What Your Internal Video Team Really Thinks

One big change over the last ten years is that large corporations have much more sophisticated internal video capabilities, straddling various departments: marketing, communications, PR or social media. Since video is in-demand in all kinds of communications, most corporations have broad internal capabilities to address the various video projects that arise. This is a good development as it allows them to work quickly and efficiently, as well as to save costs, but relying solely on internal resources can have its drawbacks.

In a lot of cases our work here at Tribe is done in conjunction with in-house video teams. We’ve been fortunate to talk to a variety of corporate videographers to find out what they think–details they may not always be willing to share with supervisors or project leads.
All video is not created equal — and thinking it is does a disservice to your team’s expertise and to the project. This is where frustration can arise.

Some of the best company videos require a quick, loose style–documenting a corporate event or interviewing a department head about a new product or program, for example. But a project that’s more narrative, utilizing multi-cameras or specialized equipment, and content that’s tasked with showcasing the brand, conducting a major change-management initiative, or helping to generate millions of dollars in sales requires a different approach altogether.

As video professionals, we empathize with some of the challenges that in-house video departments often face; it’s our goal to assist our clients in whatever way we can to make the most effective corporate video content we possibly can.

Consider the following challenges and the questions you can ask yourself when embarking on video projects with your internal team:

Challenge: Small or one-person in-house teams are often crunched for resources. These include equipment, time, budget, personnel–you name it. That your in-house video team is constantly available to you as a resource does not mean they’re exposed to the resources required to do the type of work that can satisfy your expectations.

Ask Yourself: Is this a realistic project, given the scope? What demands are we placing on the video team? Where can we help to add resources to maintain the integrity of the project?

Challenge: Internal teams are distracted by the day-to-day requirements. There are so many types of corporate video being made that a lot of the “news” style shooting that goes on in corporations that asking them to do a complicated narrative-style video will be an obstacle to do the day-to-day work.

Ask Yourself: What is the best use of our internal video team’s time? What do they excel at and what is upcoming on their schedule? Adding larger corporate video production projects (that take months, rather than hours or days to complete) must be accounted for in the project planning. Be cognizant of the workload and the ways you’re adding to it.

Challenge: Large projects like a company values video usually require many skilled practitioners, for example: a director, a writer, an editor, a producer, a director of photography, production assistants, an audio person, etc. To ask one person or a small team to wear all of those hats is a tall order. Each job involves an important professional skill that requires some measure of expertise. It is possible to find an exceptional person or small team that is skilled at many of these jobs, and often videographers have been trained in multiple areas, but it can still be a stretch.

Ask Yourself: Just because you can give this project to your in-house team, does this mean you should? Consider the broad range of skills that are required for your project. Is it a brand film that will require casting or extensive up-front creative work? Does the complexity of the shoot require an outside producer? Think about your project in terms of the expertise that will be required in order for it to be most effective.

Challenge: They don’t feel valued. One of the most common issues we’ve encountered with internal videographers is rather sensitive: they feel like they’re not valued for their skill and expertise or treated as a true partner. This might be from project heads tinkering too much, asking for too many changes, and not letting videographers show their hard-won expertise and do the job to the best of their ability.

Ask Yourself: Am I micromanaging?  Work to treat your in-house team as a respected partner. Treat the relationship as a consultative one and be aware of how you’re tinkering with the project and if it’s getting in the way of success.

Challenge: Most corporate in-house teams are full of smart people who know their capabilities and limitations. They know when they need help and can also counsel you about when it’s appropriate to go external and hire outside resources in order to make the best company videos.

Ask Yourself: Are you asking your video team’s advice and counsel on how best to allocate resources?  Use your in-house video team as advisors and view them as experts in their own right, not just do-ers. Instead of giving them assignments, learn about how to work with them so the final outcome is the best it can be. Your production staff will thank you and the project will be more successful.

In the end, it’s best to foster a creative relationship based on clear communication and respect. If you can make your in-house video team look good, they’ll make you look even better. And if you decide you do need an external video production agency for your project, you can give Tribe a call at our office #: 973-635-2660.