WHAT B-ROLL SHOTS DO WE NEED TO CAPTURE?
Since the b-roll is meant to bring your brand and story to life, the specific shots we will need to capture will depend on who you are, what you do, how you work with clients, and in general, what visuals people want or need to see from you in order to be able to make a decision as to whether or not you’re a good fit for them.
For example, if you’re a business coach, then some ideas for b-roll shots might be as follows: Shots of you working one-on-one with clients, shots of you working with a group of clients, shots of you working alone on your computer and phone, etc.
In addition to filming work-related b-roll footage, we also try to incorporate some lifestyle b-roll footage, as appropriate and relevant to your brand. So, for example, we may get a shot of you walking your dog, sitting by the pool, walking on the beach, hanging out with your spouse or kids, having a cocktail with your girlfriends, etc.
We’re looking for the visuals that represent your story, or your life, and make you different from others. Maybe you have a hobby that you love, like biking, or surfing, or bird-watching. Anything that helps distinguish you from other people, and makes you more human, or more relatable, is usually a good thing.
WHO SHOULD I ASK TO APPEAR IN MY B-ROLL SHOTS?
For your b-roll shots, you will need to invite “guests” who are willing to play along, and appear on camera with you. These can be your real-life clients or customers, or just people who look like they could be your actual clients and customers. If you can’t get your actual clients to agree to this, then you can certainly use your friends, family members, colleagues, etc. The goal is that the people who represent your clients and customers in your video should look like the type of people you actually work with. You want to recruit people that are in your target demographic. You want viewers to look at the video and potentially see themselves in the people you have represented. So if you work mostly with women, then you’ll want to have a few different types of women that accurately represent your target customers: 1 older women, 1 younger woman, 1 blonde woman, 1 brunette woman, 1 Hispanic woman, 1 Caucasian woman, etc. You get the idea.
WHAT SHOULD MY GUESTS LOOK LIKE?
It’s important that your guests are “camera-friendly”. They don’t have to be supermodels, and they probably shouldn’t all be (unless of course your target market is supermodels). But they should definitely be pleasant to look at. It’s a sad but true fact that people will watch a video, TV show, or movie longer if the people they are looking at on screen are attractive, or at least inspiring to them in some way. Remember, we are trying to get the viewer to see themselves as your potential new client, so it’s important that you choose people who are good representatives of your brand.
WHEN DO MY GUESTS NEED TO BE AVAILABLE?
When you are looking for guests to appear in your b-roll footage, we generally ask that you check their availability for the afternoon on your day of filming. We typically film your interview during the first 1/2 of the day (the first 4 hours or so), either from 9am-1pm or 10am-2pm. This means that we are generally filming b-roll shots starting around 1pm or 2pm until 5pm or 6pm. It’s a great idea to check with your preferred guests early on, as soon as you book your filming date, and tell them to block out time in their calendar for the afternoon on the day of your Brand Story Video shoot. If you give people enough advanced warning, they are usually willing to block out the time and show up for you.
Also, keep in mind that most people are willing and happy to help. Some of our clients worry that no one will be available, or that no one will be willing to show up for them. In our experience, that’s simply not the case. Most people want to help you. You just need to tell them what you need from them, and how they can help. Most people are actually excited to help you out, and even thrilled to participate in your video. It’s a fun and unique experience for them too! Most of the guests we’ve seen have been super excited to show up, hang out, and help our clients in any way they can. And most times, they also feel honored that you even asked them to be a part of your big day.
HOW CAN I PREPARE MY GUESTS?
Once you start to book your guests they will have questions about what time to show up, what to bring with them, what to wear, how long it will take, etc. We will provide all those answers for you, so you will know exactly what to tell them. We’ll put together instructions about what to wear on camera – which is generally the same as what we tell you about wearing solid, rich colors. We’ll also create a schedule for the day of filming so that we can tell each person exactly what time to arrive, and approximately when they’ll be done.
However, it’s best if you give people plenty of advance warning, and just ask them to be available in the afternoon on the day of filming. That way we don’t have to worry about getting them in and out at a certain specific time. We will do our best to make their participation as fast and easy as possible, but the ideal scenario is that they are open and willing to help, and can show up when we ask, and stick around as long as we need them. It’s typically in the 1-2 hour range for most people, but it’s nice when everyone can be flexible, just in case we are running behind, or if things take longer than expected.
WHAT IF I ABSOLUTELY CAN’T FIND ANY GUESTS?
If you just can’t find anyone to appear as a guest in your Brand Story Video, there is always the option of hiring a few people to show up for you. We’ve had this happen a few times with clients who came in from out of town to film their Brand Story Video, and literally didn’t know anyone in Southern California that they could call on. In those instances, we were able to find people to show up for a few hours, for around $100 each, and it worked out great.
If this is the case for you, let us know as soon as you can, and we can try to help you find a few people that we can hire to show up for a few hours in the afternoon on your day of filming, to appear in your b-roll shots.
SAMPLE BRAND STORY VIDEOS:
Below are some sample Brand Story Videos, so you can get a better idea of how the b-roll shots & guests are used throughout the finished video:
