How to plan a corporate video shoot

1. Decide what the video needs to achieve

“We need a video” is a starting point, not a brief. Define the job first: explain a service, introduce a team, document an event, train staff, recruit people, support a campaign or create regular social content. That purpose changes the structure, filming style and length of the finished piece.

2. Know who needs to understand it

A customer-facing brand film and an internal training video can cover the same organisation but speak very differently. Identify the audience and what they already know. It becomes much easier to decide what information belongs in the film and what can be left out.

3. Choose contributors for what they can add

Interviews work best when each person has a clear reason to be there. A senior leader can explain direction, while someone closer to the day-to-day work may give a more specific and human account. Avoid putting five people on camera simply because five people are available.

4. Prepare interview themes, not scripts to memorise

Unless exact wording is legally or technically necessary, natural answers usually work better than asking contributors to recite paragraphs. Build questions around the points the edit needs, brief the contributor on the themes, and leave room for follow-up questions when something useful emerges.

5. Check the location properly

Think about noise, power, access, interruptions, available space and what will actually be visible in the background. A visually impressive room can still be a poor interview location if staff constantly walk through it or machinery makes clean sound impossible.

6. Give the schedule breathing room

Filming almost always involves small delays: people are pulled into meetings, rooms are occupied, setups need adjusting. A schedule that leaves no margin can turn a straightforward day into a rushed one. Group similar setups together where possible so the crew is not rebuilding the same lighting repeatedly.

7. Plan B-roll around the edit

Useful B-roll shows the work being discussed. If an interview talks about a process, team or location, capture material that lets the edit demonstrate it. Generic office shots have a place, but specific coverage is what makes the final film feel connected to the organisation rather than interchangeable.

8. Decide social outputs before filming

If the project also needs LinkedIn clips, reels or vertical edits, mention that at the planning stage. Composition, interview framing and B-roll can then be captured with those crops in mind instead of trying to force every shot into a different format later.

9. Agree the approval route

Know who is responsible for consolidated feedback and sign-off. One clear review route is much faster than several people sending contradictory notes independently. It also protects the original brief from drifting during post-production.

For a Leeds-based corporate video project, Reeka Studios can handle the complete process or work as the filming/editing part of a wider team.