1. Try to appreciate the target audience. Have we ever asked them what they think? Did you tell the director? | How much do we really know about their world? When did you last use a focus group of people outside the marketing department? |
2. The business managers are not always aware of the strengths of video. Some still see it as just another information delivery channel. | Video is television. It’s as simple as that. It’s a subtle and complex medium. It’s very bad at conveying a lot of detailed information. It's great at changing attitudes. |
3. Projects would benefit from a more robust pre-production process. | If we ask the right questions early on, we avoid making the same mistakes again and again, and we get the most out of each video. Sometimes, the process for pre-production centers around “who is available”, and a “product set”. It is more important to gain an understanding of what we need to achieve as a business, and how a compelling story will deliver this. |
4. Committees and con calls dilute the creative process by subjecting it to a vote. It helps to allow direction to take place by keeping the decision making to a very few people. | Movies and TV programmes have a single director for a reason. In the creative industry, there are no single ‘correct ways’ to do it. So we must choose a vision and stick with it. Movies have a single director for a reason. |
5. It is vital that we have a surrounding plan for the film. Sometimes there is no promotion, no roll out strategy and no measurement of effectiveness. | This is the most surprising aspect, and it shows that the business planning behind the video hasn’t taken place. It has to fit in with a problem being solved. What are you trying to fix in the business? |
6. Do your research. Find out about what exists already within the company archives. What are the sales guys thinking? | This will help you to understand why there is a need for a video in the first place, and what the corporate culture is. What problem are you fixing? What is the specific point you are trying to make? |
7. It helps to understand the creative process. Watch the good stuff to raise your awareness. | This is not the same as the production process - it happens before we decide to make a video. |
8. Contributors to videos are often chosen due to their seniority in the company, not their performance in front of the camera, or even their passion for the subject matter. | Let's allow the passion to get in front of the camera. A clear and passionate pitch will always be remembered. The people who dreamed up a solution will fill the story with fascinating insight, and they'll deliver with vitality because their career depends on it. |
9. People become obsessed with running time. | If the story is strong and vivid, running time is largely irrelevant. Remember - single concepts take very little time to demonstrate. And isn't that concept the one thing we need our audience to remember? |
10. Graphics can be a good way to illustrate a process, but there must be a story to start with. Use them to illuminate, not to describe. They must be subject to the creative process also. | Simply writing out the key points turns this powerful and nuanced medium into little more than a slide presentation. Don't ask people to read as well as listen. It dilutes both tasks. |
I believe that there is no good or bad in corporate communications. There is only effective, and ineffective. Simple as.
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