FAQ (Frequent Asked Questions)
Dragonfly often get asked questions about video production. While many people in business see the potential benefits of using video to promote or develop their business, most are not familiar with the workings of corporate video production.
Here we hope to clarify a few points that we often get asked about. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have a question not covered here.
Q: How much does video production cost?
A: Video production can be expensive, so it is best to view it as a long-term investment. What our clients always tell us is that their video brings significant ROI.
An effective, well-planned and produced DVD can save your organisation thousands of pounds each year in travel costs alone, if complicated procedures are explained on-screen rather than by travelling executives.
Okay, I’m sold. But how much will it cost?
It is very difficult to give a guide price to corporate video production. It depends on too many variables to be able to give an accurate estimate.
However, we typically tell people that a video will cost £1000 per minute of finished film.
Better technology, lower prices
Video production has become significantly cheaper in recent years, as improving technology enables faster, simpler production.
Unfortunately some corporate video producers are not passing these savings on to their customers and continue to hold prices artificially high. Generally speaking, you should expect to pay less for your video than you would have five years ago.
The difference with Dragonfly
Dragonfly offer high-quality corporate videos produced by talented people with broadcast experience. Our prices are reasonable because they’re based on our actual costs.
We at Dragonfly understand that corporate videos exist to carry a message and we believe the most beautiful video is a complete failure if it doesn’t achieve its objective.
Q: How long will my corporate video take to produce?
A: This really depends on your project. A short video can take just a single day to produce. In the past Dragonfly have deployed a production team to location in the morning, edited their footage in the afternoon and delivered the finished film to the client by the evening.
Bigger projects take more time but aren’t necessarily more complicated. Pre-production is always the most important part of a production and be the most time-consuming element.
Dragonfly always look for the most efficient way of producing the best-quality film for our clients.
Q: What is the difference between a single camera package and a multiple camera package?
A: Dragonfly never use more than one camera unless it’s absolutely necessary. Additional cameras bring additional costs, so if it’s not needed to achieve a certain effect, we’ll stick to one camera. Having one camera also means that the crew can concentrate on getting the footage right through one lens and the director can ensure the quality of every frame.
Multiple camera production is sometimes necessary and gives the crew the ability to capture multiple perspectives of the same scene. Cutting to an alternative angle can dramatically increase the watchability of your film. Even a ‘talking head’ interview is more interesting when we see the speaker from more than one angle.
Q: Can we just use you for editing our existing footage?
A: Yes. Bring us your footage and let us inject new life into it. We never object to improving another company’s footage!
Dragonfly are proud of their post-production skills and frequently surprise clients with how much can be achieved with limited source material. Our editors are among the best available and prove that a lot can happen in an edit.
Q: Can you book actors and presenters?
A: Yes, it’s what we do. Dragonfly has strong links with the industry’s best talent agencies and great relations with Equity, the trade union representing professional performers.
Because of our level of experience and the quality of our contacts, we can typically organise and record a professional voice-over artist on the same day.
Dragonfly also maintain healthy relationships with celebrity agents – a connection that means we are well qualified to advise you if you’re considering choosing a famous face or voice to represent your organisation.
Q: How do you charge for your creative input and ideas?
A: We typically charge 10% of the total cost of the video as a creative fee. For this fee you can expect a great deal of the Dragonfly team’s time and creative energy.
The best corporate videos are those with a Big Idea that connects the audience to your message. To get to the Big Idea, you need time and creative people to think about you and your film.
Flexibly creative
Dragonfly are flexible when it comes to creativity and idea-generation. Sometimes we employ researchers to drum up idea-fodder, and sometimes we draft in additional creatives to increase our chances of finding the Big Idea. Sometimes we put the researchers and the creatives together and wait for something to happen!
For Dragonfly creativity doesn’t stop at the generation of ideas; we remain creative thinkers throughout production as creativity can find brilliant solutions to all kinds of logistical nightmares.
