The evolution of my Brand Story Photofilms was an unusual one, so if you are interested in the inside story, do have a look here.

One of the main reasons my clients love my Brand Story Photofilms is because they want to take advantage of the results that video can achieve, but they feel awkward or uncomfortable having to face the video camera. Brand Story Photofilms give them all the power of video without the pain of traditional video.

Let’s face it, none of us would be on social media if we didn’t have to be. We are all on there because that’s the way we do business nowadays. Since we do have to be on there, how can we do it in a way that’s as pain-free as possible, but gets the reaction and connection to our audience that we want?

That’s where Brand Story Photofilms come in. But how do they work? I’ll tell you all about that now.

Step 1. Positioning and Planning

I’m going to take you through what it’s like to have a Brand Story Photofilm and give you a glimpse behind the scenes of how it works.

It all starts with a free initial chat, where we have a general discussion about you and your business. From this, I can gauge whether a Brand Story Photofilm is right for you, based on which stage you are at in your business.

Once you have decided you wish to go ahead, we arrange to have a deeper conversation about the key message you want to get across and who it is you want to see that message. It’s all about positioning and how you want people to see your brand.

This can be a useful opportunity to work on your business rather than in your business. As a result of this focussed discussion, some of my clients have been surprised at the insight and clarity it has given them about their brand.

We then go on to plan what to include in your Brand Story Photofilm.

I look at it in terms of the 5 Ws: Why, What, Who, Where and When:

• Why – the purpose of and intention for your Brand Story Photofilm
• What – which aspects of your business to include, as well as styling and props
• Who – whether we will include clients, co-workers, or other selected individuals
• Where – the location or options for the type of locations where we will do the photoshoot
• When – the date or options for dates depending on availability of people and places

At the end of the meeting, I will leave you with clear guidelines on what we each need to do next. In fact I will hold your hand through each step to take you through to the next stage.

Step 2 – Script and Image Narrative

One of the things for you to do next is to write your script and I will give you some written advice about how to do this. You’ll send it to me in advance and I’ll give you feedback and suggestions to help you fine-tune it.

By the time the day of the Photofilm shoot arrives, the script will be ready to go and we will have a clear plan of the photos to best tell the story.  So you can relax, as all the prep work has been done.

Step 3. Photoshoot, Record and Edit

We will start with the audio recording and it’s not like a video, it’s so much easier. You don’t have to remember it off by heart, so you get in all those points you want to get across about your unique business.

I’ll set up the audio recorder and microphone and you can read your script off camera. Sometimes I find myself in my client’s bedroom as it can be quietest place and gives the best tone. The great thing is it doesn’t matter what it looks like, as no one sees this part.

As everything is discussed beforehand there is nothing to worry about and you can relax into the photoshoot. Don’t worry about posing as what we want is to show your natural personality and how you work with your clients. I’ll take a range of photos to fit the brand image you want to project.

Once we have finished the photoshoot, you don’t need to do anything else. I take away the audio recording and the digital photos to edit and optimise. This is when the alchemy happens as I put the photos and words together to bring the vision to life. I take care to harmonize each photo with the words to create the movement and flow of the overall Brand Story Photofilm. And this can take some time, as I work on it until I feel it really gets your message across.

Step 4. Time for Tears!

I then meet up with you, either online or in person to show you the finished product. I love this part! I love seeing my clients reaction when they see their Brand Story Photofilm for the first time. Some clients just watch and quietly concentrate, but some clients get quite emotional and even cry! (With happiness of course.)

Then all that’s left for me to do is to send the Brand Story Photofilm to you as an MP4 file. On top of that, not only do I give you the Brand Story Photofilm, but I also give you the individual photos. A video and photos as well! These are then free for you to use on your website or in posts as you wish. This is one of the benefits that clients have told me they particularly value.

 Step 5. Putting the Brand Story Photofilm to work

I have found Brand Story Photofilms to be popular with my clients because they can be used for so many things. Clients have used them for crowdfunding a book, for an introduction to their presentation, shown on a loop at their exhibition stand and in an email newsletter.

Many clients use them on their websites, as they are particularly good for encouraging people to linger longer on their website, which is great for the algorithms. The most popular use is posting them on different social media platforms to introduce themselves and their services.

It is a different and unique way of promoting your business and will help you stand out. You get a closer connection with viewers than from photos alone.

So if you think a Brand Story Photofilm could give you what you need to make your business more visible please get in touch.