Production companies are the starting point for a successful video production. Choosing the right one for the job is of utmost importance because the wrong one can turn your great idea into a flop and the right one can exceed your expectations. As you can imagine, choosing a production company for a corporate video or film is often highly dependent on budget, running from one person with a handycam or DSLR to the next £10 million John Lewis advert. This is because each video’s cost comes down to a huge variation of factors. For example: talent (actors and models) used, props used, filming equipment, filming location and studios and so much more. Furthermore, each production company is unique in different ways and offer different things, for example specialisations in terms of experience within specific sectors or a unique approach. So do your research!!
What is a Production Company?
Firstly, it might be a good place to start with what even is a production company? In a nutshell, production companies produce things films, adverts, theatre, events (experiential) and television programmes. In addition to this, often these production companies involved in larger scale projects (the films and tv shows you know and love) will essentially ‘package’ this project together by seeking finance and investment for it. This is partly why you see the dizzying array of different logos at the start of your favourite film, especially independent ones. It can get crazy sometimes with a long list going ABC productions, with XYZ films and 123 pictures present a 789 film.
Production companies generally have a very collaborative and integrated approach to their work with aspects such as script writing and visual effects being subcontracted out to other companies further down the foodchain or outside freelance specialists.
Types of Production Companies
It does not just end there, oh no, there are several different kinds of production companies all of which serve different purposes and create different outcomes. (Again, another thing to consider when choosing your production company). Listed below is all the exciting things that each production company can do and what they have on offer.
Film Production Companies
From Hollywood to Bollywood and Nollywood feature film is always a firm favourite across every location and culture. A lot of film production companies are located in either Los Angeles, London or New York, which is usually fitting for the global tone of their creations. Along with making the film itself, these guys also deal with the headache of hiring on-screen and off-screen talent, writers, musicians, location scouts, a team for pre-production, post-production, legal and a whole lot more to boot.
TV Production Companies
These guys deal with much the same aspects as their feature-length counterparts, but with the added pressure of a broadcaster being involved too. They also have to hit a very specific timeframe for the end duration of their programmes usually just under half an hour or an hour for a non-commercial channel (the BBC for instance) or about 23 mins and 47 mins for a commercial channel which will have advert breaks added to it to bring it up to the half hour/hour mark.
Commercial Production Companies
A video production company focused on commercial work is usually equipped to create a wide variety of videos, typically everything from lower end work like screengrab videos to full-blown tv adverts. However, when most people think of commercial production companies their mind will jump to the classic ‘corporate video’ with its hallmark of the CEO cheesily addressing the camera over a looping muzak riff. You’ll be happy to know that things have moved on in actuality since then though with commercial production companies making explainers, brand films, awareness videos, training videos, and even creative projects like music videos and short films. A breadth and depth of work is something you would look for in a production company if you are a small business promoting your products or brand.
Post Production Companies
Editing, special effects, colour correction, sound mixing, and music composition are the cherry on top in the magic of filmmaking. Postproduction is in my opinion the most magical of all the production types, this is because there is so much fun and experimenting to be had. It is all about making your creative vision come to life on screen. All editing happens in tiny rooms where masterful post-production wizards’ piece together raw footage to create a beautiful final video.
Animation production companies
A well-made animation can elevate your storytelling to the next level. Most animation studios tend to use computer generated animation these days, however there is sometimes the use of stop motion animation and even hand-drawn styles.
Niche Production Companies
A niche production company usually has one thing that it is really good at. Generally this is a sector or particular style of filmmaking for instance ‘tabletop’ production companies will just specialise in shooting footage of food being prepared, using special micro cameras.
How do you know which company you need?
So now that we know the ins and outs of production companies , how will you know which one to use? Well that’s easy, just drop them a line! Our very own Simply Thrilled, for instance, is a hybrid production company/creative agency business that can offer you so much more than general video production.
And then brings us to finally… What does Simply Thrilled have to offer?
What is particularly special about Simply Thrilled is that we can tell you exactly what your audience love watching. Then we can make something original that they will love even more. We use social intelligence which scrapes rich analytics from millions of pieces of video content online. We then analyse the top-performing pieces of video content across over 500 elements using our proprietary creative tool. Armed with this knowledge, we produce a video which will bewitch your audience.
Get in touch and let’s hop on a call and see what magic we can work for you!
