Recently we wanted to create an internal presentation with impact for one of our regular clients. We’ve done several great videos for them over the last two years, illustrating work done over the last few months. We wanted to try something different, rather than just sticking to text-led motion graphics with brand logos, a very literal interpretation of the projects. So we suggested a stock shot presentation that had a distinct ‘feeling’.
For the restaurant client, we showed a tasty meal being prepared, stimulating the taste buds. To represent a fashion client, the glamour of a catwalk. For a car manufacturer, the thrill of a 4×4 going off road. All shots stimulated senses, focusing not on what they did for their client, but what that enabled their client to deliver to their customers. We didn’t put any logos on screen, and kept the copy to a minimum.
The downside with a stock shot presentation is that because the footage comes from different sources it can look disparate. So we added a visual treatment to the footage which fulfilled two functions. First, it made all the shots more consistent in look, as though filmed specifically for this video. Second, it meant the copy over the footage was easy to read. These tricks are great to make a stock shot video more personal to our client.
The impact of the Stock Shot Presentation
The audience at the presentation was from an entire department, most of whom had only worked on one or two of the projects. So seeing the stock shot presentation really reinforced what the client was about and how they’d helped them. The end result was a refreshing video for the audience and a very pleased client.
The vast majority of our work is bespoke at Napoleon Creative. Each animation is drawn and designed with a specific client in mind, incorporating their branding or product. Every shoot captures a particular moment for a client. We occasionally use stock shots to save time, or get a shot we can’t get ourselves. When we needed an oil drop for an animation it was more cost effective to buy a stock shot than set up an entire shoot!
