Corporate Video Production

Corporate Video ProductionBeyond the Board Room(And Out of the Bored Room)

Stuart Sweetow

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataSweetow, Stuart.

Corporate video production : beyond the board room (and out of the bored room) / Stuart Sweetow.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-240-81341-7

1. Video recording. 2. Video recordings—Production and direction. 3. Business presentations. I. Title.

TR850.S94 2011

778.59—dc22 2011001527

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication DataA catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

For information on all Focal Press publications

visit our website at www.elsevierdirect.com

11 12 13 14 5 4 3 2 1

Printed in the United States of America

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my beautiful bride Sandy,who gave me her encouragement and patience, andwho found us a home with an office for me to write.

CONTENTS vii

CONTENTS

About the Author .......................................................................................xiiiAcknowledgments ......................................................................................xvIntroduction...............................................................................................xvii

Chapter 1 Case Studies...........................................................................................1Introduction...................................................................................................1Corporate Social Responsibility—Google Heroes......................................2Hamburger University and Sustainability at McDonald’s .........................3Consulting Firm Booz Allen Hamilton.........................................................5Scripted Videos with Professional Talent at World Savings .....................6Finding and Directing Talent........................................................................7Evaluation Mechanisms ...............................................................................8New Employee Orientation Video ...............................................................9A Consumer Products Manufacturer.........................................................10Setting Up an In-House Video Service......................................................10Using Outside Services ..............................................................................11Scriptwriting................................................................................................11Chargeback..................................................................................................12Social Media and User-Generated Video..................................................12Shared Content at Safeway........................................................................12Movie Production and IMAG Display at Berkshire Hathaway .................13

Chapter 2 Marketing Yourself as a Producer..................................................23Introduction.................................................................................................23A Personal Message from an Independent Video Producer....................24Getting Started and Getting Business.......................................................25Volunteer for Nonprofits ............................................................................25Your Business Plan.....................................................................................27Writing the Video Production Proposal ....................................................28Requests for Proposals and Requests for Qualifications.........................29Business Accounting, Licenses, and Taxes ..............................................30Business Insurance .....................................................................................31Hiring Help ..................................................................................................32Business Formations ..................................................................................33

Chapter 3 Video Project Proposals ....................................................................37Introduction.................................................................................................37Sample Proposal: The Metropolitan Transportation Commission .........38Sample Proposal: Accounting Training DVDs ..........................................46

Chapter 4 Budgeting the Corporate Video Production..................................51Introduction.................................................................................................51Determining the Costs................................................................................52Above and Below the Line .........................................................................54The Executive Producer..............................................................................54What to Leave In, What to Leave Out........................................................55Budget Management ..................................................................................57Distribution and Marketing Budget ...........................................................58The Bottom Line .........................................................................................58

Chapter 5 The Role of the Producer in Corporate Video..............................61Introduction.................................................................................................61The Producer-Director ................................................................................61Above the Line ............................................................................................62The Producer As Team Motivator .............................................................63The In-House Producer...............................................................................64The Contract/Freelance Producer ..............................................................70Script Development ....................................................................................71Production Management............................................................................72

Chapter 6 Directing Corporate Videos ..............................................................75Introduction.................................................................................................75Directing Professional Talent .....................................................................75Shooting the CEO .......................................................................................77Employees as Actors: Directing Nonprofessional Talent ........................80Auditioning the Talent................................................................................82Directing the Crew ......................................................................................82Directing Live Switching ............................................................................83Script Markup and the Shot Sheet ............................................................84Directing the Edit ........................................................................................85In Summary.................................................................................................86

Chapter 7 Production Coordination....................................................................89Introduction.................................................................................................89Production Management............................................................................90

viii CONTENTS

Script Breakdown........................................................................................91Daily Call Sheets .........................................................................................92Daily Production Reports ...........................................................................93The Assistant Director ................................................................................93The Production Assistant ...........................................................................94Interview with a Production Manager and Producer ...............................95Crews for Corporate Shoots ......................................................................96Talent and Union Crews.............................................................................97Locations .....................................................................................................98Producer Support......................................................................................100

Chapter 8 Corporate Scriptwriting ...................................................................103Introduction...............................................................................................103Determining Objectives............................................................................103Research and Concept Development ......................................................104Facts1 Frameworks5Concept ................................................................106The Audience ............................................................................................107The Treatment...........................................................................................107Writing for the Visual Element.................................................................108Writing for the Spoken Word...................................................................109Describing Visuals ....................................................................................110Script Formats...........................................................................................111Writing Dialog ...........................................................................................111Writing Documentary Scripts...................................................................112Script Drafts...............................................................................................113

Chapter 9 Legal Considerations........................................................................115Introduction...............................................................................................115Trade Secrets and Nondisclosure............................................................116Contracts....................................................................................................116Safety Issues .............................................................................................117Permissions, Releases, and Permits........................................................118Copyrights .................................................................................................120Distribution Agreements ..........................................................................123Legal Considerations If You Are a Freelancer ........................................123

Chapter 10 Talent: Working with Talent, Coaching the Executive,and Appearing On-Camera Yourself ...........................................127

Introduction...............................................................................................127Coaching Nonprofessional Talent ...........................................................128

CONTENTS ix

On-Camera Reporters and Guests...........................................................129The Floor Director .....................................................................................129Professional Narration: On-Camera and Voice-Over .............................130Actors for Dramatic Roles ........................................................................131Wardrobe...................................................................................................132Makeup ......................................................................................................132On-Camera Training and Presentation Skills..........................................133

Chapter 11 Location Shooting ...........................................................................137Introduction...............................................................................................137How Mr. Murphy Stole from My Big-Budget Video Production ...........138Location Scouting .....................................................................................139Logistics on Location................................................................................140Nondisruptive Equipment Setups ...........................................................142

Chapter 12 The Interview Format .....................................................................147Introduction...............................................................................................147Preparation ................................................................................................149Shooting an Interview Sequence.............................................................149The Single-Camera Interview Shoot .......................................................150Employing Composition and Continuity in Interview Filming ..............151Notes to the Interviewer...........................................................................153Remote Interviews ....................................................................................155Postproduction..........................................................................................156

Chapter 13 Aesthetic Considerations ..............................................................159Introduction...............................................................................................159Branding Complementation.....................................................................159Creative Corporate Camera Work............................................................160Composition ..............................................................................................162Continuity ..................................................................................................164Moving the Camera ..................................................................................165Art Direction and Set Design ...................................................................167Wardrobe, Makeup, and Hair in the Corporate Video............................169

Chapter 14 Shooting and Editing for the Enterprise:Technical Considerations..............................................................173

Introduction...............................................................................................173Enterprise-Grade Cameras .......................................................................174Lenses ........................................................................................................175

x CONTENTS

Camera Support........................................................................................177Exposure Metering ...................................................................................1782K and 4K Cameras...................................................................................179Mobile Studios..........................................................................................180Teleprompters...........................................................................................181Audio and Lighting Considerations for the Enterprise ..........................182Postproduction for the Enterprise ...........................................................183Compression .............................................................................................186Storage Solutions .....................................................................................186Redundant Array of Independent Disks ..................................................187Hardware Acceleration .............................................................................188High-Definition Editing Formats ..............................................................189Electronic Filters�Softening the Skin......................................................190Compositing and Effects ..........................................................................190Multiple-Camera Editing ..........................................................................1922K and 4K Editing .....................................................................................192

Chapter 15 Corporate Video Training ..............................................................195Introduction...............................................................................................195Cost Justification for Training Video.......................................................195Video as a Consistent and Repeatable Training Medium......................197Video as an Engaging and Exciting Medium..........................................197Call Center Training ..................................................................................200Safety Training..........................................................................................201Product Training for Retail Customers....................................................203New Employee Orientation......................................................................203Media Training..........................................................................................204Presentation and Speech Training ..........................................................206In-House Video Repurposed for External Distribution...........................207When Video Is Not Effective ....................................................................208Instructional Design..................................................................................209

Chapter 16 Marketing and Social Media .......................................................211Introduction...............................................................................................211YouTube for the Enterprise......................................................................212Engagement Objects on Websites...........................................................214Top Corporations’ Video Sites.................................................................215Facebook, Twitter and Other Sharing Sites ............................................217Dailymotion, Vimeo, Metacafe and Veoh ...............................................220

CONTENTS xi

Chapter 17 Corporate Events: Filming Conferences and Meetings .........223Introduction...............................................................................................223Shooting in an Auditorium ......................................................................224iMag Projection .........................................................................................225Lighting Considerations ...........................................................................226Mikes at Meetings.....................................................................................227Tying into the Sound System ..................................................................228Feeding the Audio and Video to a Remote Site .....................................230Live Streaming of Meetings.....................................................................230Conference Highlight Videos ...................................................................232

Chapter 18 Nonprofit Organizations.................................................................235Introduction...............................................................................................235Multiple Constituencies: The Politics of Nonprofits...............................235Case Studies: Nonprofits..........................................................................236Universities................................................................................................242iTunes and YouTube at the University of California ..............................243Hospitals and Medical Centers ................................................................245Government ..............................................................................................245

Chapter 19 Video Distribution: Live Streaming, Video on Demand,and Videoconferencing..................................................................249

Introduction...............................................................................................249Live Streaming ..........................................................................................250H.264, VP8, Flash, HTML5, and WebM....................................................252Streaming Appliances ..............................................................................254Videoconferencing and Collaboration Technology................................255Content Distribution Networks ................................................................257Satellite Distribution .................................................................................259The Enterprise Content Delivery System ................................................261

Appendix..................................................................................................................263Sample 1....................................................................................................263Sample 2....................................................................................................268Sample 3....................................................................................................275

Production Stills ....................................................................................................277Glossary ...................................................................................................................283Bibliography............................................................................................................299Index .........................................................................................................................301

xii CONTENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo courtesy of Cleo Brown.

Stuart Sweetow owns Audio Visual Consultants, a video pro-duction and consulting company in Oakland, California. Hetaught video production at the University of California BerkeleyExtension and has written scores of articles for video maga-zines. On his company’s website, www.avconsultants.com, areproduction-planning guides and tips on using video with socialmedia.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR xiii

AcknowledgmentsI’d like to thank my supportive acquisition editors at Focal Press, Chris Simpson and

Anais Wheeler, technical editor David McKnight and project manager Anne McGee. Myattorney, Richard J. Lee, helped me with my contract and with the legal considerationschapter. Gini Graham Scott and Troy DuFrene helped me propose the book. Others whohelped with writing the book include Erik Stinson, Jeffrey Marino, Greg Snyder, SteveGilford, Debbie Brubaker, Larry Kless, Ron Dawson, Erik Westby, Dave Bolick and JaraQueeto.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xv

INTRODUCTION

Corporate video production has come of age. At one time,cinematographers referred to corporate videos as “industrials,”a genre to which they retreated between “real” films. Talking-head videos or unimaginative safety films dominated the field,and too often one might hear the word “boring” precede theterm “corporate video.” However, as professional video toolscame down in price, corporations invested in cameras and edit-ing gear. A generation of enthusiastic filmmakers who soughtaccess to those tools took jobs in the corporate world. Whilebroadcast television was reducing staff, corporate media centersgrabbed up the best and the brightest.

The television producer who craves the excitement of a livebroadcast will get that adrenaline rush by transmitting a share-holders’ meeting live to viewers at home. The ambitious videoprofessional who wants to meet a top corporate CEO has anopportunity to film him or her giving a talk and beaming it viasatellite to employees worldwide.

In addition to TV producers entering the corporate arena,Hollywood cinematographers discovered that corporate execswere not as stuffy as they once thought. Over the years, innova-tive companies developed communication departments withcreative staffs. They sought imaginative filmmakers to applytheir cinematic artistry to produce engaging marketing andtraining videos. As corporations developed social responsibilityprograms and discovered YouTube as an avenue to reach thepublic, documentary filmmakers found they could supportcauses in line with their own humanitarian values.

Many companies have equipped their video departmentswith cutting-edge postproduction applications and networkstorage infrastructures. Some organizations send video mes-sages via their satellite networks, and growing numbers use IPdistribution. When researching this book, I found a trend wherecorporate video producers favored location filming over studioproduction. Smaller HD cameras enable speed and flexibility,and many video producers edit videos on their laptops duringthe flight home from a shoot.

Throughout this book I included examples of video applica-tions that corporations use, such as customer communications,product announcements, employee training, and public rela-tions. Social media has enabled corporations to relate to the

INTRODUCTION xvii

public in an interactive way. Nearly every major corporation hasa YouTube page, and many companies film their customers giv-ing testimonials or offering praise for their products. Sometimesordinary people say surprising things on camera, such as theChicago woman who said she and her neighbors were prayingthat Wal-Mart would open a store in their community. You’llread about that and other unexpected uses of YouTube in thesocial media introduction.

Production values of some corporate videos now rivalHollywood. AT&T created a series showing 20-something singlestexting and exchanging files on smart phones with AT&T dataplans. An educational film from Honda about their humanoidrobot, ASIMO, combines elements of a science fiction film withartistic cinematography. IBM produced a series of videos fortheir “Smarter Planet” YouTube page that incorporate multilay-ered imagery together with smartly edited interviews.

Savvy video producers have reinvented presentations byusing innovative production techniques to create videos thatremove the boredom factor. There is no reason why employeesor customers should be sentenced to “Death by PowerPoint”now that video producers can create lively, dynamic presenta-tions with creatively composed video clips, dynamic 3D gra-phics, and carefully crafted scripts.

A well-designed short video has the capability to reach view-ers on an emotional level. Poetic writing, rhythmic camerawork, and a compelling soundtrack create synergy to grab theviewers’ hearts and convert visitors to customers. The marketresearchers understand the incredible impact that video couldhave to their companies’ bottom lines. Corporations are invest-ing in video services to utilize the medium to the max, andvideo has become an integrated communications tool in theenterprise.

In addition to learning about corporate video productiontechniques and applying some of the examples shown here, it iswise for you, as the video producer, to learn about the values ofthe company you work for, how they use their brands, and whotheir customers are. Then you can apply those principles toproducing videos that align with the mission of the enterprise.The literal image of the company is in your hands.

xviii INTRODUCTION