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Planning and design of web videos

Corporate film, explanatory film, event film: these terms aren’t defined anywhere and overlap. No wonder they get mixed up. We’ll sort them out.

Many enquiries we receive start with the phrase: ‘We need a corporate film.’

Often, that isn’t actually the case. Not because people are doing anything wrong – but because ‘promotional film’ is the only term almost everyone is familiar with. It’s become a catch-all term for anything filmed with a camera.

This page clears that up. It doesn’t explain technical terms, but rather the three common misunderstandings we actually encounter most frequently during initial consultations. After reading this, you’ll know exactly what to ask for – whether from us or anyone else.

First things first: the terms aren’t standardised

There is no binding definition of ‘promotional film’ or ‘corporate film’. Every production company uses them slightly differently, and anyone who tells you otherwise is passing off their own in-house definition as the industry standard.

What we describe below is how we use the terms. It’s not important that you adopt this terminology. What’s important is that, during a conversation, you realise when you and the person you’re talking to are using the same word to mean two different things.

The two questions that decide everything

  1. Who is going to watch the film — and what do they already know?

An applicant who has never heard of you needs something different from a buyer who has already reviewed your quote, or from an employee who has to understand a new regulation.

  1. What should happen afterwards?

Pick up the phone. Apply for the job. Understand something. Come to the next one. Remember you when it becomes relevant two years from now.

If you can answer these two questions, the format question is settled in five minutes. If you can't, even the best concept won't save it – what you get is a film that everyone approves of and nobody responds to.

Confusion 1: "Corporate video" is usually a catch-all

That one term almost always covers two very different films. The clearest difference isn't the style — it's what should stick afterwards.

A brand film should leave someone with a feeling. A company profile video should leave someone with an understanding.

Imagine the film has ended and the viewer says exactly one sentence.

For the brand film it would be: "I'd like to work with these people."

For the company profile video: "Ah, now I see how they do it."

Those are two completely different briefs.

An example: a mechanical engineering firm with 200 employees

The brand film shows the foreman who has been with the company for 30 years, explaining why he still inspects every part himself. Three minutes, few facts, a sense of care. It runs on the homepage, on a loop at the trade fair, and at the start of presentations.

The company profile video shows the same company from goods-in to final inspection: manufacturing depth, testing procedures, capacity, certifications. Seven minutes, plenty of facts. It goes out as a link with the quote, runs in sales meetings and during the onboarding of new clients.

Same company, same truth, two films that can't stand in for one another.

Three differences to judge it by

  • Prior knowledge. The brand film is aimed at people who don't know you yet. The company profile video at people who are already in conversation with you and now want the details.
  • Shelf life. The brand film lasts for years, because what a company stands for rarely changes. The company profile video goes out of date with every new hall, every new certification, every new process. That isn't a flaw – it just has to be factored into the budget.
  • Sign-off. For the brand film, management and marketing sit in on the approval meeting. For the company profile video, the technical department sits in and corrects details. If you notice during the briefing that engineering absolutely has to have a say, you're talking about a company profile video.

And the most common mistake: wanting both at once. The result is a film too vague to inform and too dry to move anyone. If both are needed, then as two films – often from a single shoot, but with two edits.

How to tell: Ask yourself whether the film will still be accurate in three years. If yes, it's a brand film. If not, it's a company profile video – and that one needs replacing every few years.

Confusion 2: An explainer isn't the same thing as animation

This is the most stubborn assumption of all. For most people, "explainer video" is hard-wired to colourful figures sliding across a white background.

An explainer is a job. Animation is a technique. The two have nothing to do with each other.

Animation is strong when there is nothing to film: abstract processes, data flows, things happening inside a machine, future scenarios, chemical reactions. Anyone explaining software will struggle to avoid it.

Live action is strong when there is something to show — and when credibility matters. A safety briefing filmed on a real construction site is taken differently from one with a cartoon figure. A process you can actually see doesn't need to be abstracted. And people talking about their own work can't be replaced by anything.

The honest answer is often: both. Live action as the backbone, animation for the three moments the camera can't reach.

How to tell: Don't ask "animation or live action?", ask "can the thing being explained be seen?". If yes, film it. If no, draw it. If partly — then do it partly.

Explainers without animation, for BG BAU

Why is the Industry Declaration so important for the building cooperative? An eight-part web series in which representatives from the construction industry explain why they have signed the Industry Declaration.

Confusion 3: An event film isn't a recording

It sounds like a nuance. It's the decision between two completely different productions.

The conference recording documents. Talks in full length, intelligible sound, legible slides. The point is reusability: anyone who wasn't there should be able to catch up. This is primarily a technical job – locked-off cameras, sound from the mixing desk, little in the way of craft. What you end up with is several hours of material that people can navigate to a specific point.

The event film tells a story. It selects, condenses, puts things in order, and works with atmosphere, faces and changes of scene. What you end up with is a few minutes that people watch by choice – and pass on. If the word you have in mind for that is aftermovie: it's the same thing. The term comes from the festival and trade fair world and has stuck to event films that lean heavily on music and pace. Ask us for an aftermovie or ask us for an event film – we mean the same product.

One doesn't replace the other. An event film won't tell you what was said in talk four. A recording is no use on your homepage.

If you need both, you have to say so beforehand. A crew booked to cover the recording isn't shooting close-ups in the audience. There is no way to cut an event film out of a full recording after the fact – the material simply doesn't exist. This is the most common avoidable frustration around events, and it always costs more than making the decision in advance.

How to tell: Ask yourself who watches the result, and why. If they need the content, they get a recording. If they should come away with an impression, an event film.

An event film without a recording

The client had actually wanted a recording of the event and an event film to go with it. Following our initial consultation, it quickly became clear that this would require us to work with two teams, which was not possible for cost reasons.

However, we were still able to meet the client’s requirements by recording the opening remarks from the project coordinators directly.

And when don't you need us?

So that we stay honest about it:

  • Plain recordings with no ambition – if a talk only needs to be archived internally, a good AV technician with two cameras will usually do. That's no job for a production company.
  • Quick social clips from the working day – anything meant to feel authentic loses by being polished. If someone on your team has an eye for it, you're better off doing it yourselves. We're more use setting up the framework than holding the camera.
  • A film with no occasion – if nobody can say who is going to see it and where, the money is better spent elsewhere. We'll say so in the first conversation if that's how we see it.

Still not sure?

That's not a bad sign. It's the normal state of things before the first conversation.

Tell us what you want to achieve. We'll tell you which format fits – even if it's one we don't offer.

Projekt anfragen

Where to go next

  1. Corporate video – for when people don’t know you yet

  2. Industrial film – when processes and plant need to be made clear

  3. Recruitment video – when applicants are the key target audience

  4. Event film – when an occasion needs to be documented or promoted

  5. Livestream – when it has to be live and in real time

  6. Social media video – when it’s played via feeds

  7. The costs of film production – if you want to know what we’re talking about in terms of pricing

Planning and design of web videos

Web videos are one of the most important sources of information for many internet users. We advise you on which format is most suitable

Video production: The web video – Produced for the internet

Most web videos are short clips that are produced exclusively for the internet and appear in a variety of formats on the many social media channels that there are. They speak their very own distinct language that varies from the language used in films or on TV. Web videos also have a different target audience.

But one thing is certain: In today’s world, more than 80% of Germany’s consumers get their information on the internet.

A web video offers you the opportunity to quickly and effectively inform your customers about your products or services. At the same time, your web video can also be your corporate film.
Follow this link for more specific information on what to keep in mind when producing videos for your social media channels.

A web video is the all-rounder for your online marketing

A web video creates attention quickly and effectively. And that’s important! The concentration span of users on the internet is low, and it’s tempting to keep changing content quickly.

But two to three minutes are enough for you to introduce yourself and your offer and for the viewer to get to know you as a person. Because personality counts more than you might think. A film can highlight this: It is emotional, direct and entertaining.

Generate new clients with a web video

The importance of the internet is ever increasing. And we don’t mean the young people under the age of 35. For these Digital Natives, there has never been a time without the internet. For them, the internet plays a role 24/7.

More and older people are also discovering the possibilities of digital leisure activities and are using all kinds of social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, in addition to the traditional internet.

Films that you position here usually generate users and visitors for your main domain, which is good for your traffic and thus also the importance of your company on the internet. One should not hide the fact that websites with video content are ranked higher by search engines and that your website will be positioned much better in the ranking for specific search queries than websites that only work with text and images.

How to recognise a good web video?

If a web video has been able to reach the full attention of your target audience, is commented on and shared afterwards, and you have thus been able to attract new customers, then it has fulfilled its exact purpose. But for this to happen, it is also important to have a creative concept for your social media marketing and to follow a concrete strategy in achieving your goals.

Web videos for BG Bau

A recent example of how short, one-minute film clips can convey a clear message is the seven-part web series on the Corporate Declaration that we produced for the German Employers' Liability Insurance Association for the Construction Industry.

Web videos for three cultural institutions

A series of web films about the HAP Grieshaber Prize and its winners. The web videos are used by the three institutions involved in the foundation and awarding of the prize.