Collaborating with Clients

Filmmaking is a collaborative process and working with clients in a corporate video environment can be too.

In the majority of the work that I do I am creating content for other people. Often by the time I am brought into a project there is already a very well crafted brief and my services are employed based on those requirements. I am always happy to work in this way as the client is and should always be dictating the information and message that the video content is being made to promote.

When it comes to how that content is delivered it is a different matter. I love to collaborate and pitch ideas on the format a video could take, finding the right way to communicate information in an engaging and interesting way. It could be filming interviews, vox pops, motion graphics, animation, or perhaps a presenter or narrator. In some situations I have even pitched a fictional narrative short film.

The way we as viewers consume video content is constantly evolving all the time and creatives are always pushing the boundaries and exploiting the latest equipment and trends. With the ever expanding sources of inspiration it is important to always come back to some key questions, who is my content for, what is the most effective way for me to communicate my message and what is the most effecient way to do those things with the budget I have.

It is no secret that video production can be expensive so finding creatives who will help maximise budgets is essential. It may be that the client has a great idea but their budget may be restrictive. Working collaboratively with a creative filmmaker or video production team could maximise the budget they do have to get as close to the concept as possible. Often when I am being asked to film for a day, I ask my clients if there is anything else they may want to get video of while I am on site. It might be adding in an extra ten minute interview or grabbing some extra b-roll that may come in handy for other projects or social posts.

It is also worth exploring different options for budgeting for video work. I believe it is important to collaborate not just at a creative level but also at a business level so I work in different ways for different clients. Some clients like to work on a project by project basis as that suits their internal budgeting. Others will ask me for a rate card and pay based on the time I spend working for them, this works great for ongoing projects such as podcasts and webseries. There are some clients that know they will need a certain amount of video production support per quarter and pay for that time in bulk upfront and then use the services as required.

In my experience collaborating with clients has always been very rewarding and a good collaboration results in a far better end product.