Pros/cons of hiring actors
No doubt, your video content should be impressive and convincing, but it’s the choice of talent that can make or break your production. This is especially true when you are creating a marketing or promotional video. The actors in the video must click with the audience in order to create a lasting impression. So when it comes to deciding upon the video subjects, what should your choice be – your company employees or professional talent? Chicago video production experts suggest that your choice should depend on the type of video you are producing.
Let’s dig deeper into this.
Using Employees Or Staff Members
Your video should reflect the personality of your brand. The best way to find someone to act natural in your production is by using your own people who have no prior acting training.
- Using employees will work best when you need to put a face on your brand.
- Adding the real company staff will give greater credibility and authenticity to your production while also saving you dollars.
Pros: Staff members can feature well in documentary-style video testimonials and become one of the most effective forms of storytelling and brand awareness. Of course you don’t want your video to appear unintentionally amusing by choosing employees who aren’t comfortable in front of the camera. Pick employees who can confidently face the camera and have an appealing personality that translates well on camera. Creating videos showing your employees conducting normal business will enhance viewer interest while reflecting their real personality.
Cons: Employees aren’t professional actors and not all are comfortable in front of the camera. As a result, twice the amount of employee involvement and time may be required to achieve the desired goals.
Our Chicago video production company suggests that auditions can help employees prepare for the shoot if they have no acting experience. It can also provide you with an idea of how they will do when it’s ‘show-time’.
Using Professional Talent
Videos requiring a good level of acting are best produced with professional talent. Auditions can help you select the right people to represent your company.
Pros: Professional actors provide a confident on-camera presence and can seamlessly act on your script to represent your brand.
- Hiring professionals will work best when your script needs heavy dialogue with prepared lines.
- Using professional actors will enhance the quality of the video, as they have experience clearly delivering a message. They also provide longevity to the production while eliminating any concerns for employee turnover.
- Excessive re-takes, requiring additional shooting time, can increase the overall video production cost. A pro should be able to nail a scene on the first or second try at the most.
Cons: Hiring a professional actor is an extra investment.
- Professional are often busy, and you need to plan the shooting according to their schedule.
- Professionals aren’t familiar with your company processes and may not feel comfortable using technical terms. However, with your active involvement, a rehearsal and coaching, you should be able to make sure that things go well with the pro.
It’s a good idea to have an appropriate company representative or subject matter expert be present during production to mitigate the risk of mispronunciations. Choosing employees is a cost-effective option when you are tight on budget. Investing in professional talent will deliver great results if your budget allows.
Remember, with careful planning, pre-production and solid direction, even your employees can deliver excellent results. You can rely on our Chicago video production company to create professional videos that convert!
