For most people, the final video is what we see, and the “drama” that happens during the shoot or actually before is what few people ever know about. After all, only Hollywood blockbusters get a Behind the Scenes marketing engine to promote the film.
So when we recently wrapped the filming on Ailsa Page’s re-branding video, we sat down and filmed a short interview of the process from idea to filming to talk about our process and how it helped her, a veteran of 25 years in marketing, to put this video together.
What came out of this conversation was essentially that even experts in a field need help when it comes to doing something about themselves.
Here’s a short video summary of that conversation, and if you want more juicy details, read on!
I have a lot of respect for Ailsa, and her experience in the industry, after all she’s written books about marketing, and have been a keynote speaker on several occasions to talk about how businesses should be marketing themselves.
So naturally I was curious about why it is often so hard for us to market ourselves.
“No one ever does their own 21st speech.”
That was how she succinctly puts it. You often have someone else write it because for the person turning 21, you are just too close to your own story to know what’s worth saying.
And that’s exactly the “trap” that we all fall into when we try to market ourselves. Often we need someone looking from the outside to really see us on the inside, which is what we often call a human-centred video. Ailsa said,
“It can be difficult to do your own marketing. You do need someone else to be able to objectively say, “Look, these are what I think your selling points are, and this is how you come across…”
The brief that wasn’t really about filming
One of the things she did find really useful, long before we laid pen to paper, or picked up a camera was to have a conversation, and a list of questions I sent her to kick start the process to the script. Ailsa mentioned that that was really a key part of the process for her.
“It was our discussions that were really helpful, and the questions that you asked me… It was just really helpful.”
It was through those questions and further discussion that Ailsa finally pulled the script together. It was only then when we were finally happy with it that we made plans for the shoot.
Why we filmed at her place, not a studio
One of the things we love doing is not to rely on a studio setting for our videos. While there are creative and practical reasons for studios, when it comes to authenticity and showing someone’s personality, there is nowhere better than where they are most comfortable. The key is to really showcase how you present yourself because unconsciously, how you show up on camera, does hint to the audience how you do everything.
For Ailsa, she said,
“I also think it was great that you came to me. That was really helpful because most of the time I’ve gone to a studio and I think, I mean, I certainly felt more comfortable being in my own space, even though I had to clean the house madly before you came.”
Comfort matters because a brand video, especially a founder’s story, needs confidence, and ease to be seen and felt on the camera.
Where the value showed up
So we’ve got the script, we’ve got the perfect space to film it, it’s still never smooth sailing from there. Often times, script inconsistency or sentences that just don’t flow well only show up when the presenter finally speaks it out loud in front of the camera.
And in this case, there was that one line, which was quite an important line to end the video, that just didn’t really land, no matter how many tries we had to say it.
In many cases, the presenter will just have to keep reworking until something works. Or they rely on someone to offer suggestions. For Ailsa
“Usually I’m that person in the room who goes, “well, how about doing this?” But I NEEDED that (in this shoot)… You just went, “What about this?” And I was like, “Yep, that’s IT!” Sometimes we need that”
What made that sentence we suggested work, wasn’t just a grammatical change, it was a change in the content without changing the message and the style. That can only happen if there is a deep understanding of the intention of the whole video and the audience it is meant for.
Ailsa said,
“It’s been fantastic. I felt very supported along the way… I feel like it’s also been a real reflection of me. So I feel like it’s very authentic, and I’m really happy to have achieved that.”
What this means for YOUR videos
Often times, when businesses try to work out their story, their message in their videos, it can feel difficult, or it comes off like a corporate brochure. It’s not a writing problem. It’s a perspective problem. Being so close to the story or the information can mean that its hard to take a step back to see what is working or what is needed.
This is why at Fantestimonial, the conversation we have with you needs to happen before the camera does.
Whether we are working with business owners, CEOs, or even Marketing managers, we take the same approach, to discover you first. Because before there is a video, there is your brand story.
It is through those discussions and conversations, we find the right video with the right message, and yes the right creative for it as well.
Ailsa said,
“I really feel then that where you get really good value is when people can help you move further than you can on your own. And that’s what you did…. Your marketing skills that you bring to the table really add value, and ultimately I’m going to have a very well-targeted, appropriate video.”
Ailsa’s video is now live as part of her rebrand toward MC and speaker work. We’ll be following up with her soon to see how it has landed with her audience; and whether all the work we’ve done before the camera rolled has made it more effective. Watch this space.
