Getting Maximum Value From Your Video Shoot

At Arms & Legs, we count ourselves lucky to work with an incredibly wide range of clients. We work with large international companies, SMEs, artists and third-sector organisations. We always want to bring the same production values and passion to every project — no matter the budget. 

Video is obviously a powerful tool for businesses of all sizes. It can be used to tell stories, educate customers, and build relationships. 

But we’re well aware that video production might seem expensive for smaller organisations. We strive to guarantee maximum value for our clients, regardless of their budget. So, it’s worth having a few things clear before you start, in order to make sure you'll get the most out of your video projects. 

Here are a few tips:

Plan properly

The pre-production phase is essential for any successful video shoot. This is where we'll work with you to determine your goals, target audience, and how your budget can be spent best. We’ll help develop a storyboard and script so that we know exactly what we need to get when it comes to the shoot days.

It’s also important to have a sense of where your video will live. Who do you want to watch it? Is it going to be on your website, or is it primarily for social? Do you want it to be 16:9 or, as is becoming increasingly popular, in a portrait form suitable for TikTok or Instagram Reels?

Videos can live on multiple platforms simultaneously, of course, and we can easily make shorter and longer edits — but we just need to know all this from the start, so we can make sure everything is shot in the right formats to be repurposed and reflowed without any difficulties.

Identify the right people to represent you

If you’re wanting your video to be led by you or your team, and there’s a lot of speaking on camera to be done, it’s worth thinking carefully and being honest about this.

Many very intelligent, incredibly competent people just aren’t comfortable speaking to the camera, and it can take a lot of time both in the shoot and editing process to get anything useful.

We can help coach and prepare people to speak on camera, and we can use things live like a teleprompter or an EyeDirect system, but sometimes it’s just easier to use someone else who might have a bit more of an affinity for speaking or a wee bit more experience.

Choose the right venue

The venue we shoot in can really affect how a piece comes across. It’ll determine how much control we have over the depth of field and lighting. We’ll always try to do our best with what we’re faced with, but sometimes, your own premises or the space that you work in just won’t be suitable for a video shoot. We can help find more suitable spaces to help you create something that will best reflect your message. In the long run, it can be well worth making the small additional spend on this. 

Be willing to pitch in with the edit

Once we’ve got all the footage, we’ll get straight into the edit. This is where we put all of the pieces together to create the finished product(s). But it can be quite difficult when we send something over to a client and they either don’t respond or don’t offer detailed feedback. With clear communication, it makes it so much more efficient for us to deliver the best possible final product.

Be prepared for anything

Things don't always go according to plan on shoots, particularly in Scotland. So it's important to be prepared for anything. This can mean having a backup plan in case of bad weather or technical problems, or just being calm in the face of any issues.

We’ll always work with you to find a solution, whether it’s shooting somewhere else or on another day.

By bearing all these things in mind, you’re sure to get much greater value from your video spend. 

We know that it might seem a lot to think about, but at Arms & Legs, we can help at every stage of the process — to make sure we get it right together.