How to Create a Brand Film

According to Rebecca Skinner, MD and Executive Producer of Superprime, an LA-based production agency, a branded film will not have the intended effect if it is disingenuous or thinly veiled. She believes that the setting, the characters, and the story need to stand on their own and that the brand messages must be tied into the narrative.

Now, that’s a very abstract definition of what should go into creating a brand film. In this blog, we aren’t going to look at the abstract. We’re here to find out what it takes to create a brand film. You see, a brand film tells a story, with the goal of connecting with the viewer, who is most likely to be a member of the target audience.

This member of the audience needs to be engaged with and stimulated just about enough to prompt them into beginning a relationship with your brand.

How do you do that?

Well, here are a few suggestions and strategies.

Know Your Brand

Many companies work towards creating an effective brand film. However, the one mistake they make is that they depend on the film to define their brand. This is wrong. Your film shouldn’t be defining your brand.

The goal of the film is to communicate already what your brand is all about. So, for that, you need to know what your brand represents and stands for. So, don’t start spending your money until you’ve developed a fairly accurate idea of who or what you are.

A proper understanding of your brand can help you craft a compelling narrative – one that can resonate and engage with the audience. There is no point in having a creative or unique idea if it isn’t carrying the message of your brand.

You see, nobody is interested in seeing your brand film. You are obviously not one of the big, popular names. So, get to know your brand’s true identity and craft meaningful and creative messages around it. Only then will you be able to have an impact.

Your Relationship with the Creators Must be Optimized

As a business, it is most likely that you’ve outsourced the work of developing a brand film. So, in order to develop content that stands out, you and your brand film developer need to have a very good understanding of each other’s needs.

This kind of trust between you and the creative team can actually influence your brand film and help you communicate a story that is engaging. Also, in order to create content that can tell such stories, you need to be open to ideas that are beyond the traditional.

Then, there’s organization and collaboration. You need to practice both to establish a proper working relationship between each other. Knowing every aspect of the project, today, tomorrow and day after, allows everybody to stay on schedule.

Experts vouch for collaboration, stating that it often helps get the creative juices flowing. So, make sure you are in touch with your brand film developers at all times.

Choose Your Collaborators Appropriately

In order to develop a brand film, you can choose to work with a range of agencies, such as brand development agencies, PR firms, and ad agencies, etc. Many of these firms have stellar production capabilities and even offer the services of executive directors from the TV and film industry.

Collaborating with the right agency can help you identify and craft a proper story. Each agency offers a unique set of benefits. For instance, a PR agency can help you create a film that gets into the news cycle with ease.  The goal here is to go after non-paid media. So, when someone searches for the brand, they will find coverage about the film. The media coverage is what pushes the film, communicating that it’s something that needs to be watched right away.

Another important factor to keep in mind is that films are written by writers. So, the script is very, very important and you need to make sure that whoever is working on it is informed on various topics. You need a person who can connect things and not just stick to what they know.

Cast the Right People

You can have all the brilliant ideas you want, but bringing it all to life is where the challenge lies. Speaking of challenges, one of the many factors that will make or break your brand film is the kind of acting talent you use.

You see, it takes a good actor or actress to communicate an idea. So, it’s very possible that the concept you have for your brand film may require stellar talent. In fact, acting can be such a critical factor that many businesses avoid making brand films that are dependent on acting. They are often considered to be high-risk productions.

However, if done right, the pay-off can be great. So, take the time to go through the talent. Audition them along with your brand film developer and see who can work the best. For instance, if your video is dependent on witty line deliver or humor, you need an actor who has a more natural presence on screen. He/she needs to feel comfortable taking directions and mouthing lines naturally.

Don’t run away from complex stuff just because you may have to look for stellar acting talent. Just make sure you know whom to choose. At the same time, be ready to ditch your idea if things really don’t pan out. It’s better to give up on an idea than to go ahead with one, if it means risking awkward or forced acting.

Aim for authenticity.

So, there you have it – key suggestions to help you develop an authentic and engaging brand film.