Peak Vision TV, UK producers of corporate video and broadcast television

Watch out there are cowboys about!

When commissioning a corporate video there are a number of pitfalls that you should be aware of.

Here are some of the things you should be aware of when choosing a production company to produce your corporate video:

• Check the authenticity of the showreel
  
  
  When you request a showreel or samples of work by the production company be aware that it may not necessarily be representational of their standard of production. A showreel is sometimes produced by freelancers and they may well not be working for the production company when your video is produced. Occasionally, the showreel may have been brought in specifically for sending out to potential customers and therefore is not even produced by any one working for the production company.


• No script supplied



The script is the most important document produced by the production company as it provides the core upon which the whole production process is based. It will be used throughout the whole production being the most important source of reference.

A script can also be of great importance to you as it provides you with a point of quality control. You will be able to refer to it to check that you are happy with the way your corporate video is progressing.

Occasionally a production company may suggest that a detailed script is not necessary for the production of a corporate video and merely supply you with the narration. Beware, this should raise alarm bells! - this may be an indication that the end product may not live up to your high expectations. The lack of structure resulting from working without a script can add considerably to the production and editing time and therefore can actually cost you more in the long term than paying for the full service in the first place.

Ideally, you should be supplied with a detailed script in a standard format, the most widely used for corporate videos being the two-column format, and a narrative if appropriate to your production (if you are having a voice-over or presenter).



• The cheapest option



The most competitive price doesn't necessarily mean the best choice - Beware of selecting the production company based purely on the most competitive price. Although your allocated budget has some bearing on your choice of production company do not be pressured into choosing the cheapest option. Shop around to find a production company that you are convinced will produce a high quality production with competency and expertise, even if it is not the cheapest.



• Check what equipment will be used for your corporate video



The camera - The higher the quality of the equipment used by the production company the better the quality of the end result. Due to sheer number of cameras available it is becoming increasingly difficult for the client to know the difference between a camera suitable for creating a home movie and a camera suitable for enhancing your corporate image. As a guide you should expect a suitable camera to be a shoulder-mountable camera, having a removable and interchangeable lens and digital picture processing, recording onto either DVCAM or Digi-Beta tape. Such a camera will have a larger focal plain (capturing a higher resolution image) and a proper optical lens. The sound quality will also be far superior to that of a small hand-held camcorder.

Lighting - Will lighting be used to enhance the images produced for your corporate video? Some production companies will not bring any lighting with them or just use an on-camera light. They will be completely dependent on existing lighting and daylight. The quality of their work is likely to suffer - even if the lights in a room are bright, they are often produce the wrong colour temperature and can seriously effect the quality of the images filmed. Other companies will bring a range of lighting with them and will plan for the day of the Shoot allowing sufficient time to set the lighting up in order to produce much crisper, cleaner images, thus producing a video of a superior quality.

Widescreen 16:9 - You have a choice of aspect ratio in which your Corporate Video / DVD can be produced, either 4:3 (standard television) or widescreen 16:9. Today, when investing in a corporate video you ought to be making sure it is widescreen from the onset (now demanded by most UK Broadcast Companies, widely used at exhibitions and increasingly used in the home). In order to achieve this it is necessary for widescreen to be supported throughout the production process, starting with the camera. The format of the camera's CCD chip needs to be widescreen, 16:9, in order to capture a true widescreen image. It is sadly possible to use letterbox formats or 'cropping' to stimulate widescreen resulting in substantial loss of picture quality and a drop in resolution.



• Codes of practice



Production companies that also work in broadcasting will be familiar with broadcasting standards and are likely to adopt them in all of their productions. They will used to monitoring the quality of both sound and vision throughout thus ensuring a programme of broadcast standard. As your video will be used on a wide range of televisions, plasma screens etc. you will require a programme with as much portability as possible. A video produced with such monitoring will be more accurately reproduced and resulting in a higher level of consistency in colours and superior sound quality, without distortion, when played on a variety of television sets and screens.



• Copyright



You should make sure that the Production company is familiar with the copyright law and work accordingly, in order to avoid any risk of implication for the use of material without clearance.



• Insurance



Check that the production company has the necessary insurance cover before commencing work on your premises.



• Health and Safety Policy



Check that the production company has a Health and Safety Policy.