Video Production FAQs
FAQs
What advantages does video provide over other marketing options?
More than 60% of consumers are more likely to buy from a brand that delivers customer video content. Video improves awareness, sales, and search results. Video is vital to social media. Video can be shared on mobile devices. Video engages in ways print and other traditional media can’t. Video can be seen anywhere in the world, anytime. Video also has lasting value.
How can our brand connect with others to get its own high-quality, low-cost video?
- Hello Sister will showcase your brand with complementary brands.
- Leverage your existing professional relationships, business networks, and partnerships. If you are a brand manager, real estate broker, event planner, communications director, retailer, or chamber of commerce, you probably already know many others who share the need and desire for greater marketing value.
How many brands can be in one video production?
One to 100. However, we’ve found the ideal number to be about five.
Can our brand get its own video or commercial without other brands?
Yes. You can hire us just as you would an advertising agency, and we can develop everything from a communication strategy to finished videos or commercials for even TV. We provide design and branding services, and build websites, too.
How much does it cost?
On average, $5-10K — what many brands spend per year on less effective marketing.
How is this different than product placement seen in TV shows and movies?
Many products such as soft drinks, laptop computers, smartphones, and others pay significant amounts to be featuring prominently in popular TV shows and movies. Though part of the scene, these products are generally not the focus of the story. The hope is that audiences notice the brands and equate the implicit connection to the show or movie.
We create brand content that is both marketing and entertainment. We feel that in our modern consumer society, most people want to shop and buy, and are actually pre-disposed to the power of suggestion. They want to discover and experience new products and services.
Hello Sister creates content designed to sell that people also want to watch.
What if we are a retailer with a lot of brands?
We can do a great video that features them all, for sales, holiday shopping and other occasions.
What if we are a Chamber of Commerce?
We can connect your merchants, shops, attractions, and restaurants in a dynamic video that celebrates and romances your town’s unique experience and charm. We can even develop an integrated marketing campaign, just as we did for the the historic village of Riverside, Illinois.
What is the length of the video, and what does it include?
Videos are HD 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, under two minutes, with stock music, titles, and logo.
What will we be required to provide?
Your product will need to be in new condition, in a quantity practical for the job. You will also be responsible for getting it to us. Work will be initiated upon receipt of a signed work order and 50% retainer payment. The 50% balance is due when the video is finished and posted. Upon receipt of the 50% balance, an HD file will be provided on a private server for you to download.
If your video will be broadcast on TV, you will also need to provide in advance a written copy of the station requirements to traffic the video file, such as slates, color bars, legal disclaimers, and so forth. The incremental time needed to meet these requirements will be billed at an hourly rate.
Why is some featured talent (actors, models, performers) not included in the cost?
Many video productions can utilize non-paid featured participants who are already associated with the brand, the event, or the venue. Other video productions require models, actors, or other performers with a particular look, ability, or expertise, hired on an hourly/daily basis.
What other premium video elements are available?
From a full-length documentary to audio interviews to aerial drone footage, we can meet any of your video and marketing needs at very competitive hourly and day rates.
Can we get a commission for referring other brands to you?
Yes, and a very good one — 18%. In fact, if you can line up four or more paying brands, you’d get your own brand video for free.
How does the process work?
The average video production takes about six weeks beginning to end. There are three basic phases. Each takes about two weeks:
- Concepts/Schedules/Locations/Personnel
- Scouting/Production Details (Products, Props, Talent)/Filming
- Editing/Music/Final assembly (Color-correction, Titles/Logos, etc.)
How much input and feedback can we provide before filming?
It really depends. For the most part, you hire us for our experience and expertise, and for the exceptional value that our business model provides. In some respect. we’re like an artist or designer whose work you like — you commission our services with the expectation the results will live up to our previous work. Therefore, you should really know and like our previous work. To get the same creativity, collective production value, quality, and attention to detail, you’d likely have to hire a good advertising agency, and then a film production company. It would cost many times more, and in the end, you’d still likely not receive the same experience or credentials.
We’ve written thousands of scripts, produced hundreds of commercials for major brands, and won every major advertising industry award for creativity and effectiveness.
By design, the videos that integrate and feature your brand leverage beautiful locations, special events, engaging stories, and aspirational people to maximize production value.
That said, our approach is successful only if it showcases what’s special about your brand, engages viewers, and helps you to attract customers. Prior to production, we strive to fully understand your brand and audience, and to be strategic with our approach.
How long will it take to receive the finished video?
You should receive your finished video within six weeks after filming, maybe sooner.
How do we pay for the video?
By check, credit card, or PayPal. If you pay by credit card or PayPal, whatever transaction fees that apply will be added. A 50% payment is required to initiate the work. The 50% balance will be due when the video is finished and posted to a video streaming site. Upon receipt of the 50% balance, an HD file will be provided on a private server for you to download.
What if we want to make changes to the video?
You should have one key decision maker who relays a succinctly written summary of feedback. Hopefully, the finished video meets expectations established well before production. If there are issues or concerns regarding logic, communication, or objective considerations (for example, it’s difficult to hear or see or understand what is happening in a certain scene), we will certainly address those as best we can, free of charge. If there are minor changes where there are comparable scenes or options from which to choose, we will also happily see what we can do. For other additions, edits, or revisions or subjective considerations requested that require new elements (such as a different piece of music, or new text or titles), or that affect more than 10% of the overall length or structure of the video, an hourly rate will be applied.
What other sales and marketing incentives are included?
Hello Sister will have an online marketplace that features all integrated products and services. The video content will also be of value to online publishers and affiliate marketers, who are incentivized to feature and sell your brand. We will also create themes like “Sisters of Summer” that enable women-owned brands to connect and cross-sell in a highly cost-effective way.