How We Found Inspiration for IMPACT’s Welcome Video [Video]

A long-standing film technique that has always fascinated me is the one-shot or continuous shot. 

Simply put, this is just one long take by a single camera or a clip manufactured to give the impression that it was.

I’ve always been a fan of this style because of the level of skill and coordination it takes to execute it correctly. 

Why the one-take?

Through the lens, your one-take video should feel seamless to the viewer, creating a very fluid storytelling technique.

The viewer should feel like they’re walking through the experience first-hand, that they’re experiencing in real time. 

Many examples of this technique can be found in movies, television, and, of course, marketing campaigns. 

I’m especially a fan of them when it comes to video marketing campaigns because it genuinely builds trust. Using it, as a brand or marketer, helps create an increased level of authenticity. People feel like they’re a fly on the wall of what you’re showing and there’s nothing to hide. 

A perfect example of this was achieved by the soft drink company, SodaStream. Check out the link below: 

Sodastream did an excellent job of mixing humor with facts to tell a dynamic story. They discuss their greater cause (sustainability), show their actual team, and did an amazing job of showing their company culture and personality while also giving a real (though I’m guessing dramatized) peek at their factories and offices. 

Overall, it not only helps you determine if you want to work with SodaStream, but if you would enjoy working with them. 

Production wise, the camera was most likely on a gimbal or some sort of stabilizer to achieve the walk-through style fluidity. You can tell the production team spent a lot of time mapping out how all the different scenes would come together for the edit.

The use of foreground elements and other objects were used to help mask the transitions. Equally so, the editors did a great job of match cutting the transitions. Match cutting is a technique editors use to cut from one shot to another where the two shots are matched by the action.

How we adapted this strategy for IMPACT

I’ve always admired the level of skill it takes to accomplish the one shot, or continuous shot, technique. 

It’s equally interesting for me to watch a well-thought-out sequence where the edit points are seamlessly worked into the flow of the shots. 

When executed correctly, it feels like there are no cuts at all. Either way, it takes the viewer on a journey that feels much more real as it’s plays into our voyeuristic nature.

The team and I agreed that the IMPACT Welcome Video would be the perfect opportunity to give this technique a try. 

Here is the Welcome video:

We had a blast creating this video together as a team. (Shout out to our Sales Operation Specialist, Shandia Drummond, in particular for her work on this!)

We give them a real look at our team and our HQ office, with the goal of create a piece of content that was inviting, genuine, and most importantly celebratory. We always want our clients to be excited about the journey we are embarking on together and in this, we wanted to show that we’re just as happy to have them on board. 

It was accomplished with proactive planning and coordination to get the shots we needed. We also used a 3- axis gimbal to carry the camera through the scene. That gave it a much more fluid and smooth look as we moved throughout the IMPACT space. 

The power of video

Video is hands down the best medium to genuinely build trust with your audience. 

When producing a video, it’s crucial to keep in mind that your story is most important, but also to find techniques that will help aid in telling it.  

Pro Tip - Don’t get hung up on having to purchase the latest camera gear, equipment, and gadgets. Those tools are important, yes, and will certainly enhance your production value, but you can achieve similar effects with some clever editing. 

What story are you trying to tell? Talk to us about it IMPACT Elite.  

Video is rapidly becoming the number one way people digest information on the web. 80% of all content consumed online worldwide is through video.

Our clients that embrace and implement video witness a 5-10% increases in their sales and marketing enablement. That’s huge!