Brand Story Video Process Overview 

Congratulations again on making the commitment to have your Brand Story Video produced, filmed, and edited by Geffner Productions!

In case you are someone who needs to understand the “big picture” of what this process entails, below is a general overview of all the information we are going to be covering with you in the coming weeks, as we prepare for your upcoming day of filming.

The good news is you don’t need to worry about all of this information at one time. We are going to take it step-by-step, so that we can eliminate as much of the overwhelm as possible. To make it even easier for you to stay organized and on track, we’ve created a 90-day countdown to your video shoot checklist.

If you are someone who enjoys knowing and being aware of EVERYTHING that will need to get done in order to fully prepare, then this overview page was made for you.

Below you’ll find a separate section describing each of the main categories that we’ll be discussing during the pre-production process. Each category has its own page which lays out in full detail everything you need to know. There is a lot of useful information included here, and we will also be available to guide you every step of the way, and to answer any questions you have as they come up.

And finally, just for fun, and to get you super excited about what we are creating together, below are a few of our favorite Brand Story Videos that we’ve done recently with clients. Watching a few of these sample videos will give you a better idea and understanding of what we are going to create with you, and may also give you a few good ideas for what to include in your own Brand Story Video.

Happy Watching!

Click here to see even more fantastic sample Brand Story Videos.

YOUR FILMING DATE:

We may or may not have already scheduled a filming date in the production calendar to film your Brand Story Video. If we haven’t scheduled a date yet, then that is something that we should do ASAP. This is a very important first step, as there is nothing like having an upcoming date in the calendar to keep you accountable to getting the prep work done!

Please click the link below for more information about your filming date, including how long in advance to schedule, what to expect on your day of filming, how long it takes to edit your video after we’ve filmed, and our filming date postponement policy.

We have also included information about makeup and hair on your day of filming, as well as a general overview of the schedule for your day of filming.

Click here for more information about your Brand Story Video filming date

BRAND STORY VIDEO CONTENT:

The process for creating content for the Brand Story Video is simple.

First, you will fill out our Brand Story Messaging for Video: Getting Started Questionnaire, which gives us detailed information about your business, your offers, your clients, your online presence, and your current marketing strategy.

Then, once we have your completed questionnaire, we can begin the Brand Story Messaging for Video interview process, which includes several phone calls that really help us to get a great sense of not only who you are and what you do, but also the image and message you’re trying to portray to the world.

Finally, after gathering and reviewing all of the Brand Story Messaging for Video information, we will create a list of customized interview questions that we will ask you on-camera on the day of filming.

We will also provide you with a finished Brand Story Messaging for Video Summary that highlights the key ideas we suggest you focus on when presenting yourself, your company, and your brand message, to your target clients, both on video, and in the rest of your marketing materials.

Click here to learn more about the content creation process, and to download the Brand Story Messaging for Video: Getting Started Questionnaire, if you haven’t done so already

YOUR FILMING LOCATION(S):

Finding a location for your Brand Story Video shoot may be really easy, or it could be a bit of a challenge. In general, we will need an indoor space for filming your interview, and several other spaces for filming your b-roll shots, both indoors and outdoors.

Please click on the link below to access our location search page. This page goes into detail about exactly what we are looking for, and provides a bunch of great ideas for how to find the right locations, as well as some ready-to-go location options that other clients of ours have used in the past.

Most of our clients who are local to Southern California (Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego) either use their own home or office space, or borrow a friend or family member’s home or office. However, if a suitable location is not readily available to you, then we’ve provided a whole list of ideas for how to find the perfect spot.

Click here for more information about finding the right location(s) to film your Brand Story Video

B-ROLL SHOTS & GUESTS:

In case you’re not familiar with the term “b-roll”, it’s the visual footage that tells the story of your brand. “A-roll” refers to the interview footage, or the main video footage that tells the story in words. In this case, it’s your interview footage and sound bites that we refer to as the a-roll for your Brand Story Video. However, we also film b-roll footage to make your video more visually stimulating, and emotionally connecting for the viewer. The b-roll footage is where we include other people in your video, like your clients, customers, friends, and family members.

Click below to learn more about the role that b-roll plays in your Brand Story Video, as well as some ideas for what types of shots we typically include, and some ideas for how to recruit other people to appear in your b-roll shots. You can also view sample Brand Story Videos for ideas on what b-roll shots have worked well for some of our other clients in the past.

Click here for more information about b-roll shots & guests for your Brand Story Video

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS (OPTIONAL):

Adding Client Testimonials into your Brand Story Video is an option that may or may not be appropriate for your Brand Story Video project. We have produced amazing Brand Story Videos both with and without client testimonials.

Keep in mind that it takes a significant amount of extra time for us, in both the filming and editing process to add testimonials into your Brand Story Video. And because of that, testimonials are an ADD-ON service that is not already included in the regular pricing of a Brand Story Video package.

One more thing to consider is that it may or may not be feasible to capture testimonials on your upcoming day of filming. Some projects require testimonials to completely tell the story, while others do not. Also, if you are coming in from out of town to film with us and most of your clients are local to you, then it may be more difficult to get clients to participate in this process. Please talk to us about the idea of adding testimonials into your Brand Story Video, if it’s something you’re interested in exploring.

Click here for more information about adding testimonials into your Brand Story Video

WARDROBE:

One of the most common questions we get asked when preparing for a Brand Story Video shoot is: “what should I wear?”

That’s a great question, and we (of course) have a list of dos and don’ts when it comes to on-camera wardrobe.

We also want to forewarn you that you’ll need several different outfits or “looks” for your Brand Story Video shoot. The idea is to make it look like we followed you around for several days or weeks, filming with you in different locations, at different times, with different people. So we’ll want you to have a different outfit for every different scenario that we’re filming you in.

Click here to access all the information about what to wear on-camera for your Brand Story Video shoot

ADDITIONAL INFLUENCER VIDEOS (OPTIONAL):

When we do a Brand Story Video, we typically film an interview with you that lasts around 90 minutes to 2 hours on average. Then, we choose the best of the best content to include in the Brand Story Video. That typically leaves us with a lot of additional footage that didn’t get used in the Brand Story Video itself, but that would make GREAT stand-alone videos for use on social media, in email marketing campaigns, on a website, in a Facebook ad buy, etc. The additional clips are typically 30 seconds to 2 minutes long each. It’s a huge bonus of filming a Brand Story Video project that there is this extra footage that can be repurposed. After the Brand Story Video itself is completed, we go back through the interview raw footage and make a list of all the additional videos that are possible to edit, and then we just charge a small editing fee per video to get you the ones you choose to have us edit.

Click here to learn more about Social Media Influencer Videos, and to watch sample videos