Corporate Video Production: An Annual Three-Line Plan

Most companies commission a film when they need one, three times a year, each on a similar theme, with no reusable footage. A cheaper approach is to plan corporate video production annually: brand, product and recruiting lines, sharing assets, so one shoot covers the year's needs.

1. Three Lines, Three Audiences

The brand line serves the homepage, trade shows and distributor recruitment: who we are and how far we have come. The product line serves sales conversations and paid media: how it works and why it is better. The recruiting line serves campus and experienced hiring: what it feels like to work here.

The audiences differ completely. Brand films are watched by decision makers, product films by users, recruiting films by candidates. One film for all three satisfies none.

2. Budget Allocation

Asset-library budget is the most commonly skipped line. Half a day per quarter capturing inserts, lines and team routines saves substantial ad-hoc shoot costs later.

3. Combining Shoots

Brand and product films can share a shoot: same locations, same lighting rig, brand inserts and interviews first, product detail and operation second. Combining typically cuts total cost by around thirty percent because location, crew and equipment fixed costs are shared.

Production companies quote by day, so a combined shoot fits two films' footage into two and a half days. Ask directly whether one setup can deliver both.

4. Where the Script Comes From

Do not start from what you have; start from what the customer must judge. A brand film answers three questions: what you do, at what level, and with whom you have worked. A product film answers: what problem, how to use it, and how it differs.

Listing equipment and floor space leaves no impression. Replace "this machine" with "what this machine guarantees", and "this workshop" with "what orders this workshop can handle".

5. Distribution and Reuse

The brand film runs on the homepage and loops at trade shows, with a 60-second cut for sales openings. Product films yield 15-second paid cuts and vertical versions for short video. The recruiting film goes to job boards and campus sessions.

6. FAQ

Is one film a year enough? Yes, if shot to brand-film specification with extra coverage for later product cuts.

What should we prepare? Location list, on-camera people, physical products and available time windows.

How to allocate 50,000 CNY? Roughly 30k for a three-minute brand film, 10k for product coverage, 10k for cuts and post.

Related

• See also: PPM and shoot day
• See also: reels and a paid test

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