Promo Video Production in London UK in 2020
Promotional material in the form of promo video production is absolutely essential if you want to grow your business in this day and age.
Without engaging content like video, you won’t capture the attention of the audiences of today nearly as well (we have the internet to blame for that!)
However, it can be very difficult to continue with promo video production in London UK in the midst of a pandemic, thanks to health and safety issues, as well as the ever-changing restrictions set in place.
This, plus the fact that many companies are not receiving their usual income, means that promo video production in London is one of the first things that many businesses have ceased in response to the ongoing crisis.
But is this the correct approach to take? Or should businesses reconsider what they prioritise?
Why is promo video production in the uk important during a pandemic?
Despite the fact that advertising is often one of the first costs dropped by a company in the midst of a crisis such as a pandemic, this approach is actually proven to be counterintuitive.
If we take a look at history, we can see several examples showcasing that companies that continue to invest in promotional video production material are actually the ones that end up surviving through difficult times.
One of the most profound examples of this is Cadbury’s approach to the Blitz during the Second World War.
Cadbury LTD continued video production in the UK when Bournville Chocolate didn’t…
Despite all of the horrific tragedies that occurred during the Second World War, Cadbury Chocolate decided to turn a bad situation into something good rather than throw in the towel – and were able to lift the spirits of Britain at the same time.
But how did they do this?
Cadbury’s approach to this particular crisis was to continue the production of chocolate throughout the war, of course!
They were successful in this endeavour thanks to the fact that chocolate was considered an essential ration due to its morale-boosting properties, and they even brought out ‘misery vans’ that delivered hot cocoa to Blitz victims.
This meant that, after the war, Cadbury actually saw an increase in demand for their products.
Had Cadbury instead opted to halt production and hole up until the storm had passed, it may not have seen the huge success that it gets to enjoy today, nor would it have helped to raise the spirits of so many people during such a difficult time.
Movie production in the UK in 2020
The same principle can be applied to the situation of today, where people need a helping hand from some companies more than ever.
Take the movie industry as a good example.
During the first lockdown, everyone needed something to do, and oftentimes this ‘something’ turned out to be watching movies.
Many movies that were due to release in cinemas in 2020 were put on hold until next year, but there were some films like Enola Holmes that instead took to releasing on online platforms such as Netflix while still putting out promotional video production material – and, for the most part, it worked!
Our example of Enola Holmes ended up becoming one of the most-watched movies on Netflix, and it’s safe to say that this may not have been the case had the movie not pushed through and continued to invest in video promo production material.
This is a good indicator that promo video production is still worth it, and that advertising your brand may be more important now than ever before.
2020 Promo video production in London
So, in short, it’s important that you try your best to keep investing in promotional video production with professional London promo video production company partners.
However, you may still think that it’s not worth the additional cost, but the truth is that promo video production in the UK during these uncertain times doesn’t have to be costly and time-consuming, nor does it need to put the health of others at risk!
The reasons why promo video production may not necessarily be as expensive as you may typically think?
For one, it is especially hard to carry out high-budget video production with government restrictions in place anyway, and secondly, you can easily resort to methods that are less harsh on your wallet.
As we will touch on later, there are many routes you can take for affordable promotional video production – and, as an added bonus, you can easily do these in the comfort of your own home!
Promotional video production agencies in the UK are also working hard to make sure that shooting footage and producing content is as safe as can be.
But how do promotional video production companies keep both the crew and client safe?
Simply put, they do so by following specific protocol in line with government guidelines:
How are promo video production companies in the UK staying safe?
Despite lockdown and all of the restrictions that have come of this pandemic, promo video production agencies in the UK are still allowed to film content and assemble crews.
Naturally, promotional video production agencies in London and in the rest of the UK can only continue doing what they do if they follow the current government guidelines – but how do they do so? What kind of precautions are video production companies taking?
Working remotely on a UK promo video production in 2020
One of the first things that many UK promo video production companies did when restrictions were put in place was resume work remotely, with employees working from home rather than in an office or studio.
This, of course, presented new challenges, and working remotely is especially difficult when it comes to promo video production – or any sort of video production, for that matter.
However, this doesn’t mean it’s impossible!
Take the American crime thriller show, The Blacklist, as an excellent example of accommodating government guidelines and restrictions in your video production.
The producers had 18 episodes filmed for the show’s 7th season, with only the season finale left in the works, until production had to shut down due to coronavirus.
But rather than halt production completely and leave fans wanting more, The Blacklist instead took a rather novel approach and filled in the gaps of unfilmed content with animation.
This allowed them to finish off the season finale within a matter of a couple of weeks.
Continuing promo video production in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic can be made even simpler than needing to product high-quality animation – you could even do home video footage to include in your promo video, incorporating filming styles such as the classic ‘talking head’.
This can be shot on anything, even if a phone or webcam camera is all that the crew or client have at their disposal.
Taking precautions and risk management in uk promo video productions
When allowed, many video production companies continue working on sets together for in-person shoots, though this is only done whilst following government guidelines.
To ensure everyone’s safety, several precautions are taken, such as:
- Wearing PPE
- Avoiding contact (both direct and indirect)
- Social distancing
- Frequently using hand sanitiser
- Reducing shoot times as much as possible
- Frequently sanitising equipment (such as cameras, tripods, microphones, etc.) and high-touch surfaces (e.g. door handles, table surfaces, handrails)
These precautions help both the crew and the client to feel comfortable and safe, so you can continue working on your promo video production without health concerns.
What UK video productions are currently underway?
There’s plenty of proof that the show can still go on – even during difficult, uncertain times like today.
Many TV shows, for instance, are still continuing production – which is probably for the best, as viewers are going to need new content after their several-month-long quarantine Netflix binges (you can only re-watch every season of Friends so many times…).
Here are some TV shows that are still going strong, even in the middle of a pandemic:
The Witcher
After the huge success of season 1 of Netflix’s The Witcher, everyone’s favourite monster hunter is set to return soon, with production for The Witcher season 2 having started back up in August (with all safety measures implemented, of course!)
Supernatural
Supernatural – though it was set to end in 2019 – wasn’t able to conclude its 15-season run (once again, we can thank the emergence of COVID-19 for that), and production was forced to come to a halt in spring.
However, the cast was finally able to get back to work on the show’s final episodes in mid-August, despite the ongoing situation.
Love Island
Though Love Island UK had opted to cancel its summer 2020 content, the American version decided to push on and chose to not halt the show’s production.
Instead, Love Island’s producers used a ‘quarantine bubble’ format, wherein all contestants and production members had to quarantine at the hotel they were filming in for 14 days prior to filming.
This precaution helped to ensure that everyone on set was virus-free and able to work together safely.