Most corporate video projects fail in the planning, not the filming. This is the process we use, what each stage produces, and what you need to have ready so the film arrives on time and does the job it was commissioned for.
Stage one: the brief
A useful brief answers three questions. Who is this for, what do you want them to think or do afterwards, and where will they watch it. Everything else follows from those answers.
This is also the point to agree the deliverables. A master film, social cutdowns and a subtitled version are decisions that change how the shoot is planned, so they belong at the start rather than the end.
Stage two: pre production
Message and structure come first, then the practical plan. That means a narrative outline or script, an interview question set, a shot list, a schedule and a location plan.
Contributor preparation matters more than most people expect. Telling someone in advance what they will be asked, and why, is the difference between a natural answer and a recital of the intranet.
Stage three: the shoot
On the day the priority is getting the essential material first, then the supporting footage. Interviews, the key demonstration or process, then the cutaways that hold the edit together.
We also capture with the edit in mind, including framing for vertical where the content will run on social. That is a decision made on set, not something that can be invented later.
Stage four: edit and approvals
The first cut establishes structure. Review it for story and message rather than colour and typography, because those are refined once the shape is agreed.
Keep the approval group small and consolidate feedback into one response per round. Scattered comments from many people is the most common cause of a delayed film.
Filming across the UK and Europe
A shoot outside your own city adds a day at each end before a single frame is captured, and that time is as real a cost as the crew. One well-planned day in a single location usually produces more than two half-days split across sites.
European shoots add permissions. Filming in public space, on an industrial site or inside a venue each carry their own requirements and their own lead times, and they vary by country rather than following one rule.
Anyone recognisable on camera needs a lawful basis under UK or EU data rules, and for staff that means a release form rather than an assumption. Handle it at the planning stage and it takes minutes; discover it at the edit and it can cost you a sequence.
Stage five: delivery and reuse
Final delivery should include the versions you will actually use: the master, any cutdowns, captions and the aspect ratios your channels need.
Plan distribution alongside delivery. A film that sits on a shared drive has no return, whereas one built into a campaign, a sales process or a content schedule keeps working. Our media production and social content pages cover how we build for that.