Lights. Camera. Action. These three little words may be short and sweet, but the most enormous amount of brainpower powers them. Especially when it comes to how branded content is made.
Before the clapper board comes out, creating successful branded content involves multiple production phases.
As with most creative disciplines, videography and content marketing require a brainstorming, planning, production, and refinement phase before they can be approved for release into the digital wild.
Such is the nature of creating impactful, high-quality work (if we do say so ourselves).
From conceptualisation to post-production, each stage of development plays a crucial role in bringing a brand’s message to life and resonating with audiences on an emotional as well as creative level. But what do each of these phases look like up close, and why are they all so important?
Buckle up. We’re about to take you on a journey through Perspective Pictures’ unique content marketing process for taking your brand story and transforming it from tiny bud to full-scale bloom.
THE STAGES OF BRANDED CONTENT VIDEO CREATION
Forget traditional ads with a script and a 2D perspective. The creative journey of video production involves several stages, each one as critical as the last.
At Perspective Pictures, we follow a tried-and-tested method for transforming core client ideas into viral-worthy video content that your target audience can connect to on a deeper, more intuitive, emotional level. This attracts new customers, increases customer loyalty, and gets more engagement on social media posts.
When we create branded content, our methodology follows these steps:
● Conceptualisation
● Storyboarding
● Pre-production
● Filming
● Post-production
Each of these phases represents a crucial moment in the overall content marketing strategy process. Branded content campaigns need clear, inventive, and well-researched ideas that are not just visually and artistically strong but also realistic from a practical standpoint.
These various phases give us the opportunity to weed out the ideas that don’t work (and get the insane ones out of our systems) and hone in on the concepts that showcase your company’s values and vision in the best, most exciting way possible. In these phases, we also determine whether product placement will feature, if a brand’s products need to be displayed to get the message across, or if the content creation doesn’t need to directly promote a brand as it is just as impactful without any of this.
Conceptualisation: The Birth of Ideas
A strong concept is at the heart of every marketing campaign and successful video project.
The conceptualisation stage is the foundation of the video production process. It is where the creative producer and the client collaborate to develop a clear and compelling concept for a video – or whichever form of branded content you have decided to create.
This stage involves understanding the brand’s values, objectives, and target audience and then translating those insights into a story that truly resonates with the audience.
The creative producer must be a skilled storyteller, able to identify the core message and create a narrative that captures the brand’s essence. This stage requires a deep understanding of the target audience, their interests, and their pain points. The creative producer must also be aware of the latest trends and best practices in video production, ensuring that the concept is fresh, engaging, and relevant.
During the conceptualisation stage, the creative producer will also establish a clear plan with the client.
This plan will include the project’s scope, budget, timeline, and exact branded content marketing deliverables. It will also outline each team member’s roles and responsibilities, ensuring that everyone from intern to director is on precisely the same page.
Storyboarding: Mapping the Narrative
The storyboarding stage is where the creative producer and their team visualise the story and plan each shot. This stage involves creating a storyboard, which is a sequence of illustrations or images that represent each shot in the video. The storyboard also includes a script outlining the dialogue, voiceovers, and sound effects.
The storyboard serves as a tangible visual blueprint for the upcoming filming stage, guiding the crew on camera angles, lighting, and other technical aspects. It is essential to ensure that the storyboard accurately represents the final product, as it is the basis for the filming and post-production stages
At this phase of production, we rely on our strongest storytellers and creative visionaries, especially when working with clients who have multi-faceted creative visions or who want to turn real-life stories into animations.
For example, our visual piece for Molecular Sound required us to combine animation, audio, and exquisite visuals to display their range of media services – all of which came together with the power of storyboarding, great imagination, and excellent teamwork.
Without a map to guide us forward, navigating any branded content project can be tricky. Fortunately, our team is full of talented storyboard artists who have a strong understanding of visual storytelling, camera angles, and lighting for creating branded content that is nothing less than sensational.
Pre-Production: Laying a Foundation
At this stage, all hands are on deck to prepare for the shoot. We will cast actors or models (if needed), scout locations, select the necessary filming and audio gear, and create a shooting schedule so that we’re all set for filming to begin.
For instance, when lululemon approached us to create a compelling, podcast-style TikTok series in the Welsh countryside to celebrate World Mental Health Day, we got to work searching for the perfect landscapes and interviewers to reflect and promote the brand’s inspiring values. And if you check out our work, you’ll see it’s a brilliant example of how laying a solid foundation gets results.
Pre-production is an absolutely crucial phase of the video content development process. Without it, the following two stages (filming and post-production) would simply not be possible. This phase helps our team prepare a solid foundation for building beautiful branded entertainment for every client.
At Perspective Pictures, we like to use a blend of traditional advertising methods and more innovative approaches to ensure that each pre-production process is not only logistically feasible but also able to fulfil and expand on the creative vision supplied by our clients.
Filming: Bringing Ideas to Life
The filming stage is where the concept goes from vision to reality. This stage requires a high level of technical expertise, as the crew must ensure that the lighting, sound, and camera work are of professional quality.
Once all the necessary gear and locations have been established, we get to work capturing the footage. This includes setting up the camera, lighting, and sound equipment, directing the actors or models, and, of course, filming the shots.
At this phase of production, we need to be prepared, but we also need to be able to think on our feet. There’s a lot of action, inspiration, and movement – all hands on deck to ensure that our client’s brand values are being upheld, no matter how crazy or impossible our client’s creative vision may be.
If you’re looking for a branded content example, we’ve got another one. When Red Bull approached us to create a stunt video featuring Luke Czeipiela jumping out of a helicopter, we leapt into action and made it happen. Several nail-biting leaps of faith and a mere seven hours of editing later, our team had birthed a stunning Hero YouTube cut that has attracted over 2.3 million views since.
When it comes to filming, skilled cinematographers, sound engineers, and production assistants work together as a team to capture dazzling footage that breathes life into the concept. Whether we’re shooting social media content or for a Netflix documentary, we use careful framing, lighting, and direction to ensure each shot is crafted to evoke emotion and captivate the audience.
Post-Production: Final Assembly and Finessing
After the filming wraps up, the magic continues in the post-production phase.
Perspective Pictures’ team of editors, motion graphics designers, and sound engineers meticulously piece together the footage, adding visual effects, sound enhancements, and colour grading to elevate the video to its full potential. Through seamless editing and creative finesse, the raw footage is transformed into a polished masterpiece ready to captivate audiences.
Post-production is typically the longest phase of video production. It involves editing, adding audio and music, applying computer editing and graphics skills, and exporting the final edit in the required format. This stage is critical to refining the raw footage into a polished, engaging video.
The lead and assistant editors collaborate to create a story cut, which stakeholders can review and provide feedback on. After any necessary revisions, the final cut is produced, complete with interactive graphics, titles, visual effects, colour correction, and sound effects.
The post-production stage requires a high level of technical expertise, as the editors must be proficient in video editing software, audio editing software, and graphics software. The editors must also have a keen eye for detail, ensuring that the final product perfectly hits the brief.
PRESS PLAY WITH PERSPECTIVE PICTURES
The journey from conceptualisation to post-production may be complex, but it’s what we love to do. By blending strategic thinking with creative execution, Perspective Pictures crafts visual stories that resonate with a wider audience, driving engagement and fostering brand connection.
If you want to get your branded content efforts seen by a wider audience, now is your chance. Drop us a line or give us a bell and see why other brands love working with our team.
