Thanks to the advances in digital video technology, the cost to produce a business video has fallen within the reach of the majority of businesses today. Now even small to midsize companies can afford to harness the communicating and entertaining power of video for themselves. Professionally produced business videos can be made economically and can help your company communicate in a powerful and creative way.

Some popular applications for business/corporate video include:

Marketing videos
Sales presentations and training
Corporate/company profiles
Tribute videos
Charity/Fundraising
Employee training and orientation
Product demonstrations
Trade show presentations
Streaming video for company website

How to choose a corporate /industrial videographer

When choosing a videographer to produce your corporate/industrial video it is advisable to:

1) Request to see samples of corporate/industrial work previously produced by the videographer. Look for well lit, well composed, steady images of people and product, clear sound, well written script and professional narration, appropriate music that supports the message and helps to maintain viewer interest, and appropriate graphics.

2) Establish that the videographer possesses excellent interpersonal communication skills. They will need to listen carefully to you and communicate well with you in order to help you clarify the message you want the video to convey to your audience. They should have professional demeanor and appearance. In the course of producing the video, they will be interacting with company employees, various levels of management, and potentially company clients who might be willing to provide on-camera testimonials about your company or your product or service.

3) After looking at samples of their work, ask yourself if you felt entertained, energized and/or moved emotionally in some fashion, Are you clear about the purpose of the message conveyed in the video, did it keep your interest, did you like the style in which it was presented? If you answer “yes” to all the above, then it is likely that this videograher will be able to produce a video for you that that will meet your company’s needs.

4) Determine if the videographer is currently a member of a professional videography association, and, if so, for how long a period of time. Years of membership in a professional association indicate a commitment by that videographer to ongoing professional development.

5) Obtain an itemized budget for your video in writing, and include a completion date in the contract.

6) Ask if the videographer can provide additional services for you, such as DVD and CDROM creation and duplication, and streaming video for the web. Some videographers can produce business card CD’s and authored DVD’s, which you might find helpful.