Low Retention:
Have you ever had a client use your services and then find out they went with another company when they needed the same service down the road? Not a great feeling. They may have had a great experience with you but simply forgot about you. Ouch!
If this happens often, your ongoing branding may be off. Be sure to stay in sight, and in mind through email campaigns and social media content. The key is to make sure you’re helpful and not “salesy” every time you show up.
This will help your clients remember who you are the next time they need you and will result in more referrals as well.
What other symptoms would you add?
3 Trust Signals For Your Website
We’ve all heard that most people do business with those they know, like, and trust. This is not just true for people; we also like to use businesses we trust.
Believe it or not, even if your company is B2B, potential clients will check your website before considering you.
Here are 3 of our favorite ways that companies can build trust through their website:
Pictures of Team Members
Having professional headshots of your key employees (or at least pictures of actual team members) gives potential clients an idea of who they’ll be working with. We recommend replacing any stock photo on your website with a picture of an actual team member. It’s a great way to build trust for your brand.
Promotional/Brand Video
You probably knew this was coming since we’re a video production company, but we’re confident this is a great way to build trust for a company. We know this because, during discovery calls, this is the main reason why businesses tell us they need a video.
If one of your potential clients watches your website’s brand video, they get a sense of who you are. They can also see your team and the quality of your work.
A one-time investment for a professional video can pay off for years if you add it to the homepage of your website.
Case Studies/Portfolio
Proof that you’ve delivered the services that you offer is the ultimate trust signal in my opinion. When you can show prospective clients what you’ve done instead of telling them, it gives them confidence you can do the same for them.
When companies contact us for a professional video, they’ve usually watched a couple of our videos on the “Our Work” page of our website. If our style is what they are looking for, they know we can do it for them too.
Be sure to have some examples of your work, a client testimonial, or add the logos of the companies you’ve helped somewhere on your website.
I hope these tips help build trust for your brand.
What are some trust signals you have on your website?
How Much is a Professional Video?
One of the biggest mysteries regarding creative services is how much you need to budget. Whether you need a logo, a website, or a professional video, pricing is all over the map. This has to be frustrating for businesses.
Here at 12 Media Group, we don’t have set pricing, but I want to shed light on how much you need to plan on investing in video production with us.
A video project can range anywhere from $50,000 to $5,000, depending on the scope of the video shoot.
Here are 3 factors that determine the cost of a professional with us:
How Many Videos/Assets?
During our initial call, we talk about the full scope of the shoot. Sometimes we’re only producing 1 video, but on most occasions, we are providing our clients with several assets (a mix of videos and pictures).
For example: your shoot could consist of a brand video, some short videos you can use for social as well as some still photos. We recently had a video shoot with Paradigm Roofing in which we provided them with a testimonial video and we also gave them several photos that they can use in their marketing.
The number of assets is a major factor when we are creating a quote for your business.
How Many Days?
Another factor in determining price is how many days we will be on location shooting. Most of our video shoots are done in a couple of hours.
Some video shoots require us to be on-site (or at least come back multiple times on the same day) for the entire day. For the Paradigm Roofing video shoot mentioned above, we got footage first thing in the morning, then shot the testimonial, and then came back later that evening to get more footage of the roof installation.
Some shoots take multiple days. We are in the middle of a video shoot for a landscaping company where we are getting footage of multiple phases of a back and front yard transformation. This video will cost more than a video where we are only shooting for a couple of hours.
How Many Videographers?
Event videos typically require more than one videographer (or at least a videographer and photographer) to capture all of the footage and to be sure we don’t miss a big moment.
These will require more of an investment, but the return (which most of our clients pay the most attention to) is great on a video because they can be used over a over again for years to come.
We hope these factors help you budget for your next video project.
How Long Does a Video Shoot Take?
This is a common question we get on discovery calls for a professional video shoot.
Most of our shoots last between 1 and 2 hours.
We know your time is valuable so here are 3 factors that determine how long your shoot will last.
How Many Speakers?
Sometimes we have multiple people that have speaking roles in a video. This will take longer than a single interviewee on camera. We have a video shoot coming up where we are interviewing the owner of the company and one of their customers (giving a testimonial).
We should be able to get all of the footage, including the b roll, we need in 2 hours or less.
How Many Locations?
We’ve shot videos in the past, especially with home service contractors, where we are getting footage at multiple locations. These could take 4 or more hours, depending on how far apart each location is.
We try to fit everything in one day, but there are cases (especially if we’re filming a project that has multiple stages like a landscaping project) where we need multiple days to get all of the footage for the video.
How Many Takes?
This one is on you, but don’t worry. Our production assistants are amazing at helping you deliver your message. We’ll do as many takes as you need to make sure the video is incredible.
We do recommend that you rehearse what you’re going to say before the day of the shoot.
We have a pre-production call with our clients about a week before your video shoot to cover all of these details, including helping with a script/outline.
This ensures that everything runs smoothly and efficiently on the day of recording to ensure we’re in and out in an hour or 2.
Ready to discuss your video project? Click here to get started: Get a Quote
How to Sound Better on Camera
Audio is 50% of a video, so paying attention to how you sound in your company’s professional video makes sense.
Here are 3 tips that you can use to sound better on camera:
Slow Down
Slowing down your speech will help you sound more trustworthy. No one trusts a “fast talker”. This also ensures the person watching your video can understand every word you are saying so the video has an impact.
Speak clearly and slowly and your message will be received.
Let the Mic Do the Work
Similar to lighting, ensuring your video has great audio is our job. We do this by always providing the correct mic setup. Sometimes we use a Lavalier mic that we secure to your shirt or we can use a shotgun mic.
Regardless of the mic setup, we ask that you let the mic do the work so we can control the volume on our end. You’d be surprised but there’s no reason to shout into the microphone. This will cause the audio to spike and turn the viewer off immediately.
Use your normal, smooth voice and we will handle the rest.
Take a Deep Breath
Before you start talking, take a deep breath. This does a couple of things: it will relax your nerves so you come across as calm. It also helps you to think about what you’re going to say so you sound confident.
Whenever we stop breathing when we get tense, it’s harder to think.
This is why after you’re in an argument you start thinking all of the things you WANTED to say. When you’re in a disagreement, you tense up instead of breathing and you can’t think clearly.
So take a deep breath and the words will flow naturally.
Your Next Step
Are you ready to take your marketing to the next level by adding video to the mix?
Click here to get started: Get a Quote
