VIDEO FOR BUSINESS 1
HOW TO COMMISSION A VIDEO
by Val Whitter
Copyright V.J.Whitter 2011
Smashwords Edition
Cover design by E.W.Whitter
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Table of Contents.
Chapter 1 - Why this is the Book for you.
Chapter 2 - Why Video for Marketing?
Chapter 3 - Advantages of Commissioning Professional Video.
Chapter 4 - Tips on Preparing your Video.
Chapter 5 - Writing the Brief.
Chapter 6 - A Bit About Budgets.
Chapter 7 - Finding and Choosing a Business Film Maker.
Chapter 8 - Who does what, Understanding the Roles.
Chapter 9 - Checking the Draft.
Chpater 10 - Ways of Delivering your Video.
Chapter 11 - Maximising your Finished Film.
Chapter 12 - Where to next.
About the Author.
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Chapter 1
Why This is the Book for You
You need to keep reading this book if you are involved in a business or organisation
that provides products or services and you need a professional video.

They ignored the advice of the video firm
Now you might think that this is a rather unlikely list of reasons for failure, but I am
afraid I have to say that every point above has, to some degree, been based on the
experience of myself or of colleagues. This is because we are often brought in to
make a more appropriate video, or to re-edit one that has gone wrong. Professional
integrity prevents me from going into detail but it may well be that you know
someone else who has had this experience. Fortunately, the advice in this book can
help you to avoid the same mistakes.
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Chapter 2
Why video for marketing?
There are a lot of reasons why a moving picture with sound can help to promote your
business. Obviously it can show all kinds of aspects missed in one-dimensional
media such as print. Research has clearly shown the advantages for online
marketing. Here are commonly agreed facts.
40% more conversions to sales
53% increase in Google page rank
96% increase in email clickthrough
Visitors stick on your site 2 minutes more on average
In addition Edgar Dale’s research has shown some interesting finds about learning,
as useful for marketing as they are for education.
In his cone of learning, after 2 weeks we remember 10% of what we read.
After two weeks we remember 20% of what we hear
If we both see and hear we retain 50%
Of course there are caveats with all this, which is why the video has to be done
properly and used properly. It needs to be well made, effective in content and aimed
at search engines if you are promoting online.
The same applies if you are using video amongst a membership or staff body or
sending it to selected clients. Professional quality and good content will get the
message over and ensure an effective marketing tool is at your disposal.

Where all this can fall down, is if the authenticity tips over into an amateurish
production, leaving prospects doubtful whether you have a sound and reliable
business.
Authenticity is a plumber showing what he does as a plumber. A video for business
needs to be shown as well designed, planned and well executed, and that there is a
message worth knowing; in summary if it needs to be credible then you do not want
to have the kitchen cabinets in the background!
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Chapter 4
Tips on Preparing your Video.
This might seem an early stage to be making preparations, but this thinking time
before you engage a firm to make your film is essential. I promise you that after 11
years of making video for business the worst customers are those who fail to end up
with a good piece of work because they did not know what they wanted. Sometimes
they know what it is they wanted when the video is finished, i.e. when it is too late. Of
course I can’t know what as a reader you might have in mind but from experience
certain things go together well - like roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, and some
things don’t – like roast beef and custard. Put yourself and the video firm/scriptwriter
together and come up with something really imaginative!
There is no need to restrict yourself to one video – several can be made from one
shoot. We will come to this later. Here are my prompts for finding a type of video to
suit you. Please note that these are the bare bones only and at this stage will lack
the creative touch.
ESTABLISHED COMPANIES
Full corporate video to introduce different aspects of the business or organisation
and to give the impression of stability, reliability and to enhance the brand. Often
done to update perceptions. Important to show satisfied consumers.
ARTS AND BOOKS
Writers – presentations to camera discussing their books and inspiration for writing
them with illustrative cutaways.

Everyone needs to know what the video is for and this could go as far as a working
title. It might start like this
‘Blurb Marketing wishes to produce a series of videos entitled Blurb in Action for their
website and social media which show their new marketing offers‘.
‘Jogs running shoes wishes to show their revolutionary new product in use in both
gyms and the half marathon to use for email marketing’
CONTENT
A rough guide here at this early stage might be something like:-
‘Jogs running shoes in action in test Gym in Blackburn, interview with the marketing
manager and live footage from the Tiddlepuddle Marathon’.
‘MD speaks to camera. Shots of building site and some customer feedback’
‘Conference presentations in Leeds and Liverpool to be filmed (two cameras) and
edited for the web’
SCHEDULE
This may seem obvious but can become very important to both parties if it is not
agreed at an early stage. Here are a few examples:
‘To be shot at national conference on 23rd of June, edited by end of July’ Contract to
be awarded at the end of May.
LOGISTICS
This practical stuff is important if you don’t want endless phone calls from bidders. It
needs to cover things like this:
Is this a broadcast-level project?
Is it to be an event, web-video, documentary, or corporate style film?
How many locations will there be and are they provided?
Are transport costs included?
What access is there for the crew (such as a balcony)?
Will a separate sound recordist be needed? Or radio mikes?
Is a green screen needed?
Will animation be required (other than motion graphics)?
If a presenter/voiceover artist is needed is this included in the cost?

Video firms have all the usual business overheads such as premises, business rent
and rates (if there is a studio), a perplexing amount of insurance from equipment to
employee to professional indemnity (in case your project is accidentally destroyed or
commandeered by the police). Membership of professional bodies for customer
arbitration, and of course marketing.
Equipment – broadcast cameras come in at about £4,500,($7,000) upwards, other
HD cameras at somewhat less, specialist cameras such as DSLRs for certain
effects, tripods (not worth having under £1000/$1500) lighting of various kinds,
perhaps about £1,500, a suitable vehicle, edit suites and extra hard drives for
backing-up your project, monitor, decks, etc about £3000 ($4,700), software and
subscription costs probably costing about £250 ($400) a month for updating, and
media for recording on. If it is a full event multi camera shoot then you need a vision
mixer and OB unit.
Staff – professionally trained, may charge from £300 ($500) - £500 ($800) per day.
There are costs of training and updating in a fast moving field. Those fresh from
colleges have some skills but they are not always relevant. A full crew would include
a camera operator, sound operator, production assistant, and a director. After that
you are looking at a editor for vision and sound, trained or experienced in one of the
big systems such as Final Cut, Avid, Premier, Adobe, and able to manage colour
correction and motion graphics, requiring extra training.
At the lower end of the budget is the single multitasking operator who will run around
and do everything at the same time for about £400 ($600) a day and could well make
a good job of it and edit it to boot. If you take the trouble to meet with them and find
that they have a mass of experience – great!
One problem area is about whether a project is finished or not. Often a client of ours
will ask for numerous alterations to the finished version, which is why our agreement
always mentions one batch of final changes to the draft copy. Beyond that, if you
change your mind again, then there will be a further fee. No-one in business can give
their services away for free.
For clarity, I would expect the video firm to give more than a bald quote; you will

called in to shoot something like a training presentation but no attention has been
paid to planning or scripting, and although the event will have some useful material,
it will not necessarily be the best way to market the product or service on video.
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Chapter 8
Understanding the Roles.
This is yet another bit which needs to be sorted at the beginning, and that is the
obvious but often overlooked area of who does what.
Being part of the communications industry I rather expect that firms will at least tell
their staff to prepare and tell them that we are coming. Not so, or at least, not always
so. It isn’t really the role of a camera operator to tell another firm’s employees what
they ought to say, but it does happen. This is why clarity of roles is important.
At the beginning it should be clear who is directing and producing the film. Who is
lining up the participants so that time is not wasted, who is seeking permissions, and
who is priming the staff about what will be expected.
In this sense when I put in a proposal in response to the brief described in Chapter
5, I often describe the individual person responsible as the Executive Director, whilst
on location we provide the on the ground director, coaxing the participants, setting
up shots etc. (Of course I avoid the ED term too much in case it goes to someone’s
head!)
When the link person is identified then we forge a good working relationship. It
doesn’t matter if they don’t have experience in commissioning a film; that is what we
are there for, to help and to inform.
Likewise in the edit suite I don’t expect any interference until there is a final draft for
comment. Interference is a harsh word but it does happen. Likewise, clients (and
there are many) who are relaxed about the progress and give us space to get on
with it are likely to get the best creative results. They realise that there are only so
many hours that an editor can sit in front of a screen and produce their best work.
Why pay the piper and play the tune yourself.
Also important to know is that live events can be unpredictable. Speakers can move

pay the mortgage.
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Chapter 10
Ways of Delivering your Video.
The astonishing thing about technological change, is that it seems to accelerate
exponentially. VHS stuck around for a long time. DVD, the digital format with so
many advantages, seemed set to do the same. However it has been overtaken by
the web and now the Smartphone and the tablet, each one tumbling rapidly after the
other. Our clients who once took DVDs in large numbers to presentations or posted
them out, have now put them on their websites. Then in turn they realised they can
put them on their mobiles and show them to a prospect at the perfect moment. As I
write this wonder how long my advice will survive, but here goes.
DVD still has some use. It is like a hard copy. It won’t disappear with a hard drive or
a when a mobile phone utters its last breath. The video could be saved on the cloud,
and incidentally your video maker should keep the files on a hard drive for a
reasonable time. (the longest period a client has returned to us for an update was 9
years)
But DVD is not just about keeping a handy copy. A lot of people still like them, mostly
because it is something to physically give someone and it carries some good print
promotion on the sleeve, which can be well illustrated. Manufacturing has contracted
dramatically, but it is still possible to get a thousand DVDs made for a knockdown
price, including the onbody printing and printed sleeve insert.
If you have a reason to go down the DVD route, you will need to factor into the
budget the costs of sleeve and body design as well as duplication (if less than 1000)
and replication (for 1000 or more)
Most video firms will arrange all this for you.
If you are planning web or social media video the encoding and uploading for this will
take place between your video firm and your web designer/manager
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Chapter 11

content. They will be happy to have the regular work and this will reflect in the price.
This is a better approach than a reactive one of running out of material. Also your
firm will be able to sift through your footage and maximise your existing content,
another time and money saver.
If, after reading this and perhaps having the experience of working with a
professional, you might come round to the notion of making your own video.
If you want to minimise the tears, then Video for Business 2 could be very helpful,
giving insider tips on making your own video for business.
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About the Author.
Val Whitter Cert Ed., MA, is a writer, scriptwriter and technology blogger with years
of practical experience in the field of video and music. She has been a partner in
i54newmedia, a professional video firm, for over eleven years, providing businesses
of all sizes with commercial films. Val has also had a varied career in the public and
voluntary sector giving her a pool of knowledge and experience to draw on. She lives
in Kent with her music composer husband and business partner and loves comedy,
cooking Mexican food and Skyping with her daughter in New York.
Val is happy to answer any queries you may have about making video through the
website , @i54newmedia on Twitter and i54newmedia
on Facebook. If you found this little book useful then do pass it on to a friend or
business colleague.
Part 2 of Video for Business, Making Video for Profit, is available on the Kindle and
elsewhere.