Our creative team has produced some interesting overview and brand videos over the years. Dancing nerds, lightsaber-wielding executives, some urinal humor…we’ve come up with some crazy ideas. And as memorable and effective these whacky concepts have been, sometimes the most impactful approach has been when the CEO or other company leaders has a simple conversation with its audience.
This is the conversation video. Of course, there’s no actual interactive conversation, but the idea is that the brand is speaking directly to its audience.
There’s nothing new about these videos. They’ve been around since the beginning of television, but they are still very effective in marketing your brand.
Why are conversation videos effective?
There’s a strong human element with the conversation video. Whether it’s the CEO, founder, or perhaps a regular employee, we are connecting with a real person at the company. It’s not a paid actor, but a person with a stake in the product or service they are presenting. There’s a level of sincerity that comes with that.
What to consider when producing a conversation video.
Like all videos, conversation videos need some level of production value. You can definitely shoot the video on your phone or some other no-budget way, but you probably won’t get the most engaging result. It definitely is ideal to bring in a professional to produce the video, but if you are considering doing these on your own, here are several tips to consider.
Talent
By talent, it doesn’t mean an actor. Anyone who goes on camera is your talent, and she or he must be charismatic and articulate. If your CEO is not exactly Ms. Sunshine, then perhaps another executive or even an employee at the company may be the best fit. The talent should also be able to speak on camera freely without heavy reliance on a teleprompter. It also doesn’t hurt if your talent is nice to look at, but that’s secondary to performance.
Location
Shooting in the right location is almost as important as your talent. Avoid distracting backgrounds or tight places that can induce claustrophobia. If possible, shoot at a place with depth (a large conference room, hallway, windows in the background, etc). If the shoot must happen in a small room without ideal backgrounds, consider using a drape or other backgrounds and have separation between your talent and the wall.
Also, make sure you shoot at a location where you can capture clean audio.
B-Roll
Even with the most charismatic talent, it’s difficult to watch an entire video with nothing but a talking head. Edit in b-roll to add interesting variety to your production. You should definitely capture b-roll with your talent, but you can also use stock or pre-existing footage. Include screen recordings of your website and product.
Length
Keep the length of the video to no more than three minutes. You can have a longer edit if needed for other purposes, but for general marketing, three minutes is about the tolerance point.
Overall, these videos are simple but highly effective when done right. Though the technology exists today where anyone can produce these videos, it may still be beneficial to bring in a professional for some, if not all, elements of production. This may include scripting, shooting, editing, graphics, etc.
Picturelab is a full-service video production company and we can help with any aspect of the process. Reach out to learn more at info@picturelab.com.
We’re based in Mountain View, CA, with an office in Irvine, CA. We service the entire San Francisco Bay Area and the Greater Los Angeles and Orange County regions.