Brand Films - Top 5 FAQs
So, brand films, what are they, how do they work and what do you get? Moving imagery and films are becoming very popular to help customers get a real feel for a brand and how that brand’s services or products can help solve a problem for them. But not only that, they are becoming more and more important in the age of social media that we live in. Whether you agree with social media or not, it does ultimately help you tell your story to both your existing and potential customers quickly, easily and from the palm of your hand.
Today I am going to answer the top 5 frequently asked questions that I receive about my brand storytelling films.
1. What are brand storytelling films?
Brand films are exactly what it says on the tin. A collection of moving images / video clips edited together to tell a story.
My storytelling films are about telling the story of your brand, so I won't just focus on your end products whether that be a physical product or a service. I film what a typical “day at work” looks like as well, taking a peek behind the scenes of your everyday. So if you are a maker this would be you creating, if you are a furniture brand it could be your sourcing process or if you run a holiday home we could show how people enjoy the space. It is easy to forget how much goes in to running a business, often single handedly, and I believe it is important to film those bits too, creating something that showcases your brand, its aims & objectives, and importantly all of your hard work.
Clients who I have made films with use their content across their websites, on the homepage, the “about us” section, the product pages. Individual clips are used across social media platforms in both portrait and landscape orientation. Brand storytelling films go hand in hand with beautiful photography and they help really tell a complete story.
2. Where does the shoot take place?
So I travel to wherever the base for your business is, this could be a studio, office or even your kitchen table. We are recording the beautiful everyday of your business, wherever that may be for you.
And depending on your brand, we can also look at going to where you find your inspiration. This could be by the sea, the local woodland, your garden or at your favourite people watching cafe. If you always head out somewhere to create your ideas, we can go there, and we can capture it.
3. What happens on the day of a film shoot?
So, for me, typically, I will arrive and we can have a cup of tea and a chat about what will be happening, this also gives you a moment to stop and relax before we start. Before I arrive we will have created a brief for the day, and we tend to go through this to make sure everything is still as per our plan for the day.
I film in a documentary style using natural light, so we will take things exactly as they would happen on a typical day within your brand, with a focus on your “must-have” clips, whilst I seek out the unique magic which makes you and your brand, beautifully you.
4. How do you pick the music?
A good question, for all film packages (trailers, shorts & films), I work hard to find a piece of music which is beautiful, something which helps set the scene for your story, without taking any focus away from what we want people to see.
All of the music I use is fully licensed, so this means you will be able to use it across your website & social media without any copyright warnings.
However it is good to understand that I do not use music you might hear on the radio (so the latest chart toppers are not going to be on your film!) - this music isn’t licensable in the same way and frankly I don’t think it works as well as what we call “ambient” music. The key here is that the music doesn’t cause a distraction it just helps create an emotive feeling when people are watching.
If you have an idea for what style of music you would like, you can share this with me and I can look for something which has a similar style / beat / feeling about it. But typically people trust my artistic license with this area and love my choices!
5. What do I receive after filming?
This does depend on what package you book, but if we take my full film package as an example, you would receive a 2-3 minute film, beautifully edited to music, ambient sound, and voiceover. All voiceovers are provided with subtitles as standard. The film would also include your brand logo and website information to provide your viewers with additional direction on what to do next.
All films are provided in wide screen 16:9 format. But, with the world of social media as it is, I fully understand and appreciate that you may be looking for some film content in this area as well so I do offer the opportunity for you to pick individual clips from your film which I can cut in to a portrait format for easy use on social media. The same applies for website banners which are fast becoming a really key area to utilise moving imagery, drawing your customers in as soon as they visit your homepage.
A full film (2-3 minutes long) typically takes 4-6 weeks after our filming day. Photographs & trailers generally take around 2-3 weeks but I will always try to send over a few previews as quickly as I can after our time together.
Further details of all of my packages are available on my website.
I hope that this has provided a bit more information about how brand films are created, how I work with my clients and what to expect before you get to a film shoot.
Head over to my brand page to see some of my recent films and for more information on how to get in touch.
Let’s tell your brand story.
