Creating the Right Tone in Corporate Video
Your videos might hit all of the marks—the right people, the right statistics, the right platform—but still aren’t effective. One of the elements you may be overlooking is tone: the feeling or mood your video conveys. Tone is crucial in making sure your video has its intended impact on your audience.
Tone relates to all elements of a video, including visuals, music, graphics. If you have speakers in your video, tone can be impacted by the way they craft their messages, what they wear, and what setting they are in.
Shaping Tone for Leaders on Camera
The location and style of your video have a significant impact on tone. Does shooting in a leader’s corner office come across as stiff or professional? Oftentimes, during a disaster or crisis, an audience appreciates seeing a leader on-site rather than tucked away in an office.
Similarly, clothing can be a determinant of tone. Is your leader recognizable in a suit and tie? Or do they have a more laid-back attitude? Does their outfit give the impression of being ‘above’ others at your company? Addressing your speaker’s physical appearance can be as impactful as shaping what they say.
Tone Matches Context and Branding
First and foremost, the messaging style of your video should match the tone of your corporation’s branding.
For the past few years, Apple’s video advertising has been product-forward, bold and crisp, with little to no speaking. It would seem out of the ordinary for Apple to produce commercials with a sit-down testimonial from leadership, explaining the amazing innovations of their newest releases.
Tone is intrinsically linked to the context of your company and your video. You can imagine how the tone of a celebratory video will be very different from the tone of an apology message. But during the pre-production steps, you might get caught up in other logistics and forget to consider the tone of all your elements coming together.
During the pre-production process, you may want to identify some tone markers for your video. Words like “inspirational,” “confident,” “educational,” or “hopeful” can be great guides for marrying your brand voice to your intended tone.
Examples of Tone in Tribe Pictures’ Work
To demonstrate the way Tribe has emphasized tone in our past work, here are two video examples:
This recruitment video for chemicals company BASF is cheeky and bold. It’s geared towards hiring the youngest generations in the workforce. Its quick pacing and staccato shots mirror the characteristics of the audience BASF is trying to appeal to: excited, bright, innovative.
This video made for Sumitomo Corporation differs greatly in tone. There is a voiceover to guide fluid, tasteful graphics that build a story. This video creates its tone through delicate music and traditional Japanese paintbrush-style art, speaking to the four centuries of history the company has achieved.