Rules govern most areas of our lives. You’ve probably obediently complied to 10 or more by the time you arrived at your desk this morning. You followed family and household rules, traffic rules, workplace rules and rules of general conduct. Rules are essential to society, they create a safe and organized environment for us to live in.
So consider for a moment, if you will, Batman.
He is perhaps the most popular of Marvel’s creations (C’mon, you weren’t cheering for Superman in their showdown blockbuster were you?), yet Batman is a hero with no special, mutation-caused superpowers. He has kept Gotham safe all these years largely due to his refusal to conform. The Dark Knight is not afraid to break the rules, and neither should you be when it comes to producing corporate video for your company. Let me explain…
1. Break Your Own Rules
Batman doesn’t kill. It’s his self-imposed rule. As the Joker said “That’s the one rule you have to break to get rid of me”. And so he did. Over the years and his various incarnations, there are numerous instances of Batman (a) using guns, and (b) brutally murdering his enemies. Sometimes you’ve got to play tough to get ahead, sometimes you’ve got to break your own rules to make way for the new and save the day.
The same is true when you consider producing video. We get it, you’re always done marketing a certain way, or educated customers about a new product with the same methods. Perhaps it’s the manner in which you’ve always conducted internal training or recruited new members of the team, and we’re guessing that none of these typically involved a film crew following you around! The reality is though that your competitors are shaking things up and are taking advantage of the proven ROI that corporate video provides. The “Baddies” are getting ahead. They are improving their SEO, they’re converting more sales online, and they’re strengthening their brands. Don’t you want to have the same advantages?
2. Batman Doesn’t Steal All the Limelight
“A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy’s shoulders to let him know that the world hadn’t ended.” Batman
He is the quintessential anti-hero. He refuses to reveal his true identity to the people of Gotham and his good deeds are done under a mysterious guise. Bruce Wayne, his alter-ego, is his way of avoiding celebrity, of keeping the focus on the results and NOT the person behind them.
The same approach can really benefit your corporate video content too. Sure we want to know about you, your business and why you’re different, but the initial focus should be on what we want the intended viewer to know, and how we want them to feel. Whether it’s a company culture video, or a product education/demonstration piece, the question to ask yourself is “what does my audience need to know, and how do they best digest this information?”. Add your individual branding flair and you’re on your way to creating something special.
3. Batman Refuses to Conform to Limits
In The Dark Knight, looking at the terrible wounds of Bruce Wayne, Alfred worriedly warns him, “Know your limits, Master Wayne”. “Batman has no limits.”, comes the reply. Batman refuses to reduce his expenditure, refuses to be limited by anyone or anything in his quest to win. You can’t stop Batman. Entire planets have tried!
The key to producing corporate video is not to be limited, at least not to begin with. Ignore the (well-meaning) Alfred’s of your company who want you to play safe and small. Instead lots of big, bold ideas, we’re talking borderline crazy ideas, are the perfect place to start. When you remove the limitations (budget, past attempts, getting stuck on the first idea that comes to you, etc.) you open yourself up for something original and compelling. Everyone has a budget when it comes to producing their videos, but you’ll be surprised what can be accomplished using creative solutions when limitations apply. Dream big, and let your Production Company worry about making it an affordable reality.
All rules are made to broken (well, barring those nasty, stabby ones of course), and when you take about those dreaded “shoulds’ can transform your corporate video production experience into something painless, successful and even pretty darn fun!
Want some help breaking the rules and getting started on those big ideas? We’d love to get you tell your story, use the form below to say hi, or give us a call.
Until then, enjoy this Dad breaking all the rules whilst enforcing all the rules:
