How to Make Corporate Videos More Cinematic
Who said corporate videos have to be boring? Engage your audience by taking a more cinematic approach to corporate videos.
A lot of people glaze over immediately when they hear the words corporate video. It’s understandable. A lot of corporate videos are exceptionally bland and lifeless. But that doesn’t have to be the case. To ensure your client’s video breaks through the boredom barrier, you need to add cinematic quality to the production. Let’s look at a few tips that can help make your next corporate video project stand above the rest.
1. Shoot RAW at 24 Frames Per Second
For the best possible image, don’t compress it by using a codec. Instead, capture it using RAW. This will give you much more flexibility in post with your image. Also, use 24fps instead of 30fps, as all major motion pictures are shot using 24fps. By utilizing these two basic settings right out of the gate, you’re putting yourself in a great position to capture cinematic footage before you even start rolling.
Video via Apple
2. Add Dynamic Movement to Your Shots
“Dynamic” is certainly not a word that most people associate with corporate videos. Utilizing camera movement is a fantastic way to transform a drab promotional piece into a dynamic marketing tool. This can be done by using a dolly, steadicam, dolly, crane, jib, or even a drone. The key is to have motivation for your movement. Here is a great example of utilizing movement to enhance your corporate video.
Video via Polimoda International Institute of Fashion Design & Marketing
3. Make Use of Shallow Depth of Field
By adding movement, we’re able to ramp up the cinematic style of the video. Another way to do this: using shallow depth of field. Think back to all of the films you’ve watched. What’s one component of those films that you can easily pick out? It’s those moments where you get a shallow depth of field shot. You can’t capture this effectively with a wide angle lens, so you’ll need to utilize a prime or telephoto lens.
Video via Pluralsight
4. Utilize Dynamic Lighting
As any good cinematographer can tell you, dynamic lighting is the key to capturing a truly cinematic image. While the concept of lighting can seem a little overwhelming, it’s really a lot simpler than you think. In fact, we’ve covered this very subject here at PremiumBeat. You don’t need to be a certified lighting expert or have a massive budget to capture great lighting… just get your hands on some LEDs. You’ll be able to create some amazing moods and tones for your next shoot, as seen in the video below.
Video via DENSO
5. Add a Cinematic Color Grade
Now that you’re filming in RAW, using 24fps, and adding dynamic movement and lighting, there’s really only one more thing to do in order to give your corporate video a cinematic flare — color correction and grading. Utilize such assets as Magic Bullet from Red Giant or take the time to learn simple grading techniques in DaVinci Resolve. Any of these options will help turn your client’s corporate video into a cinematic work of art.
Video via Google
6. Make it Sound Cinematic
One key ingredient to any video production is the musical score. Music (or the lack there of) can make or break your video, so you should spend time looking at resources like PremiumBeat to find the right sound for your client’s video. Having a solid soundtrack underneath a corporate video can help set the mood and tone. This will definitely help keep your audience engaged.
Got any tips for making corporate videos stand out? We’d love to hear them in the comments below.
