Let’s set the scene.

You’re about to film a video for your business.

Your video relies on a great presenter. Somebody confident, engaging, and professional to represent everything you stand for, but your budget is tight, and you’re thinking of saving a few pennies by using your internal team.

Seems smart, but can you see where this is going?

Welcome to the third month of The Odyssey Newsletter - now, let’s dive in.

Hiring Friends & Family 👋🏻

Throughout our many years of creating videos, the one key aspect that’s often overlooked when making a view is the importance of hiring exceptional talent.

You may not think it, but these professionals will save you time, money, and a significant amount of stress when it comes to getting your video right the first time, every time.

Some businesses are lucky, as their Founders, Directors, or Internal Team can be rather good on camera. Dollar Shave Club, for example, are one of the lucky ones with a Founder who’s brilliant on camera. But the same can’t be said for every business.

On a recent production with F1 Arcade, we filmed for two days and had a mixed variety of around 20 people that would be part of our videos. Some friends, and family, but no ‘professional’ actors or models.

In the build-up to the production, like any great project comes a lot of meticulous planning. Travel, timings, logistics; you get the idea.

We had planned to kick off the production at 5PM sharp on Day #1 to capture the buzz and energy of their simulation experience - however, the key character for our video didn’t turn up until 7:15PM that evening.

Those two hours were incredibly stressful and forced us to replan the entire evening’s logistics and timings to ensure we were as efficient and resourceful as possible.

As we’re an experienced team, and this isn’t our first rodeo, we know how to handle this situation, and had it resolved in a matter of 20 minutes. However, if you’re about to create your first video, this hiccup can be what makes or breaks the entire production.

We’re not ones to shy away from the situations that can arise on set, after all, there’s only so much you can control. But the risks of delays only increase as you try to be cost-effective and resort to using friends and family within crucial videos like these.

This time around, it was due to London tubes being delayed, and local transport being gridlocked. So, this was fully out of our control and wasn’t any fault of the individual. But we’ve heard horror stories of non-professionals not turning up, not learning their lines, and not matching the energy needed to pull off an incredible video.

Here are a few ways to reduce your stress when this situation could, and probably will, pop up whilst filming your videos:

1. Add one hour of flexibility to your production schedule

2. Hire professionals who will learn your script and style before filming

3. Talk openly about the potential risks of hiring friends and family

4. Have a backup just in case your initial plan doesn’t work out

Planning for the unpredictable will alleviate stress, and enable you to create the best possible video given the situation.

What’s important to mention is that the entire production was smooth sailing after this small logistical problem had been fixed, and we had an incredible two days of filming in an environment that we’d recommend everybody to experience for themselves - it was amazing!

Lesson Learned: If you’re filming a video for your business, using friends and family as core actors or presenters for your video can be a fast way to cause more stress, and potentially lose hours of valuable filming time. Where possible, hire people who are professionally trained and you’ll have a faultless service.

Odyssey: Month Three

It’s been yet another very busy month here at Odyssey.

This month, we’ve been working with brands such as Starrett, Nourished, F1 Arcade, Redbrick Solutions, Medway Development Company, and two large technology brands that can’t be mentioned (Under NDA).

Erdvile, our new Videographer, joined the team at the beginning of this month and is doing exceptionally well in her first few weeks. Her first project was a 3-day turnaround from concept to filming, and she pulled it off perfectly.

We’re on the hunt for a new Video Editor, too. If that’s you, and you’ve got a few years of experience under your belt, drop Jack (our Founder) a message directly on LinkedIn 📩

We have yet another busy four weeks. With 4-5 new clients joining The Odyssey Subscription, and a chunk of new productions taking place all over the UK, it’s going to be wild!

You Ask, We Answer 🙋🏼‍♀️

Every month, we give you a breakdown of a handful of questions we’ve been sent over the month. Here are the top three questions and answers:

• Jenna Simmons: "What are some effective strategies for increasing traction on my videos?"

  • A: Consistency is key. Regularly uploading content and maintaining a posting schedule can help keep your audience engaged and coming back for more. Additionally, interact with your viewers by responding to comments and encouraging them to share your videos - it’s social media, after all, so be social.

• Lisa Harris: "How can I improve the visibility of my videos?"

  • A: It's essential to focus on creating high-quality, engaging content that resonates with your target audience. Leveraging trending topics and incorporating SEO strategies can also help increase visibility on some social platforms like TikTok and YouTube. Also, actively promoting your videos across various platforms and communities can drive more traffic and engagement.

• Tyler Buckley: "I want to make my videos stand out. Any tips?"

  • A: To make your videos distinct, focus on storytelling and unique visuals that engage and relate to your audience. Test out different production and editing styles to add interest, and think outside the box when it comes to concepts and themes. Try to offer something fresh and unexpected!

If you would like to have your question answered, send your email alongside the title ‘My Question For Odyssey’ to [email protected] and we may include it in our next edition.

Start your video journey 🚀

If you’re looking to start your video journey and or improve your videos, here are a few ways that we can help:

1) Book a free 15-minute creative session with us and we’ll come up with a handful of extraordinary content ideas that will skyrocket your marketing. Book your call here.

2) Hire our Launch Directors, Jack and Ross, to train your internal marketing team to create a powerful video strategy and social-first videos that make an impact online, with The Odyssey Workshop.

Until then, we’ll update you with more exciting news in April 🚀