Filming a Pharmacy Promotion Video (Breakdown)
At Irregular Film we love working with local Austin area businesses to create a custom-tailored branding and promotion video, because it's such a sensitive part in the process. A good first impression changes everything, and at this stage the audiovisual language of the brand is yet to be determined. We shot a video for Hippo Pharmacy in Hutto, Texas, and we thought breaking down the production process might be helpful for other businesses to learn about.
1. Consultation
The first step, without fail, is to get on the phone with our client and synchronize the objective, vision and plan of the video and its shoot. In this case, we got on the same page very quickly, agreed on a budget & shoot date, locked in the deposit. It isn't always this easy! But it was a pleasure working with Sajid at Hippo Pharmacy - a word of advice for clients, know what you want, and know your budget! Being clear and upfront about both of these factors will make the video production process immensely smoother and hitch-free.
2. Pre-visualization
This isn't strictly required on every job, but I find that creating a pre-edit (or pre-cut, or pre-viz) of the planned video can be an invaluable tool. A pre-edit is made by scouring the Internet for stock footage or reference videos & choosing/planning shots for the video in advance. Then watermarked music can be added so that music can be agreed on before the shoot even starts (which saves a LOT of potential hassle in the post-production process!).
Here you can view the pre-edit for Hippo Pharmacy, with the script, music & shot ideas in place:
It may be rough around the edges thanks to my temp VO, but the foundation of the video is solidly in place here, well in advance of beginning to film on-location in Austin. This ensures there's no faffing about with lots of different random shots - now we know exactly what we need so we can be targeted and efficient on-set.
3. Shoot
Well, this part is pretty self-explanatory: we show up on the appointment day for filming, and get 'er done! We always come prepared with a shot list and a shooting plan so there's no time wasted. Our streamlined video production equipment packs & unpacks quickly, and our Sennheiser wireless lavalier microphone system ensures crystal clear audio with no fuss. We finished Hippo Pharmacy's promotion video in a half-day, in time to go get lunch together after wrapping!
4. Edit & Revise Cut
The editing suite is a fiery mistress, to say the least. Some of my best and worst memories are in the editing process, but when it comes to business promotion videos, efficiency & effectiveness are top of the priority list. This is where the pre-edit comes back into the equation. Because I did most of the editing work there! There will always be some revision and tweaking, but our workflow at Irregular Film allows us to have a prompt turnaround & delivery without compromising on quality.
Take a look at the final video and see how it compares to the pre-edit:
5. Delivery & After-Care
After reviewing the cut with the client and making any requested revisions, it's time to delivery! We send out our videos in 4K always - this is important because while it may be uncommon for business promotion videos to be watched in 4K, the high resolution means that YouTube will use a special compression algorithm to keep your video looking as good as possible.
We also deliver HD and, if applicable, vertical-style videos for social media. These are typically delivered via Dropbox, though delivery via physical media such as hard drives, USB sticks or SD cards is also possible upon request.
Finally, at Irregular Film we are happy to give advice about how to get the best results out of your video - it isn't in our interest for us to turn over a video that we sweated over, only for it to gather dust! From best thumbnail practices to distribution methods & marketing strategies, we're here to ensure you get the maximum value from our video production collaboration here in central Texas.
We made our video for Hippo Pharmacy before they opened, and they're sitting pretty on Google Maps with 42 reviews, averaging the maximum of 5.0/5. Credit of course to Sajid and his great work, but we were happy to help the first steps of this business.
Amazing video created by Will. I would highly recommend using Irregular Film if you would like any professional videos made. You can see the video made at my homepage at hippopharmacy.org
Let us know how we can use our expert videography skills to achieve your business goals.