The Art of Storytelling in Video Production

According to Insider Intelligence, digital advertising made up around 7 out of every 10 dollars in ad spending in Canada in 2023. This shows the impact that digital marketing has on the modern advertising world.

Video marketing, in particular, can have a dramatic impact on your advertising efforts. However, your videos are only as effective as you make them. You need to focus on content framework elements like brand storytelling to make your videos truly resonate with your target audience. 

Utilizing professional commercial video production services is a surefire way to get eyes on your brand. To learn more about the art of crafting a compelling story, keep reading below for further details.

Define the Purpose of Your Video Content

Before you get started with your video marketing production, it’s important to lay the groundwork for your video’s content. This will help guide the storytelling process. You don’t want to rush headlong into the process without clearly setting your content framework. 

The best way to do this is to define what the purpose of your video will be. You should first pinpoint what emotion you wish to convey with your video marketing content. Another element to consider is what the overall message of your video will be. 

For instance, are you creating a compelling story for a nonprofit charity agency? If so, you’ll want to focus on a heartfelt or persuasive message that evokes action in viewers.

Know Your Audience

Knowing your audience is another way you can enhance your brand storytelling to boost engagement. It allows you to focus on key demographics to target your content more effectively.

You’ll want to zero in on specific interests or preferences to find the content that will connect the most with them. You’ll also want to take things like age, income, and education into consideration. 

An example of this could be a Tech startup company looking to market to Gen Z and Millennials. You know that the younger generations are more tech-savvy, so you’ll want to focus on inventive and exciting video content that catches their attention and highlights key product features.

Craft a Compelling Story Narrative

Here’s where you can implement your brand storytelling content framework into your video production. Like any story, you want to have a cohesive and linear narrative laid out. 

Develop a strong storyline with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Introduce characters, establish conflict, and resolve it. A well-structured narrative keeps viewers engaged and invested in the outcome.

If you’re still not sure whether your narrative has the punch and definition it needs, consult a commercial video production services company. They can help tailor your video content for maximum effect.

Examine Character Development

Your characters play a crucial role in your video marketing as well. Some of the most memorable video content contains characters who are equally as memorable.

These characters serve as mascots for brand storytelling. They are often memorable because they are relatable or fit well with their brand persona. Your video marketing storytelling should do the same.

Create relatable and well-developed characters with purpose. Give each character depth, motivations, and challenges. Viewers should care about the characters and their journey.

Your characters also help drive the story forward, so take special care to emphasize how your characters fit into the storyline. Show their personal stories, motivations, and the impact of their efforts. This humanizes the cause and makes it relatable.

Encourage a “Show, Don’t Tell” Approach

A picture is worth a thousand words. That’s why in video marketing, what you don’t say is just as important as what you do. A “Show, Don’t Tell” approach can help your brand storytelling create subtle nuances for the viewer to pick up on. 

This means that not everything in your video content requires a spoken narrative. Instead of saying a character is sad, use facial expressions, body language, and music to convey the mood. For instance, showing a character with slumped shoulders and a frown can communicate the emotion of sadness much more effectively.

Emphasize Emotional Engagement

Your video content must make an effort to connect emotionally with your target audience. It doesn’t have to be purely a sad or heart-wrenching connection. There are other ways that you can create an emotional engagement with your target audience like humor or inspiration.

Adding an emotional element makes your video content more memorable. Viewers will be more likely to remember how content made them feel. A reported 70% of video viewers who were emotionally triggered by an advertisement were more likely to buy a product as a result. 

In video content that emphasizes a family connection, it’s important to use heartwarming scenes showing families enjoying quality time together. This emotional connection reinforces positive feelings about the product for viewers.

Choose an Appropriate Tone and Style

Your tone can help set the stage for your video content. However, it is important to choose the right tone that complements your visual narrative. For example, using a bold tone for an enthusiastic or energetic narrative or a mellow tone for a laid-back or more poignant narrative. 

You must also ensure that you stay consistent with your tone throughout your video. A proper and consistent tone helps create a more immersive and cohesive viewing experience.

Your video style should also remain consistent. This means using the same color palette and fonts to reinforce your brand storytelling.

Address Conflict and Provide Resolution

Conflict or tension are often necessary plot devices used for compelling storytelling. This could involve detailing a personal struggle, an external challenge, or an unexpected plot twist. This is true of movies, TV shows, and commercial video production services.

Effective storytelling introduces these conflicts with a defined purpose. It then makes it a point to address and solve these challenges in a satisfying and meaningful way.

Even in infomercial-style video marketing, the beginning of the commercial sets the stage for a potential pain point faced by consumers as the conflict. This is often portrayed through a somewhat exaggerated daily struggle by the characters. The rest of the video content then lays out how the product or service aims to resolve this issue.

Good Pacing is Key

It’s true you may only have a limited amount of time to get your point across to your viewing audience. However, you must be careful not to carelessly rush through your video content. Doing this can cause your video marketing quality to suffer and cause your video message to get lost in the process.

Good pacing helps you maintain an even flow of action and balance. Control the pacing of your story to maintain audience interest. Balance moments of tension with moments of relief, and ensure a smooth flow from one scene to the next.

Focus on Visual Composition

Proper visual composition is fundamental to good filmmaking of all kinds. Composition relates to how the visual elements of your video content come together.

It utilizes aspects like framing, camera angles, and lighting to enhance the mood and convey information. Good visual composition denotes that each shot should contribute to the overall storytelling process.

For example, ensuring all of the main characters are within the frame and in focus for a crucial shot. By focusing on only one item or character in a shot, it allows the video content to convey significance.

Visual composition also establishes a hierarchy of importance within the frame. By controlling the placement and size of elements, storytellers can guide the viewer’s focus and emphasize key aspects of the narrative.

Utilize Appropriate Sound and Music

Utilize sound design and music to enhance the emotional impact of your story. A well-chosen soundtrack can significantly elevate the viewer’s experience. Sound effects can also help you emphasize certain actions or emotions.

If a character is happy, have jovial and upbeat music playing in the background. If a character is sad, use low and melancholic tones.

A voiceover effect can add a narrative without the need for a physical narrator character. Other characters within the video content may or may not interact with this voiceover depending on your artistic direction.

Undertake Revisions and Editing

Revising and editing your video content is a necessary production step. It can help you elevate your brand storytelling by ensuring your video content has a natural flow.

Post-production is also where sound effects and visual graphics are added in. It also allows you to edit footage together to create a cohesive and compelling storyline. 

Video production agencies can take your video marketing content and polish and perfect it through effective editing techniques. Trust commercial video production services to have the tools and skills needed to give you a finished product you can be proud of. 

Transform Your Brand Storytelling with Viva Media Commercial Video Production Services

Creating a compelling story is an essential part of video marketing. So many facets go into making your brand storytelling a success, so it’s vital that you don’t overlook something or try to cut corners. You need to leverage the benefits of a professional video production agency.

Viva Media is your partner for commercial video production services. We offer a full-service approach to video production from start to finish. We also serve a variety of industries from Tech to Nonprofits and more.

Ready to discuss your next video project? Then contact us for a free video production quote today.