How to Plan a Corporate Videography Shoot That Delivers Your Brand Message with Impact
Executive Summary:
Corporate videos are more than just polished footage—they’re strategic tools for storytelling, brand positioning, and audience engagement. This guide walks you through planning a shoot that hits all the right notes.
As with so many things in life, getting the best out of a corporate Video project depends on asking yourself the right questions, right at the start.
It’s part of a series of 5 how-to articles brought to you by ACrew4U, who have a global database of the best locally based Videoographers. We sort the boring logistics so you can concentrate on your creative content.
This learning zone guide looks at:
Okay, let’s go!
Step 1: Define Your Objective and Audience
If you cannot answer the below basic questions, STOP! You probably don’t need to make a video about anything.
So, have a look and think about the below points before you do anything;
Define what purpose the Video will serve
Unless you like wasting money on videos that no one will watch, you need to determine what function the video will serve and what action you want it to incite in the viewer once they have seen it.
It might be as vague as brand awareness or as specific as making sure an employee knows what fire extinguisher to use in an emergency.
Whatever it is, the video needs to have a specific function. Otherwise it will serve no purpose and simply be a waste of money.
The main uses of video in business would be:
- For an Internal Audience
For example; training, compliance, or internal communications.
- For an External audience
For example client acquisition, or general brand awareness.
Once you have ascertained exactly what you want your future video to do you need to clarify the message and tone based on who will be watching.
It helps to take the case you want to communicate and identify what individual audience personas (and the motivations of these) to help you cover the motivations and interests of the people you want to view and take action after watching your film.
Step 2: Develop a Clear Concept and Script
This is where it might help to get a professional involved to assist. Making a video is not some free-form creative venture. It is at heart an industrial process that requires a precise plan and production and it then knitted together by an editor. If there is a piece missing, chances are you won’t get the result you want.
This is the stage that will make or break your project’s effectiveness
Here are some useful guidelines that will help you;
Develop the Brief.
First of all you need to brainstorm a concept ( will it be an interview, case study or something else?) and overall story or message that you want to get across that is of interest to your target audience personas and aligns with your brand values and tone of voice.
Here is a link to an excellent guide that I have found that might help you.
Get a Script and Shotlist together.
Next, you need to write a script that covers the points you want your film to make that is concise, engaging, and jargon-free.
The script might be for soundbites, questions asked to a person being interviewed, talking points for a fireside chat, results of a clinical survey. Whatever it is you need to know before you start shooting.
Based on the above, if this is a business video. You will almost certainly need to get a separate shotlist together. This would involve making sure you had an image to cover what was being talked about for a case study film for example.
Once we have our script and shotlist it’s just a case of deciding in what order you want the elements to be in and then we have a basic but functional set of information that will enable anyone to understand what the film will be like. Even if it’s just words at this stage.
PRO TIP: Get the editor involved at this stage. They will have loads of useful ideas of stuff to shoot that will make your video loads better.
It’s a film, which is a visual medium. You have to show, not tell!
Include a strong call to action..
If you want the viewer to do something after watching your video, make sure that you include it in your script and if related graphics or other material (we call it B-Roll) needs to be shot, it will be shot.
PRO TIP: Nothing much good happens by accident when you make a film. If you don’t plan it you might not shoot it, and if you don’t shoot it you cannot include it in your film. You have been warned.
Step 3: Assemble Your Team and Gear
PRO TIP – There is no point in doing this step unless you did the first two. You can hire the best people in the world, but if no one can tell them what needs to be filmed, you are not going to get a great film.
Okay, now you know who you want to communicate to, what you want them to do and exactly what needs to be shot, created or captured. It’s time to assemble the dream team to make it a reality.
At its best, making a video is a pretty military affair in terms of people working as a team. Even if you have a one person crew to shoot and edit, it’s still a team affair and someone on your side needs to be responsible for making sure they are directed accordingly.
Let’s look at how we might crew up and prep a team for a corporate video:
Get the team together.
The perfect film isn’t going to manifest itself into existence. You need to at the very least, hire a videographer/editor. This will work for a very simple shoot.
Where it is any more complex, you’re going to need to hire a production team. The scale of which of course depends on the complexity of your film.
Let’s take a closer look at a likely team for a corporate video-
Videographer/DoP – (director of photography)
For a simple shoot they can shoot / direct video and do sound/audio, but the minute it gets more complex than one simple talking head or b-roll setup, they are going to need assistance.
We might also need the following roles:
- Camera assistant – to keep an eye on additional cameras and help with setting up and managing video files
- Extra camera operator(s) – lots of people want multiple camera angles, if the camera is not in a fixed position someone is going to have to operate it.
- Sound / Audio recordist – As soon as you have more than one person talking, you probably need one. Bad audio can render all your efforts fruitless if you can’t hear what someone is saying. Skipping a “soundie” can be a false economy.
- Producer / Production Manager – can get script and shotlist together, marshal crew, sort people and stuff on the shoot and generally make it all happen
- Director – You’re probably not going to need one for a corporate talking head, but if you want a complex or glossy result, a director has the ability to turn your idea into a beautiful film.
PRO TIP : It’s strongly suggested that you get the editor involved early on as they can help with script and shotlist. After all, it makes sense to have the person that will assemble the end product involved when planning what elements need to be shot assembled.
There are lots of other roles that might be needed like lighting people, hair makeup and costume, production assistants. As stated before, this is all dependent on how complex a film you want to make.
Get equipment for the job.
The amount of stuff that needs to be ordered and prepared for even a simple shoot is mind-boggling.
Let’s look at a sample equipment list for a corporate shoot:
- Camera(s) – we may need more than one.
- Tripod(s) – legs you stick the camera on so it doesn’t wobble
- Gimbal ( to hold camera for steady motion shots)
- Drone – great for aerial shots, as you’d imagine
- Computers and hard drives to back up footage files
- Autocue/Teleprompter – so people can read a script
- Microphones – tie clip ones, handheld ones, ones on a boom pole
- Sound recording devices
- Lights, stands and stuff to block windows and annoying light sources
- Batteries, chargers, cables, extension leads
- Edit system for our editor
Step 4: Choose Locations and Schedule Wisely
You need somewhere to shoot, and even if it’s just a simple shoot there are a few things to bear in mind.
Choose locations – with care
If you are recording an interview you will need somewhere that is quiet, where you have enough space to get a good shot, where you can control the light, is secure, easy to access etc.
If you’re shooting in an office, you need to make sure things like tables in meeting rooms can be moved and that aircon can be switched off, sun can be blocked from windows and lights can be turned on and off. A controllable environment is very important, reflects your brand and is logistically practical.
Create a shot list and production schedule to stay organized.
Even for a simple film you need a script, or questions to ask an interviewee. You may well also want to get B roll shots of other stuff like people working together, office exteriors, city views to make the video watchable. Also, if someone is talking about a thing or a concept you really ought to have some supporting visuals to back it up.
It’s very important to have a script and shot list based on what you know you’ll need as once the shoot is over it’s too late, and it could ruin the end result.
Secure permits if filming in public or commercial spaces.
Inside your office is probably fine, but some jobsworth in facilities will probably try to stick their oar in if you deign to shoot in a common area of a tower block. These people love a good ego trip, not to mention reams of paperwork. So make sure you get these people on side well in advance. Also, for a tower block the loading bay for kit will possibly not be the entrance you’d expect. The last thing you need is some awkward idiot in a loading area banning your crew from getting in. They get a high off this sort of behaviour I swear.
Likewise, in many cities, you’d do well to make sure that you understand whether or not you need a permit to film outdoors. This is where a good local contact can be very helpful indeed.
Step 5: Prepare Talent and Rehearse
Brief on-camera talent with scripts and expectations.
If you want someone to say what’s needed you need to either have a script for them to follow or prompt questions to get them to say what you want.
Make sure they know to repeat the question in the answer, your editor will thank you for it as “since 1985” is a hell of a lot less useful than “we have been operating in this facility since 1985” in your final film.
Schedule rehearsals to reduce nerves and improve delivery.
It’s a great idea to do some zoom calls with people you want to film. Go through stuff ahead of time and brief them on how the shoot will work, what you want them to say and show you and if they can rope a few colleagues in for some made up scenes of corporate life that you may well need in the final edit !
Ensure wardrobe and makeup align with brand aesthetics.
If you’re going to film against a green screen, best the interview subject doesn’t turn up in a bright green outfit.
Likewise, visibly branded stuff or anything that doesn’t reflect your brand well needs to be prohibited.
Conclusion
A well-planned shoot sets the stage for a video that resonates. With clear goals, strong visuals, and a cohesive message, your corporate video can become a powerful brand asset.
None of the stuff needed is exactly tricky, but you need to be logical, sequential and very detailed in the way you conceive, plan and shoot even the simplest bit of video content.
And if you either haven’t the time or the inclination to do this, get some people in who do.
Want to know more about Videographers or ACrew4U?
Want to learn more about Video Crew?
- How to Plan Corporate Videography That Delivers Your Brand Message
- How to Direct a Corporate Video Shoot
- How to Light, Frame, and Capture Stunning Footage
- How to Record Crystal-Clear Audio for Corporate Videos
- How to Maximize ROI from Your Corporate Video
Find even more resources at our Video Crew and Videography Learning Zone
