While you can record decent audio and video on an iPhone in your office or basement, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you should. Maximizing your marketing investments and bringing your visions to life through video requires state-of-the-art technology, experienced production specialists, and creative storytelling.
There are several video production houses in St. Louis to choose from, ranging from independent basement production areas to large-scale studios. Regardless of the size and capabilities of the production company, one thing should set the videos that deliver your message apart from the generic, boring, and cookie-cutter—collaboration.
Finding a studio team that can deliver on all of your technical and visual requirements shouldn’t be tricky. The ideal video partner takes the time to learn your corporate culture, your goals, and your messaging and encapsulates them into compelling visual messaging.
Continue reading to learn more about the elements that help set apart a great video production house that enables you to stand out in a crowded industry from the ones that are happy to charge you to get lost somewhere in the middle.
They’ve Developed a Proven, Reliable Process
No matter where you are in the creative journey, from brainstorming to fully scripted, you want to find a partner that develops an easy-to-follow process that helps flesh out all of your ideas and make them a reality.
A studio with a reliable, repeatable process also allows you to join them during any part of your video undertaking. Whether you’re coming to them with just a kernel of an idea or a detailed outline, they should be able to join your team seamlessly and offer their expertise to refine and enhance your videos.
Creative Discovery
While you can’t harness the creative process, you can trace steps that have proven fruitful in the past. During the creative discovery phase, the ideal partner should ensure that you are both working toward the same goal and that your ideas are realistic for your budget and timeline and effective toward reaching your goals.
Collaboration helps define vital elements of your project, such as:
- What is the goal of your project, and how do you plan to use your video?
Are you trying to build awareness of your brand? Are you looking to sell the culture of your organization to potential clients or employees? Do you believe in the creed “There’s no such thing as bad publicity” and want to get people talking? This is vital information to gather as early as possible. - Who is your target audience, and what tone are you looking to set?
Purple space dinosaurs shooting fireballs might not be the most effective visuals for a funeral home but might click with other demographics. Successful videos not only reach your targets but also speak to them on a personal level. Work with a production studio that helps you set a tone that connects you to your audience. - How are you planning to use the video?
TV commercials and collateral videos often take drastically different approaches and have varying lengths. The right production staff ensures your video fits your needs and time requirements.
Preproduction and Planning
Once you’ve settled on the creative direction of your video production, you need to plan how you’ll execute your ideas. Preproduction and planning go far beyond the video itself. High-quality production houses in St. Louis can guide you through several tasks, including:
- Budgeting
- Scheduling
- Casting
- Prop, equipment, and wardrobe procurement
- Location scouting
- Scripting and storyboarding
- Video design and development
Production
After completing the prep work and cameras are ready to roll, your production studio staff should take care of your video production. Whether it’s voiceover work, lighting, capturing audio or video, direction, or animation, all you should have to do is enjoy the process.
Post-Production
If production is unwrapping and opening your favorite new toy on your birthday, post-production is the “some assembly required” phase your parents went through for you. Once production is complete, the studio team takes all the footage and audio and crafts your custom video. A studio that sets itself apart from the competition allows you to collaborate and take a hands-on approach during this step if you want to. If you prefer to take a back seat, the studio should also accommodate that.
Watch and Share
After all the collaboration, hard work, and editing is done, all that’s left to do is enjoy your video and present it to the world. A comprehensive studio has the capabilities to encode your video for various media forms, deliver your video in a variety of formats, and publish it on YouTube and other social media outlets.
Offer a Variety of Video Production Services and Capabilities
When you’re searching for a video production house in St. Louis, consider the type of services and videos they offer. Even if your plan is for a one-off video, a successful production experience may inspire you to create more. Working with a partner that provides a wide range of video styles keeps your options open and helps you avoid going through the searching process again.
With more and more B2B lead generation and sales efforts moving online, you want to have flexibility in your video services to reach as many potential customers as possible. Partnering with an accomplished video studio that offers various customizable video services allows you to take marketing campaigns from the internet to television or any other platform you choose.
Corporate Videos
You want the values and culture of your business to shine through in a corporate video, no matter what purpose it’s meant to serve. Whether you’re trying to draw the interest of potential employees or feature an essential service or product, the video needs to showcase your company. Look for a studio that offers a range of corporate video options, such as:
- Company or employee profiles
- Product and service features
- “Why us?” videos
- Case studies
- Client testimonials
TV Commercials
TV commercials require more than stimulating visuals and engaging copy. Working with a studio that has the knowledge to perform market and competitive analysis to create a unique selling proposition for your spot is invaluable.
When a studio team combines creativity, research, and strategy into their process, you end up with a commercial that conveys your message clearly and effectively. Engaging commercials reach your targets and present new business opportunities for your sales team to convert into closed deals.
Collateral
Video marketing requires two specific elements: creativity and strategy. No matter how great the products or services you’re highlighting are, a poorly executed B2B sales video won’t inspire sales. Combining the right strategy and tone with a creative presentation helps ensure you reach the right audience and encourage them to move along in the sales cycle.
Specialized Services in and out of the Studio
Regardless of how small or grand your video idea is initially, the creative process can lead you anywhere. Just like you want to run with a great idea wherever it takes you, you need a studio that can follow you on the journey.
On-Location Shooting
Look for a video production house that is willing to meet your needs anywhere, any time. If you know in your heart an on-location spot is perfect for your video, don’t let a team’s inability to meet you there keep you from seeing your idea through.
Drone Footage
Want to highlight your company’s new facilities? Maybe you’re looking to show off a construction project your firm recently completed? Whatever the reason you wish to use awe-inspiring aerial footage may be, look for a production team with the capabilities and experience to successfully deliver overhead shots for your video.
Animation
One of the things people love about animated videos is their ability to bring to life things that humans simply can’t do in the real world. They create a fun, lighthearted environment that can help make complex processes and highly detailed content more digestible for viewers.
A production house with in-house animators provides significant time and money savings compared to bringing in a third-party source. If you want to showcase the ideal customer journey or put an in-house process in the spotlight, 2D and 3D animation videos are the perfect solutions to inform and engage viewers without the risk of losing their attention.
Equipment
State-of-the-art technology helps create state-of-the-art videos. Studios that use industry-leading video tools ultimately deliver a superior look and production value. When you’re looking for the optimal studio experience in St. Louis, look for a team that uses top-of-the-line:
- Audio equipment
- Cameras
- Gimbals
- Pro Tools
- Instruments and musicians for original scores and music
Ready To Bring Your Visions to Video With a State-of-the-Art Studio in St. Louis? Welcome to Abstrakt Studios
For unmatched service levels, production, creativity, and strategy for marketing videos, Abstrakt Studios is your one-stop production house. We’ve helped our valued clients grow their business and achieve greater reach following our proven process to deliver the highest-quality marketing videos available.
Whether you’re looking for a partner that delivers award-winning TV commercials or custom recruitment videos, we take the time to learn your goals to produce videos that inspire employees, clients, and potential clientele. Schedule a discovery meeting today.
Backed by the capabilities of the largest marketing firm in town (and pretty soon the nation), Abstrakt Studios is the smart choice for St. Louis video production.
