Creating the Perfect Before and After Video
June 5, 2024 | 3 min read
At Indigo Productions, we know that before and after content is a powerful tool in the marketing arsenal. It embodies the essence of “show, don’t tell,” providing a compelling visual narrative that clearly demonstrates what your product or service can achieve for your audience.
While before and after photos are well-established, before and after videos are emerging as a dynamic and engaging alternative. These videos combine the power of transformation with the immersive experience of video, creating a robust marketing tool.
Planning to create a before and after video for your brand? Here are five essential best practices from Indigo Productions to ensure you achieve stellar results.
1. Understand Your Audience
Understanding your audience is the cornerstone of any effective marketing strategy, and it’s particularly crucial for before and after videos. Knowing your audience allows you to highlight the aspects of the transformation that will most effectively persuade them to make a purchase.
This understanding also informs other key decisions such as content distribution, video tone, and the call-to-action. Tailoring these elements to your audience’s preferences is vital for creating impactful content.
2. Start with a Script and Storyboard
Preparation is paramount. Even if a before and after shoot seems straightforward, starting with a script and storyboard is essential. These tools serve as a roadmap for your production, ensuring your content tells a cohesive and compelling story.
Advanced planning maximizes efficiency on production day and helps you avoid a disjointed video that merely showcases the transformation without providing context or narrative.
3. Take Photos
While filming your video, don’t forget to take photos. This might seem obvious, but many overlook the opportunity to capture additional content simultaneously.
Since your setup already highlights your product optimally, taking still photos is a no-brainer. These photos might not be necessary for the video itself, but they will be invaluable for future marketing campaigns and tactics.
4. Show Multiple Angles
To give viewers the best understanding of the transformation, capture multiple angles in both your photo and video content. For example, if you’re showcasing a backyard makeover, film various perspectives to fully illustrate the change.
Capture more footage than you think you’ll need to provide flexibility during editing and for future marketing uses. The more options you have, the easier it will be to adapt if your vision evolves during post-production.
5. Keep Most Elements Consistent
Maintain consistency in elements outside the scope of the transformation. Avoid altering lighting, angles, or other technical details between the before and after shots. This approach serves multiple purposes. Firstly, it directs the audience’s attention to the transformation itself, as the consistent background makes the change stand out.
Secondly, it prevents the common criticism that before and after content is manipulated to exaggerate the transformation. We’ve all seen haircut transformation videos where the “after” shot features flattering lighting, expert makeup, and a smiling subject, unlike the “before” shot. Such discrepancies can appear deceptive to viewers.
Instead, keep everything consistent to maintain credibility and transparency.
For more insights on video production, visit our Blog.
About Us
Indigo Productions: A Full-Service Creative Video Production Company
Based in NYC, Indigo Productions is a full-service creative video production company renowned for crafting compelling commercials, virtual events, corporate videos, entertainment projects, and more.
Our comprehensive services span the entire production process, including video production, video editing, concept development, scriptwriting, storyboarding, previsualization, casting, location scouting, motion graphics, 3D animation, pre-production, visual effects, music scoring, sound design, color correction, and video finishing.
Indigo’s project management team coordinates a world-class roster of video production experts, carefully selected from diverse fields such as creative advertising, broadcast television, feature film, journalism, video games, and social media.
Our talented staff includes camera crews, writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, creative directors, designers, actors, stunt professionals, art directors, hair and makeup artists, wardrobe stylists, voice-over artists, and teleprompter operators.
Indigo offers a wide range of services including live-action shoots, green screen video shoots, documentary production, testimonial shoots, multi-camera productions, live event coverage, time-lapse videos, and still photography.
For more information and to explore our portfolio, visit Indigo Productions.
