You may think your office space is boring and uninspiring. You may believe it will never look great in videos. However, we’re here to tell 99% of you that you’re wrong. We relish the challenge of making dull offices look great on camera, and without tooting our own horn too much, we’ve become pretty adept at it. An expertly produced corporate video, filmed in your office, could work wonders for your brand. Your office space shouldn’t hold you back. In this blog, we’ll share our top tips to turn your office from drab to fab. Here’s how we showcase your office in a corporate video shoot to ensure it looks its best and reflects well on your company
Location Scout
While not always possible, one of the most effective ways for us to get the most out of your office is through a location scout. During this process, we visit your office space, exploring it to consider composition and lighting. We take pictures to assess how different locations appear through the lens. This approach offers additional benefits: it helps us determine the best audio setup, plan parking for our van during unloading, and decide where to store our equipment. Moreover, it serves as an icebreaker, ensuring that on the day of the shoot, we’re not complete strangers. These are the benefits of using a video production company.
If an in-person visit isn’t feasible, we kindly request that you provide us with photos and a walkaround video of the available space. This allows us to form a rough idea of what we’re dealing with and make informed decisions about potential shooting locations.
Preparation
This may be where some of the work comes in for you and the team—to ensure that your office is clean and attractive. Consider setting up art, books, or any awards you may have in the background. Typically, on the day of the shoot, we’ll thoroughly explore the space and, with your permission, rearrange furniture and props to ensure dynamic framing. If you’re working with plain white walls and lack any existing props, we can provide our selection of fake potted plants, stylish chairs, rugs, and backdrops. We’re really looking to transform your office to create as much vibrancy and punch as possible.
Lighting
This is where our skills truly shine (pun intended). Typically, we prefer shooting in areas where we can enhance or replicate available natural light. Our goal is to make the shots look appealing without appearing overly artificial. However, there are exceptions. For instance, when we collaborate with you to create a super-stylized look or feel for a project, we invest time in carefully crafting the lighting and possibly adding pops of colour to align with your brand.
Composition
This goes hand in hand with lighting. Framing shots to add depth to an image is one way to enhance production. Instead of shooting against a flat wall, we love shooting into corners, creating leading lines that draw your eye to the subject. When possible, we use the space to enhance the subject of the video. Again, similar to lighting, we can also add an artistic flair. In this case, we’ve decided to take a more creative route. Our vision is part of what you’re paying for, and it comes with many years of experience.
Employee involvement
“Hey you don’t mind coming into this room and just chatting on camera for 15mins?”
“Yeh, surprise on camera days are my favourite”
– Said no one ever!
Preparing employees for on-camera appearances is non-negotiable. Nobody likes being surprised on the day and asked to be on camera. Our advice is to first ask people if they would be comfortable appearing on camera and try to find willing participants. If there is only one person who can do it and they’re not enthusiastic, the best approach is to prepare with them. This could involve creating questions or a script so they can rehearse answers or learn what they need to say. At least this way, they know what to expect. The worst thing is to assume everyone is going to be great on-camera…
Additionally, it’s essential to communicate what they need to do on camera. Are they simply delivering lines to the camera statically, or are they walking and talking? Providing a dress code—whether formal or relaxed—is crucial. If you have branded workwear, that’s another consideration. We also recommend bringing a few tops to ensure the best appearance on camera. And don’t forget about makeup! Regardless of gender, everyone looks better on camera with a touch of powder.
On the day, our team will collaborate with you and your team to establish a tone and delivery that reflects your brand and content. It’s essential to maintain consistency. For instance, if your brand has an informal online persona, coming across as stiff on camera could undermine your identity. We focus on capturing people as naturally as possible, coaching them to deliver their best performance. Typically, we run through a few practice rounds to perfect their delivery.
Lastly, our team is a very friendly bunch and we aim to create a relaxed atmosphere on set. We’ve received positive feedback from everyone who has appeared on camera—they quickly feel at home and are happy to participate again. If you don’t belive us, take a quick gander at our Google Reviews!
We hope this demonstrates how we showcase your office in a corporate video shoot, making it look its best
If you like what you see, feel free to drop us a message to see how we can help turn your ideas into so scroll-stopping video marketing content or call us on 0161 327 3799.
