Corporate LO1 LO2

1. UNIT 28:CORPORATE AND PROMOTIONAL
PROGRAMME PRODUCTION

2. ASSIGNMENT 1:
CODES & CONVENTIONS
You are to produce a case study on
‘Corporate Video Production’
Aimed at informing:
• Corporate and promotional programme production codes
• Conventions
• Styles
• Techniques and purposes
• Including detailed information, Illustration, hyperlinks of research and reference.

3. VIDEO AND AUDIO
TRANSITIONS
Transitions are used to distinguish a change in scene or area, they
make it easier for the audience to understand what’s going on in the
video. Transitions are interesting and can be more smooth and
professional. They can come in many forms, such as a wipe, fade
and swipe. Audio transitions are where sound starts before the
image changes, indicating to the audience that a new topic or
section of the product is being discussed. L-cuts are often used in
promotional videos, especially in the introduction, as the voice over
may begin while the logo is on screen and then transitions to the
first shot of the video.
Nomax Trading Company use a variety of video transitions to
distinguish between the different locations at which the company
operates. They use fast fade transitions with an audio effect to
acknowledge the change in location and allow the viewer to keep up
with the transitions taking place throughout the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEeZj5UddLs

4. LANGUAGE/SCRIPT
Dialogue is often used in promotional videos to entertain and draw
the viewers into the video and make them want to know more about
the service being promoted . The language used is often persuasive
as the company are trying to sell the product the viewer and
convince them that they provide the best service. Language is
important as the companies want the audience to feel familiar with
them but also sound competent and professional.
I chose the BMW ‘The next 100 years’ promotional video for this
section as the voice over talks about the cars in a way that makes
the viewer of the video want to be part of something. The dialogue is
descriptive and persuasive and talks about the past, present and
future of the company which suggests to the viewer of the video
that they would be choosing a stable and long running company to
buy from. However, the script of the video doesn’t discuss the cost
of the cars, but simply implies that they are suitable for everybody,
with visual imagery of young, older and generally average seeming
people in all environments (ie, city, dirt terrain, sand) putting the
thought into a potential viewers head ‘if they can drive that car,
maybe I can too’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iExzRqcvhsE

5. SHOOTING TECHNIQUES
Camerawork and shooting techniques are vital parts of promotional
videos, especially more complex ones which want to incorporate a variety
of aspects of a business in different areas, or capture the process of a
product being made in an engaging manner. Corporate promotional
videos often use establishing shots to give the viewer a sense of where
the video is taking place, followed by a variety of close-up, medium and
long shots. Camera movement is extremely common in promos as they
allow the company to show more in a single shot and keep the viewer
entertained.
Multi-views’ “Good company” documentary promotion uses a variation of
establishing shots to demonstrate how they move around the country and
use editing techniques such as time lapse to create a sense of rapidly
growing businesses and time moving swiftly. Multi-view also use slider
shots to show how a product was made or to represent clients and
customers and small family businesses. The slider shots allow the viewer
to get the image of the full scene taking place and the medium or close-up
nature of these shots make the promotional video seem more personal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11kr3__SVIs

6. VOICE OVER
Voice over is a technique that allows the video to be narrated
while demonstrating the product through visuals in the video.
Voice overs are most commonly used to be informative and
overlays video footage. This makes a video more entertaining
as opposed to watching someone talk for a large stretch of the
video.
This promotional video demonstrates voice over well as it is
entirely narrated by a non-diegetic voice over. The imagery
used in the footage is relevant to the content that the voice
over is mentioning and is professional and coherent. Bank Of
Cardiff use voice over to inform the viewer about their
services and promote the bank as a reliable business partner.
The voice over is friendly and welcoming but also uses a lot of
professional terminology and speaks with a received
pronunciation English accent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwBggfAWLG0

7. LOGO
A logo is a design, pattern and/or piece of text that is used to represent a
business or company. Logos are a key form of branding and are often more
memorable than the name of the company. Logos are useful in corporate
promotional videos as they stand out to the viewer, especially when they are
animated or composited into the video in an interesting or attractive way. A
logo is usually featured at the beginning and end of the promotional video,
firstly to give context to the video itself and finally to leave a lasting
impression in the mind of a potential client.
Emirates use logos to show off their brand in locations around the world in
various forms. The more discreet logos are seen on the sides of buildings or
on the aircraft itself. The logo is also seen on uniforms of staff members that
work for the company and a colour scheme Is introduced (another basic way
of making a logo memorable). They also use a synergetic font in the form of
titles which is the same font used in the Emirates logo. This makes both the
logo and font seem familiar to a potential client and provides further branding
for the company. The promotional video ends with a 3D camera zoom effect of
the Emirates logo, which has been made to appear gold and metallic and
insinuate luxury. The camera (composite effect) zooms in on the logo and it
fills up the screen to become the center of the viewers image, then fades away
to end the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUVA3iAdgZE

8. TITLES
Titles are a key part of a corporate promotional video as they give the
viewer context about who people are, what is happening on screen, and
what the company do. Titles are commonly used alongside voiceover to
introduce a person or thing, but are even more important if there is no
vocal audio in the video. Titles make corporate videos more informative
and visually interesting, while allowing the video to be more concise and
hold the viewers interests
I chose a video by Zest Visual Solutions to represent use of titles in a
video as this promo is short and full of information. The promo has no
voice over or interview but instead uses a simple soundtrack and bold
title cards to divulge information about the company and its services.
Furthermore, the company uses a simple animation that attracts the eyes
of the viewer to the information in the titles. However, the size and colour
of the title cards mean that they take up a significant portion of the screen
and detract from the visual imagery of the promotional video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KVo0VvbYAE

9. UNIQUE SELLING POINT
Every company wants to define themselves in their area of their industry and
make their company or products stand out from the rest. The best way to achieve
this is to advertise a unique selling point, which is an area, product or service
that the company can offer that no other company does. A unique selling point
can also be an atmosphere or feeling that attracts potential clients to want to
work with that company. Selling points can be shown in many different ways in a
promotional video, such as through titles, voiceover and interviews or
demonstrated visually. It is also possible to indirectly compare your company's
selling point with another company and further represent the positives of the
company within a promotional video.
I chose KMPG’s ‘Why choose KMPG?’ video as an example for this as it
advertises to potential clients and potential employees simultaneously. The
promo shows examples of people in office jobs who are bored, careless and
uninterested in their jobs and then transitions with ‘They don’t work for KMPG’
and then shows a variety of people in different locations, doing different things
and talking about the diverse and ever changing nature of the job that allows
them to stay enthusiastic and interested, therefore benefitting the client in turn
as everyone would prefer for their requirements to be cared about and taken
seriously. The motivation and passion of the employees is KMPG’s unique
selling point and they really upsell this as high quality service in the promotional
video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUt1aaLxLuY

10. CUTAWAYS
Cutaways are features of promotional videos where a voiceover is played
over video footage that is of a scene relevant to what the person is talking
about. Cutaways are generally insert shots placed in-between footage of an
interview and are used to keep the video visually entertaining and increase
the pace of the video. They are also used to make the video more
informative and show off the product or how its made.
This video is promoting Speakeasy Coffee Company and features an
interview of the founder of the company explaining why he loves the
industry so much and how his coffee is better than competitors. Footage of
the interview itself is used which is clever as it allows the viewer to become
familiar with the face of the company and it advertises real customer
service. Moreover, throughout the interview, the video has cutaways to the
manager with the coffee beans and demonstrates the process of coffee
being ground and eventually brewed. This shows the viewer where the
product has come from and keeps the video interesting and light hearted.
Relatively fast paced cutting is used for the cutaway shots to keep pace
with the soundtrack and perhaps also reflect the pace of the company / the
process itself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i86KThmKOs0

11. INTERVIEWS
Interviews are a great way of allowing the viewer of a corporate
promotional video to see and hear the owner or employees of a
company and discover what they are about. Interviews of previous
customers or clients are also useful as the company can show positive
feedback in their videos without coming off as bragging or arrogant.
Interviews can be just audio or a mixture of audio and visual, but most
commonly the visuals of an interview are interchanged between imagery
of the product and visuals of the company being discussed in the video.
Interviews are useful as they can be informative and entertaining.
Graphistudio use interviews of various employees and the company
directors to show the views and opinions of a variety of people involved
in the company. They all talk about their passion for graphic design and
how the support that they get from the company allows them to do their
best work, which is encouraging for potential clients. The interviews are
cut between different people speaking while also showing overlaying
imagery that is representative of the company and the work that takes
place there. This makes the video engaging to the viewer as it isn’t just
focusing on one person after another and is generally visually
interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_N-5lfsVeo

12. MUSIC
Music is used in every good promotional video, either as a base
soundtrack with a voice over or as the main sound feature of the
video. Music is very important as the choice of music reflects on the
product or service being advertised and affects how the audience
interpret the company that the video is advertising. The soundtrack of
the video can change the pace, mood and overall feeling of the video
and can make a corporate video more interesting to the viewer.
For my example, I decided to use the promotional video for a company
called Manor Office Real Estate as their entire video is build around a
soundtrack. The video is edited to the music in the background of the
video which is lively and fast paced, presumably intended to reflect
upon the environment of the office and what the services provided are
like there. The majority of the video’s audio is solely music and the
soundtrack continues quieter alongside the speech of the company
owners at the end of the video. This is also interesting as the
company have decided to let their product be represented with visuals
rather than an extensive interview or voice over narrative.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDvXcj5yKQY

13. GRAPHICS
Graphics can be used to make 2d images or text move and create
interesting visual effects in a promotional video. Many corporations
animate their logos as it makes them more memorable to the viewer
and look modern and professional. Graphics can be as minor as
moving text or can be a larger part of a promotional video in the
form of animated shapes, side columns and logo animation.
Graphics are often used alongside the audio of the promotional
video and contribute to creating entertaining visual elements.
I chose the promotional video for Digital Harbour as a graphics
example as it contains a variety of visual effects and animation. The
logo at the beginning is animated to come together and is
constructed on screen which is neat, well made and professional.
The text appears on the screen introducing the owner of the
company and is composited as a 3D motion track to follow him as
he’s walking which is a nice touch and makes the promotional video
stand out from others. The logo reappears multiple times in the
video, at one point spinning and becoming another logo / piece of
text in a simple but smart and informative motion graphic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6LkiiOj4_k

14. ASSIGNMENT 2:
CURRENT PRACTICE
Analyse two or more different corporate promotional videos in detail and provide in depth:
• Research into current practice in corporate and promotional production eg
proposal, treatment, storyboard
• Identify the message being produced in each type of programme
• Identify the style and techniques of each type of programme (how they address the
audience, equipment used, approx budget, shots used etc)
• Research into the target audience for the programme
• Identify the current practice in technology used in the production of the programme,
eg SD, HD
• Identify legal and ethical issues that might arise when producing this programme
(privacy; libel; copyright; current law relating to, eg race relations, disability, obscenity)
Ethical issues: representation, eg race, gender, religion.
• Identify key issues to be considered when producing a corporate or promotional
programme, eg scheduling, health and safety
• Production practices: client liaison; ideas development; treatments; proposals;
storyboard; scripts; shooting

15. VIDEO 1
The first video is a corporate promotional video for the engineering company Mollart. The
target audience for this video is engineers and corporate planning companies that require sub-
terrain drilling and mechanical equipment. Although this is a fairly niche target market, it can
be expanded to include males from the age of 28-55 with an interest in mechanics, engineering
or science. The purpose of this video is to inform the viewer about the company and what they
offer for the potential customer. It could also be considered educational, as it includes visual
demonstrations and explanations of how the engineering company works and what they’re
doing. An interview voice over explains each aspect of production and the services provided as
they are being shown on screen and cutaways are used to entertain and keep the video
interesting as the company worker talks. In order to make the video more engaging, the video
contains a variety of camera angles and lots of camera movement. This means that a lot of the
pre-production and planning stage for this video would have been storyboarding and shot-by-
shot designs. As much of the video is filmed in a functioning workshop, health and safety
would be a large part of the planning process and every shot would’ve had to be risk assessed
before filming could take place. The contingency planning for this promotional video will have
had to include what machinery would be in use at the time of filming, where the camera would
be able to go and how it would be mounted. The risk assessment / contingency planning would
also have to incorporate any safety clothing or gear needed for the camera crew and
availability of such items. This video may face ethical confrontation as it is based on white men
and has little racial or gender representation. Gender stereotyping is especially prevalent in the
footage of the workshops and could be seen to be suggesting that women are unable to
sustain a job role in a scientific, mechanical, mathematic or engineering environment. This is
because there is only one woman featured in the video, and she is seen wiping a piece of
equipment rather than actually using it (genuinely, that’s what they thought would be a great
shot to add in). The rest of the people seen in the video are all white males, and much of the
screen time is taken up by the company director, who is of the approximate age range of the
company's clients.
URL: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=XMZXSWW7CIW

16. VIDEO 2
The second video is an animated video for the app ‘Campus Time’ that is meant to target
college and university students aged 16-24. The voiceover addresses the viewer with
informal, personal language in order to make the video relatable and allow the viewer to
create a connection with the content (and ultimately, the product advertised). As an
animated video, the promo was less cheesy than a typical university or college style promo
and used simple, light music to create an upbeat atmosphere within the world created. The
company used bold colours such as yellow and blue as they are non threatening and add a
light undertone to the video which is more likely to appeal to a younger audience. The
character forms created were all relatively different and allowed the video to ethically
correct by showing a variety of different people that would be at a large university or college
(although this has room for improvement). The video was also not heteronormative as ‘you’
are never depicted (eg: this is you, this is your friend – common for this style of video) and
the video mentions ‘the cute guy down the hall’ but makes no presumptions about the
gender of the viewer. The video does lack representation of disabled students or teachers
which wouldn’t’ve been hard to incorporate into the video. The video was created with 2D
animation, which could have been created using a combination of Adobe premiere pro and
Adobe after effects software. The creators of the video will have had to plan it carefully
using storyboards and scripting ov the voiceover but there wouldn’t be much use for a risk
assessment other than the basics when working on computers. The contingency plan would
need to incorporate factors that hold up production, such as a fault with the technology
used or a member of the animation company being ill – factors such as these can cause
delays on the creation of a product. Depending on if the promo was made with a freelance
animator or a production company, this video could have costed $500 – several thousand
dollars to create as the hired company would have a set price for the work but the
freelancer is more likely to charge by the hour or the day.
URL: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=SQXJAJD3GXE