Table of contents
Corporate video footage is usually remembered three days before the shoot: digging through hard drives for old photos, asking the workshop for a phone clip, then discovering the resolution is too low, the light is wrong and someone else's logo sits in the corner. Reshooting one scene on site costs more than the original plan.
Move the audit to the project kickoff and most rework disappears.
1. Three Sources
Existing library: event photos, production records, trade fair video, staff clips. Large in volume, uneven in quality.
New capture: shot specifically for this film. Controllable, and expensive.
Licensed material: customer usage scenes, third-party testing footage, stock libraries. Usable, but requires permission.
The ratio of the three determines the budget shape. If the library covers most needs and only key shots are new, cost stays low. If everything is new capture, the budget follows.
2. Filling the Audit Table
| Type | Source | Usability test | Gap handling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plant and line | Existing | Resolution, light, clutter | Schedule a half-day pickup |
| Product close-ups | Existing or new | Old branding present | Re-shoot |
| Testing and certificates | Third party | License scope, validity | Request written permission |
| Team and people | New | Portrait release | Sign on site |
| Customer scenes | Client provided | Permission to publish | Written confirmation |
The gap handling column must be complete before the shoot. Every blank is a scene that will be improvised on site, and improvisation means overtime and overruns.
3. Four Documents to Collect
Company basics: business licence, qualifications, test reports — clean scans. Any text that appears in the film comes from these.
Product material: model list, key specifications, application notes. Needed for the script and for verifying product details on set.
People information: names, titles and portrait releases for anyone on camera. Sign before the shoot, not after the cut.
Site and process: open areas on the day, safety requirements, escorts. Industrial sites also need downtime windows and protective equipment.
4. Three Usability Tests
Resolution against output. If the film runs on a large screen, source resolution must exceed the delivery format; upscaled footage looks soft.
Consistency. Footage from different years and devices varies in colour temperature; mixing it reads as clutter, and grading only partially fixes it.
Currency of information. If equipment models, packaging or logos have changed, old footage misleads. In that case, do not use it.
5. Do Not Skip Licensing
Three categories need care: third-party testing footage, customer site footage, and music.
Testing footage usually carries usage limits, and commercial use needs separate approval. Customer sites need written consent; verbal consent does not hold once published. Music needs a commercial licence — platform libraries often cover in-platform publishing only.
A corporate film stays searchable for years, and licensing gaps resurface long after the fact at a much higher cost than the original paperwork.
6. Large-Company Footage: The Problem Is Selection
Large companies rarely lack footage. They lack selection. The more material available, the more likely the film becomes a tour: plant, workshop, warehouse, showroom, ten seconds each, and nothing is remembered.
The fix is to define three storylines first and let footage serve only those. For example precision, delivery capability and service response, each with two or three shots. Everything else is cut.
Whatever the term used in search, the organising logic is the same: narrative first, images second.
7. FAQ
Can old photographs be used? Yes, with controlled duration and placement. Low-resolution material works as a one-second historical transition, not as a main image.
What if employees do not want to appear? Shoot hands, backs and working states rather than faces. It preserves authenticity and reduces friction.
How long should footage be kept? At least three years, with off-site backup. Raw footage is the only source for future cuts.
No footage at all — must everything be shot? Build a generic set of plant and team shots that can be reused across several films; per-film cost declines year over year.
Related
- See also: writing a three-beat video script
- See also: a half-day shooting schedule
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