It seems that the pace of business gets faster ever year. Consequently the ability to deliver corporate videos on a tight schedule is becoming essential. Corporate videos can actually be shot on a surprisingly tight turnaround meaning that last minute projects can be captured to a high standard but there are some things to keep in mind when briefing your video production company.
Filming International Videos On 3 Days Notice
A prime example would be a recent corporate video that we shot for Coca-Cola who gave us three days notice before requiring a camera crew and director to do a two week long shoot in three different cities in the U.S. I know what you’re thinking, ‘It’s all well and good when you have the budgets of Coca-Cola,’ but this was achieved on a relatively tight budget and during a busy time for us.
So how did we facilitate the request?
A big part of it came down to our passion for the project. It was a documentary about a women empowerment programme which is an issue close to the heart of the company, so we were happy to dedicate a lot of extra time to making it happen. Another big factor was that we were really well briefed by the client. They gave us enough information to allow us to take charge of the project by contacting the interview subjects directly and arranging flight times, hotels and transport arrangements around the times that we had to film with the subject. They were clear and upfront about the budget and were generous with their time so we were able to discuss the project at length with them in order to make sure we met their needs.
Turning Around Promo Videos In A Single Day
A 1-2 min promo video can be turned around the same day if necessary. We recently finished some shoots for an event management company which were filmed in the morning and shown to a room full of participants the same afternoon. However a normal lead time would be two weeks from shooting to final delivery so anything between the two is achievable as long as we are well briefed and all participants in the project have realistic expectations on what is achievable within the given time period.
Factors That Dictate Turnaround Time
A number of factors dictate how fast a video can be turned around such as, the number of locations that filming has to take place, the distance between them, the amount of time it takes to film each event and how long the finished video is intended to be. The client also has to be realistic about the number of rounds of feedback they can give once the initial video has been delivered. We always make it clear that although we could tweak a video until the cows come home, we have to factor in time for the sound design, music composition and colour grade so achieving picture lock as quickly as possible will allow us to concentrate more time on those important elements.
The Disadvantages Of Producing Videos Quickly
In many cases a fast turnaround time is critical. Participants may not be available or marketing goals may not be met, if the video is not delivered within a short time frame. However, there are disadvantages to short turnarounds, which may not make them the best approach for all videos.
One of the downsides of producing a video on a short turnaround are that you don’t have time to plan things as thoroughly as you otherwise would. Scripting and pre-production are improved the more time you have available to spend on them so rushing into production for the sake of it is never a good idea. The cost of production is inevitably increased as you may have to courier rushes around in order to get them to the edit suite on time.
Travel and transport costs may be increased due to the last minute bookings and any problems on set are usually washed away by the money hose rather than finding a creative solution which may be the case if you had more time to play with.
However don’t let that put you off calling us if you do have a last minute job in mind. We are experts at facilitating last minute shoots and welcome any and all challenges. Call us on +44 (0)203 637 1467 or use our contact form below to see how we can help you.