Marketing With Digital Video

Chapter 2 - Scenes From A Marketing Video

by Hal Landen

The following eight types of scenes can be used to construct almost any marketing video:

Still Photographs
Testimonials
Manufacturing Process
Product or Service in Action
Message from the President
Re-enactment
Computer Scenes
"The People of Acme"

You'll recognize these scenes; they've appeared in successful commercials for decades. Your video could use just one or all of them. Here's a thumbnail script showing how they might be used in a promotional video for the Acme Sailboat Company.

(Still Photographs)
QUICK SHOTS OF THREE 100 YEAR OLD PHOTOGRAPHS: THE ORIGINAL ACME FACTORY IN 1897 WITH HORSES TIED IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING; A SAILBOAT ON TOP OF A HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE; JOHN ACME AT THE HELM OF CRUISING SAILBOAT SURROUNDED BY OCEAN
Narrator: "The Acme Sailboat Company was founded in 1896 by world famous sailor John Acme..."

(Testimonial)
AT A MODERN MARINA WE SEE LIVE SHOTS OF A STUNNING ACME SAILBOAT. A SALTY LOOKING MAN HOLDS A BABY IN ONE ARM AND LEANS AGAINST THE WHEEL OF THE BOAT. HE TURNS TO THE CAMERA AND SAYS, "My family and I just crossed the Southern Ocean in this boat. We hit a tropical storm. In any other boat, we would not be here to tell the story. This well-built boat saved our lives."

(Manufacturing Process)
IN THE HIGH TECH ACME FACTORY FIVE SAILBOAT HULLS ARE IN VARIOUS STAGES OF COMPLETION BY WORKERS IN UNIFORMS. A WOMAN IN A RED HARDHAT ADJUSTS TEST EQUIPMENT ON A COMPLETED HULL. A CLOSE-UP OF THE TEST INSTRUMENT READS "100%"
Narrator: "Every Acme hull undergoes a rigorous Quality Assurance Program..."

(Product or Service in Action)
A FAMILY OF FOUR ARE HAPPILY SAILING THEIR ACME BOAT IN THE
EMERALD GREEN WATERS OF THE CARIBBEAN. THEIR BOAT IS PULLING AHEAD OF THREE OTHER SAILBOATS.

(Message From President)
PRESIDENT, JOHN ACME III AT HIS DESK. ON THE WALL BEHIND HIM ARE AWARDS FOR BOAT OF THE YEAR, 1ST PLACE IN A RACE, SAFETY AWARDS, ETC. JOHN SAYS TO CAMERA, "My family has operated this business since my grandfather started it. We take great pride our boats and you have my personal guarantee that every boat..."

(Re-enactment & Computer Scene)
A BOAT DESIGNER IS WITH A COUPLE WHO ARE LOOKING AT HIS COMPUTER SCREEN OF THE INTERIOR OF THEIR BOAT. THE COUPLE LOOKS AT THE SCREEN AND EXPLAINS HOW THEY WOULD THE BOAT'S GALLEY. THE DESIGNER WORKS ON HIS DRAWING TABLET AND SAYS, "You mean like this?" THE COUPLE EXCLAIMS, "Exactly!"

(The People of Acme)
MANY QUICK CLOSE-UP SHOTS OF ACME EMPLOYEES HARD AT WORK ON
VARIOUS TASKS: SEWING SAILS, POLISHING BRONZE, WORKING ON COMPUTERS, SAILING A BOAT ON A BEAUTIFUL DAY, ETC.
Music fades up. The narrator concludes, "Acme Sailboats, a name you can trust."

You could customize these scenes to write a script for just about any kind of marketing video. And that's just what we'll do in chapter 5. Each of these scenes, as written, would run less than 20 seconds, but they could be any length and in any order you want. As you watch other marketing films and videos especially commercials, see if you can identify these eight types of scenes. Get to know them and make notes about you might use these scenes in your business video.

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