42 SOUTH FILMS - BLOG

Turning Complex Science into a Compelling Story

santiago@42southfilms.com (Santiago Pilgrim) — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 12:46:34 GMT

When Professor Ronan McCarthy from Brunel University’s Antimicrobial Innovations Centre (AMIC) reached out, he had a challenge that felt all too familiar: how do you make complex, technical research land with real-world impact?

The mission of AMIC is ambitious—tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a global health threat that affects everything from hospital infections to food safety and climate resilience. But like many research centres, their story was buried under dense text and academic language. Ronan needed a way to communicate AMIC’s vision that was sharp, succinct, and memorable—something that would stand out to researchers, funders, policy makers, and business partners alike.

That’s where 42 South Films came in.

A Story-First Approach

From day one, we knew this wasn’t about simply showcasing labs or listing off technical achievements. It was about telling a bigger story: one that showed why AMIC exists, what makes it different, and the real-world impact it’s poised to deliver.

We started with a clear narrative arc—what’s the global challenge, what’s broken, and how is AMIC solving it? We anchored this around their five research pillars:

Lab-based antimicrobial discovery and repurposing
AI-guided computational drug discovery
Advanced drug delivery and formulation
Environmental antimicrobial resistance
Societal and legal impacts of AMR

Each pillar had its own depth, but the real power was in how they worked together. That interdisciplinary focus—linking science, technology, law, and culture—is what makes AMIC different. So we made that the heartbeat of the script.

Execution Backed by Precision

We brought in an agile crew, worked flexibly on-site at Brunel over three packed days of filming, and captured a mix of interviews, labs, and aerial shots of the campus. But the real reason this video works? The planning.

We pride ourselves on making life easy for our clients. That means nailing the story before the cameras roll. Once we hit record, we knew exactly what we were capturing and why. No fluff. No filler. Just purposeful content that supports the narrative.

The Final Product

The result is a crisp 2-minute video that Ronan can now use to pitch AMIC’s mission to multiple audiences—academics, funders, government bodies, and industry collaborators. It's a powerful asset that tells a complex story without losing people in the weeds.

Here’s what Ronan had to say about the experience:

“Working with 42 South Films was a smooth and collaborative experience from start to finish. Santiago and his team helped us shape a clear, compelling narrative that captured the essence of AMIC’s mission in just two minutes—no easy task considering the complexity of the subject. We now have a high-quality video that communicates our centre’s vision clearly and powerfully, and it’s already proving useful in conversations with funders, collaborators, and industry partners.”
— Professor Ronan McCarthy, Director, AMIC, Brunel University London

For a centre like AMIC, where the stakes are high and the mission is urgent, that kind of clarity is everything.

At 42 South Films, this is our wheelhouse—telling bold, high-impact stories with precision and polish.

If your team is tackling something big, but struggling to say it right, let’s talk. We turn complex into compelling.

Scientific Protocol Videos

santiago@42southfilms.com (Santiago Pilgrim) — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 14:14:09 GMT

Brunel University in London got in touch with us to create a series of scientific protocol videos. The McCarthy lab had developed a novel breakthrough experiment to help combat infections and wanted our help in creating high quality videos to demonstrate the experiments and help fellow researchers carry out their own experiements.

The lab had prodcuced their own videos of the experiment previously but they were not happy with the poor quality of their videos, which not only deminished their brand and credibility, but also made it difficult for fellow researchers to follow along.

Our expertise in planning video content along was a key factor in the lab deciding to work with us. It also helped that we are based in Uxbridge, very close to the Brunel University Campus.

We reviewed the 3 protocols and provided a quote for the work up-front which enabled the lab to seek funding for the project. Once funding was approved, we started planning the videos in closer detail, ensuring the filming days ran smoothly and we achieved evertyhing we wanted to achieve.

In order to create a high quality look and feel for the videos, we shut all the blinds and lit the scene using our own lights. We also rigged a top-down camera with a remote monitor, giving us a great view of the action and enabling us to capture every little detail of the experiments without getting in the way.

The format of the videos was a short interview with the researcher introducing the experiement, before going straight into the step by step protocol explanation.

The client was extremely happy with the work and they instantly recevied positive feedback from colleagues and peers. It was exciting for us to see how our videos made the researchers excited about their own work. Having the ability to share high quality videos of their work added to their credibility and vastly elevated the impact of their experiments.

If you have a scientific experiement you would like to film, please get in touch. We can help you secure the budget and plan the videos to ensure the project is a huge success.

Below is one of the protocol videos we filmed at the lab:

Corporate Video Shoot in London

santiago@42southfilms.com (Santiago Pilgrim) — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 22:58:59 GMT

Corporate video is our specialty, it's where we thrive. Finding stories within organisations and using our experience to give those stories a voice and bringing out the culture and the purpose behind our client's businesses.

We worked with Lifescience Dynamics, a Biopharma Consulting Firm in London, to produce a series of videos capturing the service offering and the company culture. We spent a few days filming their team, capturing interviews and also gathering what we call b-roll - footage of people at work, at their desks, meetings, interacting with each other. These are the visual clips that bring everything to life and allow us to creatively tell the story.

The planning phase is always crucial with any video shoot, so we did a fair bit of planning here to determine what we could achieve during each filming day, maximising our time and our client's investment.

On the day of the shoot, we had already done a pre-production visit so we were familiar with the building, how to access the rooms we needed and any other quirks that we might come across. Each one of these can slow down a filming day and when you have everything arranged - both from our end and the client's end - we like to ensure everything runs on time so that we can achieve everything we set out to do.

During the interviews don't follow a strict question-by-question approach. Instead, we have a geniuine conversation so that the interviee is able to bring out their human side, personality and natural charisma. This avoids people looking like a robot and also allows them to talk passionately about their job, bringing out the true company culture of the organisation. There is an art to capturing the content we need and loosely following a set of questions, but also at the same time having a geniuine conversation that brings out the best in that person.

See below for one of the videos we created for Lifescience Dynamics. This one was all about the company culture and why the company is such a great place to work at.

Filming the Vaisakhi Celebrations in Gravesend

santiago@42southfilms.com (Santiago Pilgrim) — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 09:54:06 GMT

Although we are based in Uxbridge, we are lucky enough to have clients all over the country. On Saturday we packed some kit into the car and headed over to Gravesend to film the Vaisakhi celebrations. Being one of the most important dates in the Sikh calendar, Vaisakhi is a day to celebrate 1699 - the year when Sikhism was born as a collective faith.

Our filming was on behalf of Gurvinder Sandher, MBE Deputy Lieutenant of Kent, who attended the event. It was an absolutely hectic day as you can imagine, with thousands of people there. The challenge was to capture some decent footage in a very short space of time with multiple thing happening at once. We filmed everything in 100 frames per second slow motion allowing us to maximise on any little moments we capture. By filming in slow motion we are able to extend even a 1-second smile into 4 seconds of usable footage. We also knew that there would be other people filming there, so to differentiate our footage and make something that would stand out we used a pro mist filters. This gives us a classic and dreamy look that works well with bright and colourful footage.

In order for this footage to be relevant to our client we needed a fast turnaround so we got working on this pretty much as soon as we got home. The voiceover was recorded and sent to us the following day and by Monday morning this video was done and dusted.

Filming live events is a huge undertaking, but with years of experience we are able to pull it off. We use a small crew so It's a fine balance of adequate planning to make sure we understand what is happening when, and also what is required from the footage that we capture - how is the video going to be used - this gives us a clear aim during the filming day, allowing us to make fast decisions regarding what to focus on in terms of coverage.

If you have an event coming up, give us a shout! We'd love to hear about your plans and discuss any opportunities with you.

Santiago.

Filming Gravesham Riverside Festival

santiago@42southfilms.com (Santiago Pilgrim) — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 17:44:56 GMT

Gravesham Borough Council's Riverside Festival is an event that brings the community together for a day of celebration and entertainment. As the exclusive video production partner to the event, we worked with the council to capture the festival's diverse activities and lively atmosphere, creating an exciting film that promotes the festival puts Gravesend on the map.

The success of capturing the festival's essence relies on hiring the right crew and delegating a section of the festival to each person. We put together a team of three videographers, each covering a specific area. We briefed each team member on the style of shooting we are looking to capture, and the type of energy we want to bring to the final edit. We strategically assign roles and responsibilities, ensuring comprehensive coverage without overwhelming any team member. This approach maximises our ability to capture every special moment authentically.

In the edit, we aim to create an exciting video that leaves the viewer feeling like they were there themselves. By sifting through hours of footage and using just the very best clips, we are able to create an uplifting image of the festival, showing it as an incredible event.

Gravesham Borough Council uses the highlights video of the festival to promote future events on their social media platforms. They create engaging posts and share the video across their official Facebook and YouTube channels. The video can showcase the vibrant atmosphere, diverse activities, and joyful moments from the festival, showing local residents what a great place they live in.

The video will also be used to share with internal stakeholders and show the success of the event. These videos are always a highlight during council meetings.

By leveraging the highlights video, Gravesham Borough Council can effectively promote the Riverside Festival, attract more attendees, and strengthen community engagement and support for this annual event.

The science behind testimonial videos

santiago@42southfilms.com (Santiago Pilgrim) — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 10:18:04 GMT

Having a third party endorse your business is far more powerful than simply talking about it yourself, and the science behind why this works goes far beyond the obvious.

The obvious answer that you'll often see it that it's better to have someone else talk about your product or service, because that way it's more credible. Anyone could talk about themselves and there is very little to validate that one's own comments are actually truthful, but if someone else is doing the talking, then the same message becomes a lot more powerful.

Humans are social beings. We inately seek to fit in and be part of a crowd. It goes back millions of years to when our ancestors stuck together to seek safety in numbers. Natural selection meant only those who were living in groups would tend to survive and procreate, and so we have evolved with this piece of survival instinct within us - whether we like it or not.

What has this got to do with video testimonials? Well, because we have been inately programmed to follow the crowd, we seek for social proof or validation in others with everything that we do in life. There are plenty of examples of this in every day life. Notice how when you are crossing a busy road, often the masses of pedestrians will start to walk if just one or two people have dared to go for it before the light goes green. On an aircraft when one or two people unbuckle their seatbelts and you suddenly hear everyone in the cabin doing the same, even though the seatbelt signs are still on and often the plane is still moving. Another example is fashion - when certain clothing items become fashionable, and suddenly everyone loves the same thing. Testimonial videos can create the same feeling and chain reaction about your business.

By having testimonial videos in your marketing mix, you are providing social proof, or validation, that your products or services are working for other people. For a prospect who is trying to make a decision on which supplier to go with, this will subconciously sway their decision towards working with your company - they will want to be part of the crowd of successful people that have gone before them - and that's why testimonial videos are one of the most powerful types of videos.

If you'd like to learn more about how we create testimoinal videos for our clients, please do reach out to us. We're currently working with clients all over the world using our remote testimonial video service, and it's proving to be a super useful too for businesses, helping them nurture their sales pipeline and convert leads.

Remote Testimonials: How They Work

santiago@42southfilms.com (Santiago Pilgrim) — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 12:45:46 GMT

One of the main concerns people have around creating testimonial videos is having to ask their clients for time and effort to feature in the project. There is a lot of anxiety around having to explain the whole process to them and then, once you've got them there, actually extracting valuable content from the interview.

We've been producing remote testimonial videos for around 18 months now, working with clients all over the world. Our aim was originally to serve our clients during COVID, but as restrictions eased, demand for our remote filming services stayed, so much so that we developed our service offering further to get to where we are now.

We are now able to record testimonial videos in high resolution 4k quality, from anywhere in the world. Not only that but we have actually made the whole process extremely simple for everyone involved.

Step one: pre-production and planning

As soon as a client comes onboard with a testimonial video project, we share with them a clear roadmap for the project, informing them of what will happen and when, as well as what is needed from them at each stage of the process. We provide templates for emailing their clients asking to take part in the project, and help them all the way from planning the questions to scheduling the remote video interviews. Once we have one of their clients onboard, we ensure they have everything they need ahead of the shoot - tripod, microphone and access to our remote recording app. We supply everything for them, and the whole process is done with just a couple of emails. Our aim is to make the process as simple as possible.

Step two: recording

On the day of recording, everyone is provided with a unique access link to join the session. Once they are in, we check to make sure the subject has a great camera angle with decent light on their face and that the sound is nice and clear. We then proceed to conduct the testimonial video interview. The whole process usually takes no longer than 30 minutes. Our client has the choice to be as involved with the process as they wish. We have a great method of asking interview questions to extract a good story from any participant, but we also welcome our clients to provide some input and ask more technical questions towards the end of the session.

Step three: editing

Once the recording is complete, we get to work turning the raw footage into our first draft. This typically consists of the interview cut together with nothing else over the top, this is what forms the skeleton of our story. We get this first draft approved to ensure the client is happy with where things are going, before making a second draft that looks much more like the finished product.

Once again, we make things as easy as possible for our clients, all the while giving them a chance to provide input throughout the process, ensuring they end up with exactly what they are looking for from the video.

Step four: delivery

Once our final version is complete, we deliver the video to our client via an online download link. This includes the video file as well as a custom-made thumbnail image that can be used when uploaded to platforms such as YouTube and LinkedIn.

We check-in with the client to ensure they are happy with everything and also provide advice and recommendations to help them get the most from the video - where and how to upload it and share it. It is our ultimate goal for clients to get great results from our videos, no matter what their previous marketing experience or expertise.

I hope this has given you a good idea of how our remote recording process works. If you have any questions at all please drop me an email and I'll be more than happy to help: santiago@42southfilms.com

Using story to improve testimonial videos

santiago@42southfilms.com (Santiago Pilgrim) — Sun, 08 Aug 2021 16:36:57 GMT

When the time came last year to develop a remote recording service, we took everything we knew about filming and applied it to recording using webcams. We ensure the subject is facing the right way so we get the best light possible, and ensure that the sound is also the best it can be with the available equipment.

Perhaps the most important skill that we apply though is actually nothing to do with the way the video looks or sounds, but has the power to take a testimonial video from being just a nice-to-have, to a powerful sales tool. We are of course talking about story.

Story has the power to influence people using emotion (which will get the audience's attention in the first place) and using the natural human desire to find out what happens next, we can use story to keep that audience engaged and watching the video until the end.

When we are planning a testimonial video we develop a set of questions that will give us what we need from the subject. The actual process of building a powerful story however starts much earlier on. Speaking to our client we find out who their ideal client is and who is the audience that will be watching this video and what story can we tell to make a video they are going to want to watch. We find out the pain points of their audience, what keeps them awake at night and what do they look up to. By doing this vital research you then have all the information you need to start thinking about your interview and how you can extract a story that will create a connection with the audience.

The end results is a video that speaks directly to the ideal client, about their problems and then shows a practical solution to those problems, all the while providing social proof that the product or service being sold really does work.

If you are planning on using testimonial videos to improve your marketing results, have a chat with us and we will be more than happy to suggest the best option for you.

How to use video to drive more sales

santiago@42southfilms.com (Santiago Pilgrim) — Sat, 26 Jun 2021 12:26:15 GMT

It is a widely known fact that video is the best way of communicating with your audience, but that doesn't mean that simply creating a video will generate positive results for your business.

In order to influence your target audience, and truly make a difference to your business or organisation, you first have to generate interest in your product or service.

Most businesses make a huge mistake when creating video - they assume that their audience is already interested in what they have to offer. This misalignment means that they are presenting information to an audience that is simply not ready to consume it - i.e. they will not be interested and they certainly won't be taking any action as a result.

The way to influence an audience using video marketing is by truly understanding who your target audience or ideal customer is, and serving content that they cannot ignore. This content should be aimed at people who are not yet aware of your brand - we call this Awareness content.

For awareness content you are simply trying to - you guessed it - create a awareness. You might not necessarily even want a CTA (call-to-action), it's enough to simply get views on the piece of content.

Awareness content can be a number of things, typically it calls into one of the following three categories:

Entertainment is where you create funny or entertaining content that your audience will naturally want to consume. This needs to be closely aligned with your ideal customer - what are they interested in, what are they likely to share with their peers etc.

Emotion is when you use emotion-driven content to get their attention. To do this successfully, it is essential that you tap into your ideal customer's desires - What do they care about? What are their fears? What are they trying to achieve in life? By tapping into their emotions you can begin to build a relationship with your ideal client, exposing your brand in the process.

Education is when you use your knowledge to add value to your ideal customer. Creating content that is useful and teaching them something, will build trust and credibility in your brand, making you the go-to person in your field, as well as exposing you to potential customers.

The key thing in all three techniques is to research your ideal customer very specifically, so that you can create content that really hits the mark.

With your awareness content in place, you will have made a connection with your audience, so now they will be ready to consume the next stage of content - we call this Consideration content. This is where you can begin to talk more specifically about what your business or organisation actually does, and how you can solve the problems highlighted in the awareness stage.

In your consideration stage, your audience is now more interested in what you have to say, so you can afford to dive into more detail - whilst still remaining aligned to your ideal customer's needs.

The final stage is called Conversion. This is where you are now encouraging people to click on a specific call to action, whether it's making an enquiry, buying a product or subscribing to a service. These videos need to be more focussed on closing the deal, for example addressing any typical objections that prospects might have, or a powerful testimonial video featuring a previous client.

By creating content in stages, you can deliver the right information to your prospects depending on what stage of the buying journey they are in, and by following this system you can be more specific about your audience - 'how are they feeling before they watch the video and what would you like them to feel after watching the video?'.

Are you trying to improve your marketing? Get in touch with us for a free complimentary discovery session where we can chat through some options and let you know how a video marketing strategy could help you achieve your goals.

Video Production VS Video Marketing

santiago@42southfilms.com (Santiago Pilgrim) — Tue, 04 May 2021 10:44:26 GMT

Video Production VS. Video Marketing - what's the difference?

Video MARKETING means creating a video with a specific purpose, not just because someone told you it's the 'best way to communicate in 2021' and all your competitors seem to be doing it.

It means planning your video properly so that before you even turn the camera on you have a clear strategy for what you are going to say and why. Then, once the video is made, you should know exactly which platform it's going to be published in, what the call to action should be, mapping out your prospects' journey to eventually take action.

The fact is, if you make one poorly executed video and simply post it on your website or social media channels, nothing is going to happen. No matter how good it looks.

If you want to create a successful video, before you even turn a camera on you first you need to understand what problem you are trying to solve with the video and exactly who it is talking to.

As a video marketing company, when someone comes to us and says 'we need a video', the first thing we do is ask them 'why?'. This is a hugely important question and usually brings out the root cause of the desire for the video. Once we understand what challenge the client is trying to overcome then we can look at how best we can solve the problem using video.

We want to create a video that works - a video that delivers results and makes an impact on our client's business. In order to do this, we need to have those conversations and ask the important questions to really drill down onto what our client is trying to achieve, so we can work together and truly make a difference.

Why Most Videos Fail

santiago@42southfilms.com (Santiago Pilgrim) — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 16:06:42 GMT

Time and time again we're seeing companies make excellent content, but getting next to nothing in terms of results. The problem here lies not with the content itself, but rather with the way it is used.

Most companies are creating a piece of content and publishing it on their website and their social media platforms... …and that's it.

The reality is that in 2021 and t here is SO much more that can be done to ensure the content is reaching the right audience at the right time. By that I don't mean the time of day they consume the content, but rather at which stage in their buying journey.

You see, not all content is the same, and that's one of the biggest things that I see people miss. The problem stems from the fact that there is usually no strategy in place, no pre-defined results, and no plan in place to actually get there.

Over the next few months and weeks, I'm going to share some of the tactics and strategies that we use for our clients, to help them achieve incredible results with the videos that we create for them.

I think this year is going to be full of opportunity, but only for those of us who are ambitious enough to not stand still.

If you're keen to hear more and be kept in the loop, be sure to subscribe to our mailing list for regular updates and easy-to-digest, actionable content.

Video testimonials recorded on Zoom

santiago@42southfilms.com (Santiago Pilgrim) — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 11:58:40 GMT

Back in March, we were faced with the prospect of not being able to go out on-site to film our clients. This was a real threat to our business and it was definitely a little bit of a scare. However, things do always have a way of working themselves out, and just around the corner was a solution.

One of our clients approached us about recording a Zoom based event that they were hosting with six panellist for around the world. It was then that we realised the next thing for us to do was learn everything there to know about Zoom.

The event was a huge success, and it provided some valuable income for us in those initial few weeks of the first lockdown. Fast-forward to today, and recording on Zoom is a regular gig for us.

Our most popular service is producing testimonial videos recorded on Zoom. They are a perfect fit for this way of recording because they don't need amazing quality to get the message across and become and effective piece of video content. It's also a really powerful type of video so clients can use this content in many different ways, yielding results fairly quickly.

We start by planning the video with your team to identify what the pain-point their product has solved in the case of this specific client we are going to interview. It's also useful to identify at this stage what supporting footage there is and if we can request any existing material from the client - images, videos or animations that represent their business. These assets are useful to make the video more interesting. If there is nothing available we can work with stock images or find other ways of making an engaging video.

Once that's done, we will have a good idea of what questions to ask during the interview when we record the content. The next step is to arrange a suitable date when your client can attend the Zoom meeting.

The interviews are usually less than 1-hour long, and require nothing more than a working webcam and a microphone - something that most people have in today's world. A great internet connection does help, but there are ways to work around that.

Once the content is recorded, we take the footage and start working our magic. The first draft is usually just the long interview cut into a 90-second piece. Then, once that's approved we add the supporting footage and titles to make the video the best it can possibly be.

The editing process usually takes at least a couple of weeks. Once that's done, we deliver the final file and provide some advice as to how best to use the video. We are experts in video marketing and this is where you'll be glad to be working with us, because it doesn't matter how good a testimonial video is if it's not being used correctly.

I think Zoom-recorded testimonials will continue to be a great product after Covid has been and gone. Even now that we are allowed to go out filming again, Zoom-based recording is the best fit for some clients who have a limited budget or clients that are far away with no viable way of visiting their offices.

I'll leave you with an example of our Zoom-recorded testimonial videos below, and please do get in touch if you have any questions, just email me and I'll be happy to help: santiago@42southfilms.com

Here's an example of a testimonial video recorded on Zoom

Get in touch for a free consultation to see how we can help you take advantage of this service and use video to improve your marketing results.

Overcoming sales barriers

santiago@42southfilms.com (Santiago Pilgrim) — Thu, 06 Aug 2020 13:31:34 GMT

WHY?

This is the first question that we ask any client looking to create a video for their business.

There needs to be a specific purpose for the video, along with a clear goal in mind, otherwise they are simply wasting their money.

One of the ways we encourage our clients to use video is nurturing leads and overcoming sales barriers.

What do I mean by this?

Every business that sells a product or service will have barriers that stop prospective clients from buying. These barriers are objections and reasons for not buying from you.

It could be that they are not yet ready to make the purchase as they cannot see a clear need for your product, or indeed they are unsure about how it works, or doubt the return-on-investment of using your service.

The most effective way of breaking down these barriers is by addressing them head-on, and video content is an excellent way of doing this.

We encourage our clients to research what those barriers are, so we know exactly what we need to address with our videos. Once we have identified them, we can develop a content strategy that answers those questions directly, and helps prospective clients overcome those barriers.

There are a few different types of videos that can be used to do this, and ideally you should be breaking down barriers in all of your content, little by little. For example, a testimonial or client success story video should go way beyond just endorsing your product or service. By planning the video properly, you can get your existing clients to tell their story about working with you, and through this educate your audience and help break down each of those barriers.

Once you start to break barriers with your marketing content, your sales process will be much more efficient, fast-tracking your prospective clients into buying from you.

Whatsmore, by breaking down sales barriers using video, you will be generating relevant and interesting content for your target audience, which will not only establish you as a market leader, but also feed your marketing channels and improve SEO (more to come on that in a follow-up blog).

Video is an incredibly powerful tool for any business, but for it to deliver a clear return it is vital that it is executed with a clear goal and strategy in mind.

Where to start with video

santiago@42southfilms.com (Santiago Pilgrim) — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 12:51:18 GMT

Where to start with VIDEO?

Small investment, a ctionable plan, m easurable results.

These are the three key things we recommend to look for when starting out with your first video project.

By starting small you overcome barriers like time, budget, resource.

Measuring results is also particularly important, especially in this early stage, so that you can prove the concept and build momentum for bigger and better use of video in the future.

A good example of something that ticks all of these boxes is creating short videos for your website that answer specific questions that your clients are asking - think FAQs.

By using video to answer those questions, your audience will spend longer on your website, generating a higher website retention rate - something that is easily measured through Google analytics.

Another benefit is that you end up with tons of content that you can re-purpose and publish on your social media platforms - LinkedIn in particular loves video at the moment.

Are you thinking of getting started with video?

Get in touch for a free 30-minute consultation where we can discuss your business and plan some content to get you started.

The Unexpected Benefit of Video Testimonials

santiago@42southfilms.com (Santiago Pilgrim) — Fri, 22 May 2020 15:35:00 GMT

Back in January we began producing our own video content, starting with a series of testimonial films. We knew it would make great marketing content, but there was also another clear benefit that came from the process of creating the testimonial films.

We visited three of our clients' offices and filmed an interview with each of them, asking them about their experience of working with us, and their story of using our services; what problem they had before they met us and how we provided a solution that worked.

As a director of a production company, I already knew how to get the client to tell a good story and how to extract the golden moments needed to create a strong video testimonial. Something I had not realised until we actually produced our own testimonials for our own company was how it would affect the relationship we have with those clients.

Filming a video testimonial requires a deeper connection where the client is really able to express their thoughts and feeling about working with us.

By going into their office and engaging with them in a two-way conversation about our solution and our service, it opened up a different layer to the client relationship, one of transparency and honesty. They could see that we were trying to improve ourselves and that we really cared and valued their experience of working with us. This built further trust and credibility and has vastly improved the way we now work with these clients.

We also learned a few things about how our clients feel about us. During the interviews we explored the reason that they decided to work with us in the first place and actually learned more about our relationship with the client here than we ever did in any other previous conversation.

We were really pleased with the results from the testimonial films, and are now working on implementing them into our video strategy to ensure that they reach our prospects at just the right time in their decision process.

Are you thinking of creating video testimonials for your clients? Get in touch by emailing santiago@42southfilms.com or follow us on LinkedIn for more content about how you can use video to develop your business and achieve your goals.

How to create during COVID-19

santiago@42southfilms.com (Santiago Pilgrim) — Tue, 19 May 2020 12:11:13 GMT

WHAT OUR CLIENTS ARE DOING

A number of clients have approached us and together we have been working on strategies to see what is possible in this new environment, to keep their business moving and cash flowing through the doors.

Thought Leadership

It's still possible to create engaging thought leadership content via platforms like Zoom. Some of our clients have started hosting online panel discussions with industry leaders, discussing topics around COVID-19 and how best to tackle the issues we are currently facing. This type of content adds huge value to your audience and establishes you as a thought-leader, not just for the time being but also in the future when your clients are once again ready to spend.

Training

Others have been taking what they normally offer face-to-face on to an online environment. Using their webcam and Zoom, they can deliver webinars, training courses, and 1-1 sessions with clients.

Testimonials (this one is HUGE)

The fact that everyone is working from home and most people are willing to talk and help each other out as much as possible means it's a great time to be capturing testimonials and case studies from clients. These can be recorded from an online video chat on Zoom, and then edited to create an engaging 60-second video showing the key points of the case study. These case studies will then be powerful tools to use on your own marketing once the world starts turning again in a few weeks/month's time. There is no tool more powerful than other people selling your service/product for you.

HOW WE CAN HELP

Like we would for a normal pre-COVID project, we start by developing a strategy and making sure the content we are producing the powerful, engaging and aimed at the right audience.

Next we guide you through the process of capturing content online - from planning the actual content to providing support during the recording to ensure the existing camera set up and audio is the best it can possibly be.

Once the content is recorded, we take a long-form interview or panel discussion and work our magic - add logos, titles and cut the content into short-form, engaging clips that can be uploaded to LinkedIn, YouTube etc. and sent to prospects.

Finally, we report on the analytics of each video, to ensure the content is being delivered as expected.

THE END RESULT

By creating content when everyone else is scratching their heads or simply standing still, it means that our clients are standing out from the rest and adding value to their audience at a time when online presence is at an all-time high. The work that they do online now, will build trust, credibility and loyalty in the months and years to come.

Filming corporate interviews? Ditch the script

Mon, 11 Mar 2019 17:15:36 GMT

Working in commercial corporate filmmaking, we often find ourselves sitting behind the camera, trying to get a few simple words out of our talent. Well, at least we used to, until we learned how to actually do this effectively.

The biggest advantage of video over any other medium is the ability to tell a story using emotion. That doesn’t mean that your interviewee must break down crying – that would be an awful video. Instead, what it means is that video lets the viewer make a natural connection to the interviewee, maximising impact from the messaging of the story we are trying to tell.

This natural emotion has to be extracted during filming, then harnessed during the editing process, to ultimately deliver it in the film. Over the years, we have just about mastered this technique, and I thought it might make an interesting post to share some of our tips and tricks that we stick to while we are filming with clients.

Don’t plan too much

The worst interviews often come from those who have planned too much. In a panic, they have written and tried to memorise a script – often just the night before. This method usually gives us the following results: a frustrating shoot as the interviewee painfully forgets the lines, and when they do get the words out, they sound like someone who is trying to remember a script, rather than someone speaking passionately about a field that they love.

The best approach that we have found is to simply draft out some bullet points, giving us a rough guide as to what we should be talking about, but letting the interviewee deliver each point in their own words, using their own expressions and natural charisma. In some cases, it’s best for the interviewee to not even see the bullet points, and just have the interviewer and interviewee start a conversation, steered in the right direction by the interviewer who is casting an eye at the bullet points.

A big thing to remember here is that all the interviewee has to do is get the content out. It does not have to sound perfect or super-concise and to the point – that’s actually our job when making the film in post production.

Build a relaxed environment on set

Another important part of our job, is to build rapport with the interviewee and ensure they are not stressed. We play down the importance of getting everything perfect, and simply get them to start talking about their area of expertise in a natural way – as if they are just having a conversation with the interviewer. Once they are relaxed, we get much better results, and everyone involved has a much less daunting experience.

Don’t go over the same stuff over and over again

Typically, we like to move through the set of bullet points at least twice, making sure we have multiple takes for each point. This is important to make sure we have enough material to set the right tone in our film, but also it gives the interviewee a chance to warm up. Usually, they deliver in a much more natural manner the second time around.

That said, it’s crucial to avoid repeating the same point over and over again, as this will result in frustration and stress. Instead, we simply move onto the next point in the conversation and come back to it later on.

The biggest mistake people make when filming a piece to camera is expecting the interviewee to deliver the content in a perfect, film-ready sentence. In reality, what they need to do is just get the content out in their own way, which can then be sitched together in post production to tell the story of the film. This way, we are retaining that natural emotion when the content is delivered, which is far more powerful than someone reading a script.

Santiago / Founder & Director, 42 South Films

How to grow your audience using video

santiago@42southfilms.com (Santiago Pilgrim) — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 16:12:06 GMT

There is no argument about how effective video content is in engaging an audience, compared to text or still images. The ability to convey information and emotion naturally and efficiently make it the most powerful tool available for marketing today.

However, there are still many people who simply post a video online and expect an audience to be engaged and interested in their business overnight. This unrealistic expectation then leads to a negative perspective of video content as a method of communicating, and they often stop their efforts altogether.

Video content should be treated like any other type of marketing activity, and there are just a few crucial steps that will grow your audience and keep them engaged and interested in what your company has to offer.

The following tips apply to growing a YouTube channel, but can also be used for your website or other social media platforms.

Post regular content and keep momentum

The key to building an audience using video lies in regular, consistent that adds value. What this essentially means, is that you should give your viewers a reason to come back and watch more of your videos - i.e. subscribe or follow you.

Solve problems - don't sell

In order to add value to your audience, which will in turn keep them interested in your company and establish you as an authority in your market, it's important to focus on solving your ideal customer's problems. This can be subtle, for example showing an event highlights film, or through a conversational interview with a fellow industry thought leader. Your customer's journey will start with you identifying their problems and providing a solution - this should be the common thread throughout your content. Don't be salesy and always add value .

Be honest and transparent

The key here is to be vulnerable - we live in a world where people spend hours on social media, most are just scrolling through looking for something real - something they can feel and experience. Give your audience this and you will quickly build not only engagement but also trust. The most common way of opening up to an audience is to provide a behind-the-scenes look at what you do and how you do it - feed their curiosity and show off your expertise. You can also take your customers on a journey -this might be the life of a project, or how your company is growing and adapting.

Plan ahead - make life easy

For regular content to be fed into a marketing channel - be it Facebook, LinkedIn or YouTube - it's absolutely crucial to plan ahead. This will ensure that every piece of content plays to the wider goals whilst also making light work of producing the amount of content needed to grow your audience. There is no magic number, but the main thing is to produce a consistent flow of content so that your audience knows what to expect from you.

Interact and be social

Lastly, once you have your regular content that is adding value to your audience, you should focus on interaction - generate and participate in conversation. This could be simply replying to comments on YouTube and other social media platforms. You might also go one step further and create a video where viewers send in their questions and you answer them on camera . It's important to remember that your audience are giving your their time by following your company, and so you absolutely owe it to them to keep them informed and engaged.

A successful video strategy doesn't have to be overly complicated, and following these simple steps will take you most of the way there.

To find out more about how we help businesses communicate their message and grow their audience, sign up to our mailing list .

Santiago

Founder, 42 South Films