Location, Location, Location

So you’ve decided you need to produce a video for your business. Great. You start to tick off all the boxes needed to get the process started: content, target audience, wardrobe, who’s actually going to feature in it. But then you remember: you’ve got to shoot this thing somewhere. And suddenly your confidence falters because when it comes to finding the best location for your video, you have absolutely no idea where to start.

Finding the best location is key to a successful corporate video or explainer video. It doesn’t matter how great your presenter is, how boppy the music is, or how sexy the graphics are, if the location doesn’t fit in with your message, it just won’t give you the results you’re looking for. Fortunately it’s not as hard as it sounds to find the best location for your video.

Think about Your Message

First up, what are you trying to tell your viewers? If the message of your explainer video is serious and straight, your location needs to complement the tone. Don’t shoot it on a busy street or in a bustling café; choose a subdued, not overly stimulating space like an empty office or quiet park. If your audience is young and hip and funky, think about a location that complements that feeling, like an arcade, bar or flat. Unless it’s particularly groovy, an office space probably won’t cut it. The point of your video and the message you’re telling go hand in hand, so you should start thinking about the best location for your video at the same time you’re confirming the content.

Indoors or Out?

The beauty of live-action video is that you can shoot a video wherever you can take a camera. That means if you want the location of your video to be the beach, at the top of a skyscraper, or in a cave, it can be. But, there are some logistics that should be thought about before committing to a location. Is it too noisy? Will your presenter’s dialogue be lost amongst traffic noise, the sound of waves crashing onto the shore, or cicadas? Is your ideal location in a public space? You might have to get permission to shoot there. Do you want to use the interior of a café? You might need to ask a café owner to stay open longer than usual, or limit the number of customers they can serve while you’re recording. When you think you’ve found the perfect location, step back and analyse all the possible ways it could turn your corporate video into a flop before committing to it, especially when it comes to audio.

It’s Who You Know

Before you start hunting for the best location for your explainer video or corporate video, think about who you already know who might let you use their location for free (or for mate’s rates). You might need a farm, or a grungy flat, or a mansion. It’s much easier gaining access to private locations if you already know the owners, than it is door-knocking strangers and hoping they’ll say yes. It also pays to note here that filming on a location without permission is trespassing and you could be arrested, so always make sure you’ve got permission to film there before you hit ‘record’.

There’s Always Animation

If you just can’t find the ideal location that perfectly complements the message of your explainer video, there’s always animation. The beauty of animation is that you can create a whole new world with no constraints – a whole new world that exactly ticks all your boxes. In an animated world, the location-based possibilities are only limited by your imagination, so yes, you can set up your business on the moon, and yes, you can have better abs than Superman (if that’s what you want). Opting for an animated video will completely change the look and feel of your corporate video or company video, but that’s not a bad thing. If anything, it gives you a million more options – the video world is your oyster!

For more direction about finding the best location for your explainer video or corporate video, including animation options, contact the friendly team at Onepost Video Production – we’d love to help.