I was tempted to title this blog ‘Creating a Quick Promotional Film for Free!’, but that is really not possible if you put any value at all on your time (or the time of a company like Video Artisan!). If you are serious about business, then I am sure you will understand this. And, if you have ever tried to create a professionally looking promotional film yourself, you’ll understand that it can be VERY time consuming – especially if you have got to shoot lots of original footage in order to tell your story.
However, this article will reveal how to you can take a big slice off that time commitment and get your story out to your audience a whole lot quicker – and often a whole lot cheaper! I will cover how you can start creating a quick promotional film using purely stock footage and images and share a case study which epitomises this approach.
We are all aware of the growing influence that video content has on SEO for your website and social media marketing, but the recent social distancing restrictions have made the challenge of creating a quick promotional film a little harder. We are still shooting original footage for clients, and sometimes that’s the only thing that will work, but these restrictions add a layer of complexity and logistical demands that might put some companies off the idea. Do not let that happen! Adding video into your marketing mix is essential these days (If you are still not convinced read our in-depth article here).
Case Study – ‘Haynes Group – The Core of your Connected Future’
This case study is an excellent example of how we helped in creating a quick promotional film – exceptionally quick in fact. The Haynes Group, who are a structured cabling company, approached Video Artisan at the end of May and 10-days later the final version was signed off and in use. It does not include a single second of originally shot video – and we did not spend a single moment in face-to-face meetings with the client (or anyone come to that) – so a perfect example of observing social-distancing when it was at its height.
The initial enquiry came about through the MD of the Haynes Group spotting a short promotional video we produced on ourselves called, ‘Local Films for Local Firms’ (watch here ). This was distributed on our Facebook page (among other platforms) and within an hour of its release generated the enquiry from the Haynes Group asking if we could do something for them.
We then studied website content to get a feel for what they were all about, and then followed this up with a Zoom meeting with their MD to talk though exactly what they wanted the video to achieve.
As the Haynes Group worked on projects throughout Europe, with the COVID travel restrictions in place it was obvious that we were not going to be able to acquire footage of their current projects. Even without the COVID situation many of their structured cabling projects are within extremely sensitive server centers so it was totally impractical to film anything original within a reasonable time and budget.
Everything about this project was calling for use of stock footage so we set about researching what was available that would enable us to tell their story. Thankfully, Shutterstock gave us all the answers and the solution to creating a quick promotional film. We did look through some of the free stock libraries, but nothing came close to the selection and quality available through Shutterstock.
We made the client fully aware of the costs involved in licencing this and our fees on top for bringing it all together and we were still under what they thought they would have to spend. And even after adding a voiceover and royalty-free music it brought the overall budget to around £3,500.
Getting Stocked up for Creating a Quick Promotional Film
Though we were unable to tap into free stock images on this occasion, we often do. Another film created around the same time illustrates just how effective free stock can be and how it can add to the story you are trying to tell.
For the ‘Smiths of Loughton – At your Service’ film created for a local retailer (watch the film here) we blended original footage with free stock video clips from www.pexels.com. This is another library which I turn to often and has a useful array of more generic footage. A search on Pexels will also show what is available from paid-for libraries which I guess is how the site is funded. It also has a great selection of still images too.
A sensible approach is to write your script according to the stock footage available – especially when the budget is limited. You might find that you have to tweak your script to make the pictures work more effectively for you But don’t go too far with this otherwise you will lose the story you are trying to tell.
You might even find that searching through these libraries inspires you to create even more stories. I certainly found this when we create a series of short social media video adverts for our own business. With a bit of imagination, and some skilful editing and use of words, you can craft a whole new meaning and life into otherwise inert stock.
And do not rule out looking in your own archives. If you have created videos before there is a surprisingly good chance that some of the footage could be used again – especially if your story tells something of your history or how things have changed over time.
Feel like Creating a Quick Promotional Film?
If you are interested in seeing what could be created for your company or organisation from stock footage – or maybe a blend of original content combined with stock – then please get in touch. We will work with you on developing your story and creating it in the most cost-effective and creative way.
Creating a Quick Promotional Film can be an extremely rewarding and profitable experience – and we would really love to help you along the way.
Kevin Cook
+44 (0) 20 3602 3356
kevin@video-artisan.com