Everything You Need To Know About Shooting A Commercial Video

Commercial videos are a great way to promote your product, event, or company. By using video as a medium, you can create an engaging and memorable experience for your viewers that will leave them wanting more. However, before you start filming, there are some things you need to keep in mind.

What do you want to shoot

For starters, it's important to have a clear idea of what your goals are. Do you want to highlight the values of your company? Promote an event or product? Or do you simply want to tell a story on video? Make sure you have a clear idea of what you what to achieve before moving on to the next step.

Come up with a plan

After you have a clear idea of what your goals are, it's time to come up with a plan. Know where and when you need to shoot, who is going to be involved in the video, and how you want to make your company stand out from the rest. It can also work well if you begin to storyboard your video before shooting since this will help you visualize your story.

This also reduces the chances of the project not meeting the deadline.

High quality and appropriate sound

Another key factor for commercial videos is high quality and appropriate sound. Make sure to use a lavalier (or lapel) microphone when recording your video to ensure that the sound captured by the camera is extra crisp. Also, make sure there are no external noises that can interfere with your audio.

The sound should be appropriate to the theme, mood, and scene in your video. If you want to create a fun and upbeat vibe, make sure you play light music with no lyrics.

A Storyboard

A storyboard is a series of illustrations that represent the shots planned for a video or animation project. Storyboards are often made prior to shooting as they help you visualize your story before you start shooting.

For example, if you're planning on shooting a commercial video for your product, make sure to include all the shots you need in your storyboard. The storyboard helps you see what angles will be best for each scene and how to transition into other scenes.

In some cases, storyboards are optional if the subject of the video is better-suited for improvising, such as a talk show or an interior design showcase.

Hire professional actors

Hire professional actors for your video. If you're looking to create a humorous or engaging commercial video, then hiring professional actors is your best bet. Not only will they be able to bring your characters to life, but they will also provide more accurate feedback on the script and the overall storyboard. Consulting with experienced actors can help you understand the needs of your video.

If you're looking to just highlight your company's values, it might be a good idea to have members from upper management play themselves for the commercial instead. This way, they can share all their valuable insights with viewers and promote your business in a very authentic way. No matter what role they serve in your company, having members of your senior management team contribute to your project can help boost awareness and trust among viewers.

Lighting

Lighting is another key factor for any type of video you want to shoot, whether it's a commercial or not. Make sure there is enough light and make sure the background doesn't show through any part of the video (this can be distracting and annoying for viewers).

Good Video Camera

Another thing you need to keep in mind is that you're using a good video camera. Make sure the camera can capture all your shots correctly and that there are no faults in the coverage of each scene.

You mustn't let technical issues take away from your overall message or intent for shooting the video, which is why you must have all the fundamental aspects down pat before you start filming.

Granted, you can make a great video even without top-notch equipment. However, having the proper equipment will make the video production process much smoother.

Post Production

Lastly, make sure to have a firm understanding of video editing and post-production. When shooting a commercial video, you must tell a story through your shots and edits. You can't expect a good message to get across if the transitions are choppy or there is no smooth flow in the video. Make sure all footage is shot in a way that it can be laid out effectively in post-production so you can create a well-thought-out story to share with your audience.

In Conclusion

Commercial videos are used for many reasons, such as selling a product or promoting an event. As long as you have all your fundamentals down pat, the possibilities are endless for what you can create. Shooting a commercial video is more of an art than a science and it's important to keep the viewer's needs in mind so you tell a story through your shots and edits. Having professional actors on board as well as consulting with other creative teams such as those from the editing or visual effects department will help strengthen your message and tell a story in your commercial video.

Though we do recommend hiring a professional video production company for your project, it would be a higher quality outcome, quicker, and even cheaper!

If you want to know what other types of videos are often produced, check out our recent article.

If you want to see some of the commercial videos we produced, feel free to have a look at our Instagram or Vimeo page.