Affordable strategies to unleash the power of video 💥.

High-impact content doesn’t have to come at high cost.

We caught up with Anna O’Riordan, Brand & Marketing Consultant, to explore the benefits of video content and share some affordable approaches to campaign development.

When done right, video content is powerful, enabling brands to reach the masses very quickly.

People love watching videos. They’re accessible, often entertaining and, sometimes, educational.

Videos are a great way to attract attention and land a message, often helping to increase conversion. Most digital platforms now favour video. Facebook alone amasses some 8 billion video views – with video accounting for 11% of total content on the platform. And an estimated 1 billion hours is spent daily watching video content.

Yet not all video content is created equal. Indeed, some campaigns can be incredibly costly.

Who says you need a big budget to create great video content?

As budgets get tighter – and consumers savvier, the trend towards low-production, realistic video content has increased.

A low-production approach can benefit your brand in many ways:

Authenticity: videos can feel more genuine which helps to build trust and credibility. Showcasing everyday experiences can also be more relatable than a polished production.

Cost-effectiveness: low-production videos are often less expensive to produce. So, brands can create more content and reach a wider audience!

Storytelling: low-production videos are a great way to showcase the personalities behind your brand and build a stronger emotional connection with your audience.

Agility: these videos are quick and easy to create. Brands can respond to trends in real-time, stay relevant and top of mind.

Experimentation: low-production videos are a great way to try out new ideas. They allow you to test what resonates with your audience, without huge investment.

So, if the benefits are clear, how can we go about creating impactful video on a budget?

Some of the biggest costs in branded video production include shooting in multiple locations, having a large cast, using celebrity performers, and high-grade effects. But these costs are often unnecessary for a highly impactful campaign.

The idea stage is crucial for defining the parameters in which the creativity will take place, and this is where you can ensure the costs remain low. A tight brief is essential – there is nothing wrong with setting boundaries for creativity. In fact, it often helps to spark some of the most impactful ideas.

Brands can take a number of creative approaches to significantly reduce production costs – without reducing the impact of their video content. Here are just a few examples we’ve spotted:

Shot in one self-contained location

Setting the constraint that the video has to be filmed in a single location can actually enhance the creativity of the ideas generated. And when we only have a short time to get a message across, keeping things simple, clear and not confusing is vital.

As we will see with the following examples, there are creative ways to keep the video dynamic and engaging without changing location or even needing to use multiple camera angles.

We can see this in the execution of a classic online ad, Soesmans Language Training:

One of the first things you will notice, other than the fact this video is very funny, is that there is no dialogue. This is an English language training video produced for an audience in the Netherlands, and the actors don’t need to speak at all to convey the message. In fact their silence adds to the intrigue and engagement of the video, as we are not distracted from the main joke.

The camera position remains the same throughout the video, and punch-ins are used to get close up shots of the individual characters and their expressions.

We applied similar techniques working with Comedy Crowd creator Yiannis Vassilakis in a film we produced for automated dubbing company Papercup AI:

This is a step up in complexity from the Soesmans example, but is still shot in a single location with a limited number of camera angles. In this case the characters don’t move from their fixed positions at all during the video. Instead dynamism is added through a variety of close-ups applied in the edit, in addition to the creative use of stock footage to show the escalating “nightmare” sequence.

Showcasing products as human characters

This is a simple and highly effective way to give personality to a product or service, getting across the strengths and voice of the brand by applying the “show don’t tell” principle.

One of the great benefits of this approach is that the videos can be very simple. All we need to see on screen is the character representing the product or service. Even a talking head to camera can achieve this effectively.

Let’s start with a famous example: the Mac vs PC.

This ad was a huge hit for Apple, and all it required was two performers talking in front of a white background. Without telling us anything, Apple are showing us their product is young, confident, relaxed, safe, and forward thinking. (We notice he didn’t mention how long he can stay awake before needing to recharge his batteries..).

Taking things even more lo-fi is a single talking head to camera. In this example, talented Comedy Crowd creator, Rob Morgan, plays the role of Bounty finding out he has been cut from Celebrations:

• Bounty finds out he’s been cut from Celebrations

This is a perfect example of a format that enables a quick response to a topical story. We only need to hear one side of the conversation, as the skillful scripting and performance means we can infer the “straight man” role being played by Twix. 

This monologue manages to bring out the personalities of all of the Celebrations in one minute – a highly effective way to generate interest and excitement in the variety offered by the brand.

The camera phone aesthetic

Ten years ago it would have seemed unthinkable for professional content to be produced using a camera phone. But the portrait mode favoured by TikTok and Instagram combined with advances in technology have changed all of that.

Not only is it possible to shoot a professional looking ad using a camera phone, it can actually enhance the authenticity of the video and the human voice of the brand. 

Here is an example of a recent video we produced for the friendship app Friendzr, created by the very funny and talented Farrel Hegarty:

@farrelhegarty

One order of friends please, hold the benefits✌️ Meet new friends doing the things you actually love with @Friendzr https://onelink.to/friendzr . . . . . #friendzrapp #events #friendzr #newfriends #meetnewfriends #comedycrowd #ad #adobviously #viralvideo #viralvideo #comedy #comedyvideo #friendscomedy #memestiktok #funny #funnyvideo #funnywomen #funnywomenontiktok #fyp #northerngirl #comedian

♬ People Talking (Version 1) [Crowd Group Chatting Chatter Talk Noise Sfx Sound Effect Bite Clip Fx] – DV Sound Effects

This style of content is now common on digital platforms and it’s a great opportunity for brands to reach and engage a younger demographic.

Audio with text only

Don’t underestimate the power of visually impactful text on a screen to enhance an audio recording.

You can take the filming location out of the equation altogether and make considerable savings by having the visual as text.

This example of a voicemail recording from a frustrated customer has been seen by over 5 million people (explicit language warning!):

In this case Alamo Drafthouse have used an actual voicemail recording for the audio, so the only production cost is in the editing (and possible royalty payment for the music).

Even if you don’t have an irate customer voicemail to hand, it is often cheaper and logistically easier to hire actors for voiceover than it is for performance in front of a camera.

These are just a few examples of how you can apply creative constraints that reduce production budgets and increase engagement. The simplicity of production in each case actually emphasises the storytelling and authenticity of the video.

Notice none of the examples above rely on the use of celebrities. Having famous faces associated with a brand is great if you can afford it, but you can still make a highly engaging and impactful video without them if you work with the right creative team and make it relatable.

This can also help give the brand space to develop its own personality. After all, the dream scenario is that our brand is the celebrity in our video.

Finally, remember when using low cost production to take full advantage of the benefits it provides. Develop a repeatable format, style and characters that people recognise, and allows you to react quickly to topical news stories or company announcements.

At The Comedy Crowd we work with expert creative talent at the idea and production stage to make sure you get the most effective outcome for your budget, building connection with your audience and showcasing the creativity of your brand.

Find out more here ✨

by Ailish McCarty (@thesleepycomedian)

Hey everyone! Very excited to be submitting pieces to the Comedy Crowd, a fantastic platform that encourages creativity and showcasing comic talent. I’m writing a series of how comics can increase their brand online through my own trial and error. Tiktok has managed to outshine Instagram in terms of online content and can be a very powerful tool when it comes to approaching promoters and agencies. The thing to keep in mind about your Tiktok channel, is that it is a marathon and not a sprint. You will need to post a couple of videos a week, and the platform boosts creators that engage with other pages in order to boost a community online. Be patient and its better to put an idea online than to be quiet.

To get the ball rolling, I’ve listed a couple of do’s and don’ts when it comes to Tiktok to help comics boost their exposure on the platform.

DO’S

• Unless you have been living under a rock in the last year, odds are you’ve heard of TikTok. It is a video editing application that sky rocketed in the pandemic. The app promotes short videos in order to enable users to scroll through their for you page and absorb higher amounts of content. If your videos are 7 seconds long, it has been proven that Tiktok will push your video to reach more users

• The algorithm changes constantly. This is because recreations and sounds that go viral have a short shelf life. If you notice a sound is trending, make notes and see if you can hop on the trend while the algorithm is pushing it. If you hop on a trend too late, you will not have the same exposure as early initiators

• Do engage with the comments on your videos. This tricks the platform into thinking that your video is topical as it is reporting high levels of activity (comments), when all that you’re doing at the end of the day is thanking people for watching your content. TikTok boosts all activity when it comes to engaging with your community, so remember to like the comments and reply to them

• As I’ve mentioned, building a community is at the forefront of Tiktoks platform. Leave comments on other users videos and follow friends. This leads TikTok to avoid perceiving your account as a bot.

• Use the same username as your other socials so that its easy for people to find you on Instagram, twitter, facebook and Youtube.

DON’TS

• In the previous section, I mentioned jumping on trends in order to get your video boosted on the platform. Avoid creating a page where all you’re contributing is miming. This lowers the value of your content for followers – diversify. Post your own content as well as trends

• For the love of god – don’t tweet on TikTok. It is a video platform that promotes, you’ve guessed it – VIDEOS! If you want to post pictures, go to instargam or Twitter

• Don’t post reaction videos unless you have a following over 20,000. Nobody cares

• And last but not least, don’t lose hope in going viral. I was using the app for 18 months and following these steps before I got huge exposure. Be patient and be consistent

In our next blog post, I will discuss hashtags, so be sure to keep an eye out!

Check out Ailish’ superb comic stylings on her TikTok account – @thesleepycomedian

Signed up to The Comedy Crowd Newsletter? Weekly articles like this, plus all the latest opportunities, delivered straight to your inbox, here.

This video, by Sven Pape of the excellent ‘This Guy Edits‘ YouTube channel is an incredibly valuable insight into comedy creation through the eyes of an editor, specifically Roger Nygard, who has worked on ‘Veep’ and ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’.

He talks about a number of key lessons for editing comedy, and many of these should be considered throughout all stages of the creative process:

1. Yes, and…
How to apply the rule of improv to make sure you explore all options for creating the funniest scene.

2. Setup is primary
When a joke isn’t working, the problem is almost always in the setup, not the punchline.

3. Plot over jokes
Funny moments that emerge from situations are far more impactful than a nicely writen quip or pun.

4. Faster is funnier
Why pacing is key, and usually the faster the better. There’s a great example from Veep in the video.

5. Find the button
The button is the biggest moment of the scene, and it won’t necessarily come at the end of the script. The scene needs to be structured to optimise it.

6. Trim the fat
‘The enemy of comedy is the unnecessary pause’ says Nygard.

7. Cut Wide
Wider shots give greater possibilities for reaction and body language, but there are also times when you want to cut closer.

8. Feature every frame
In particular, how to frame a punchline to make sure it lands.

9. Keep it real
Why it’s so important to achieve authenticity in the final cut.

Signed up to The Comedy Crowd Newsletter? Weekly articles like this, plus all the latest opportunities, delivered straight to your inbox, here.

With only our spare time and a tiny budget, we could never have launched our own web series without having the crowd behind us.

Matt Harris – Creator of ‘Comedy Of Gamers’

The Comedy Crowd is all about supporting creators to go beyond an idea – to stop dreaming about the comedy you want to make and to actually do it.

But it’s hard. We know. It’s why we started this community. To make anything more ambitious than a smartphone monologue (and we’ve seen some good ones of those) you need people who bring skills but who also share your vision, and that’s really difficult. Get it wrong and you plough time and money into an endeavour that never lives up to your expectations. That’s so disheartening, but it doesn’t need to be.

The Comedy Crowd is a community full of people like you. People who have great ideas and want to see them happen. Helpful, friendly, funny people with a diverse array of skills, and we’ve created a platform that brings this Crowd together.

The team at The Comedy Crowd adopt an innovative approach to collaboration. Their platform has put me in touch with some fantastic and brilliantly funny creatives. The Comedy Crowd’s platform has allowed me to pursue my own creative endeavours, and I will therefore forever be indebted to them.

Connor Kent – Creator of ‘Box Of Charms’

It’s called Comedy Crowd TV. Creators create a project and call out who they’re looking for to help make it happen. Here’s a list of all the roles available:

• Producers
• Directors
• Writers
• Director of Photography
• Editor
• Sound Editor
• Composer
• Actor
• Animator
• Voice Actor
• Marketing / Social Media
• Graphic Designer

Comedy loving folk can then scan through the projects, filtering by the role they’re looking to fulfil, and then contact the creators directly through their project page.

Calvin and I started our collaboration by comparing Comedy Crowd profiles and finding a project to work on together. At every step of the journey we found other Crowders coming to our rescue with their feedback, encouragement, time and skills, helping us make our work better and get our show made.

Matt Harris

Whether you want to create your own show or get involved in an existing project, now is the time to get involved. To search for current projects click here or set up a new project and get help from the Crowd.

By Peter Wright

There are now more film festivals inviting your submissions than ever before. They give filmmakers the prospect of reaching new audiences, awards and recognition, access to the industry and cash prizes. But there are also costs, not only financial but also in terms of time and sometimes exclusivity rights.

To help you evaluate the festival option we interviewed the founder of Festival Formula, Katie McCullough. Festival Formula create bespoke strategies for filmmakers to take their film through the circuit in the most effective way.

Tell us a bit about your background and why you started Festival Formula.

I actually started out in writing and went to Bournemouth University to obtain a useless degree in Scriptwriting for Film & TV (which at that point was the only designated pure scriptwriting degree in the UK). But the upshot was I made loads of close friends but also it started me on the path of what is now Festival Formula. We had to do work experience and because I don’t live in London I didn’t want to pay through the nose to do a free job, so I found somewhere close that I could drive to which was the home of the Blaine Brothers – Ben and Chris. The first thing they did was sit me down and explain that I would never be asked to make the tea, and that I was to be given the company credit card and their back catalogue of short films and my task was to find film festivals to submit them to. What then happened is I poured over rules and regulations because I was spending someone else’s monies so I wanted to know that it was worth it and the film suited. Since then I’ve acquired an encyclopaedic memory of festivals all over the landscape, a large slate of films that we look after, and that was coming up to 16 years ago. One of the main reasons I started the company? Because it was evident that filmmakers needed help and they didn’t have the patience to do it themselves (or the know how).

What do people get out of entering festivals? What is the benefit of doing it?

It’s down to what you expect, managing that expectation, and utilising what does happen. We always tell filmmakers that just because you’ve gotten accepted to a festival it doesn’t mean all doors will suddenly fly open… But if you’ve made your festival choices wisely and they are strong and legit festivals, you can then knock on some doors to show that off and it can help. It’s the same way of looking at an agent, just because you now have one it doesn’t automatically guarantee work – you still have to work at it. The main benefit is showing that you’re creating work, that you’re reaching a wider audience and you’ve proved your idea works. And if you have the time and budget then you can also travel with the film too and that’s an experience.

Should you enter festivals with a submission fee?

Absolutely. No one runs a film festival to make money, that’s the first thing to learn. And if they are making money from a film festival then the chances are that they’re not a legitimate one or they’re scrimping on much needed areas. Festivals have costs that would make filmmakers weep – venue hire, projector hire, location insurance, alcohol permits, transcoding costs, staffing costs, data storage facilities, fuel costs for shuttle buses, advertising, programmes…. And so on. What I would say is be cautious of *how* much you are spending. There are some great festivals out there that are FREE, a few Euros or dollars, then there are some brilliant festivals out there that carry a higher cost. It’s more to do with how much budget you have to begin with as that will dictate how you spend it – if a singular submission fee is going to rinse your budget then think twice.

What are the best festivals for new comedy filmmakers?

Whilst there are some comedy specific festivals out there on the circuit, there aren’t a whole load of them. But what we’re seeing is the appearance of comedy specific categories within a traditional festival, but also those that pick the theme of comedy for their upcoming edition. For comedy specific festivals I would recommend LOCO London Comedy Film Festival (UK) and Just For Laughs Eat My Shorts (Canada) for sure.

Are there timeframes to be aware of and exclusivity / premiere requirements to think about?

After doing this for 15 years there have been so many changes, and one of the major ones is the idea of online versus offline exclusivity. Going back even just 5-7 years there were not a lot of festivals who would consider films eligible for submission if the film was online. Whereas now a lot of festivals don’t mind if it’s online (and some even have separate categories to accommodate for them) but it still isn’t a blanket shrug from festivals. There are still those that do mind (and they mind a lot!) which means that some filmmakers don’t consider that when it comes to launching online as well as heading on to the competitive circuit – they often find out they can’t submit to a festival they really want to till after they’ve launched online and have been ruled out.

Unless you are aiming towards the higher-tiered section of the circuit (like Locarno, Berlinale, Venice, Cannes) then premiere status is less of an issue. If festivals outside of those more industry prolific festivals mention a premiere it’s generally on a smaller scale – Tribeca needs a New York premiere, Edinburgh International needs a Scottish premiere (for a UK production), St. Louis International needs a St. Louis premiere, Indie Memphis needs a Memphis premiere and so on. I would always recommend a filmmaker understand if a festival has a premiere requirement before they submit as sometimes you can waste money by submitting to somewhere that you don’t realise you’re not eligible until you’ve parted with cash. And you’re not going to be able to get that back due to reckless stupidity.

What mistakes do people typically make when entering festivals?

They don’t understand *why* they’re submitting there. And they often aim too high. We are forever telling comedy filmmakers that Berlinale are really not a comedy focused festival… So getting filmmakers to look at the festival in question’s previous line-up goes far. Sometimes filmmakers are doing it out of other filmmakers’ habits. Like Sundance. Everyone, and I mean everyone, wants to submit there, but no one can tell me what screened there last year and why they think their film fits. It’s a weird rites of passage; know why you’re submitting because you are spending your money there. That and not reading rules and regulations; if they don’t accept mockumentaries then they don’t accept mockumentaries, if you submit to a different category because it’s cheaper it doesn’t bode well for you, if you don’t get accepted by the festival DO NOT email them and tell them they are wrong. People in the film festival world talk, and reputation can precede you – whether that’s good or bad is up to you.

Tell us about a great example of a comedy film that has done well on the Festival circuit – what did the creators do well?

We have several clients that have done well, but one that I do always like to reference due to many different factors is HANGOVER FOOD by Ross McGowan from Deadline Films. The film was made for £400 in a flat with a small team and when I watched it, I just found everything about it brilliant from a festival circuit perspective. It was well written, funny, extremely well performed, and just over 10mins. Everything that just sings well on a festival circuit. The way that we look at it is like this – festival programmers are wanting comedy shorts to break up a more serious programme, or just cheer up an audience. So when we have something fall into our lap that fits that bill it’s so much fun to see it travel. And this film did brilliantly. It shows that you don’t need a massive production budget, or fancy equipment or big names – you just need a tight script, strong performances and confidence in the execution. This screened at 14 film festivals including Another Hole In The Head (USA), Hamilton Film Festival (Canada), MONSTERFEST (Australia) and more. It kept picking up awards left, right and centre including Best Foreign Short, Best Dark Comedy and Audience Choice Awards. And those kind of awards mean the most as it’s come from the audience so it’s recognition from pure punters which is what everyone should strive for.

To learn more about Festival Formula visit www.festivalformula.com and for a list of festivals accepting comedy submissions check out our Opportunities Hub.

By Shem Pennant of Amelia Comedy

Wanna make a webseries? We did and had a blast doing it. 2 Standup Comedians Living in a Flat is an 8 episode web series about exactly what you think it is. We made it all in one location, with a skeleton crew and minimal budget and thought we’d share a few tips with the Comedy Crowd. Ideally so you’ll watch it and tell us if you get the R Kelly joke, but also because we went from a blank page to finished show in 7 days and feel we learnt a few useful things from the many, many mistakes we made over the process.

Research

There’s an Italian expression “everything shapes good taste” and we watched a bunch of shows to work out what we loved and just as importantly, what we didn’t respond to. The Comedy Crowd’s forums are filled with people sharing their work and it’s useful to watch what people are doing for inspiration. Having a critical eye and self awareness of your collective taste is super useful when you’re creating and at the very least you’ll make something that’s funny for you. One of our key inspirations was the PFFR produced sitcom Delocated. Check it out.

Writing 

Writers write! Ideas don’t mean anything in your head so get them on the page. If you’re reading this you probably have at least three viable ones. So write it down! Too many people talk about what they’re writing and never go through the process of putting pen to paper. Writer’s block is more of a myth than the world of Entourage.  We locked the writer in a hot room in Cairo with no access to the Internet for 24 hours and forced him to polish off the scripts. You probably shouldn’t do that. But having a really hard deadline to produce *something*, is super helpful as you can really surprise yourself under pressure. And it gives something solid for you to bounce off with the rest of the team – or for your online peers.

Improv

Improv … yuk! But wait. Come back.Improv is more than just riffing lines on set – although that can be very useful. We all studied improv and sketch at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York and one of the central principles they impart to students is “if this unusual thing is true, what *else* is true”. UCB-style improv is super useful for writing as you train yourself to really unpack ideas, and surprise yourself (and hopefully your audience). It’s also really good as you learn how to find interesting, relatable premises in real life and discover the various beats. The UCB Comedy Improvisation Manual is a great guide to the basics. And it’s easy to find some collaborators, pitch premises and use improv guidelines to really unpack the various beats that your idea presents. But just because you can improvise a fun scene in the moment, still put in the work to write, enhance and edit your material.

Limitations

Amelia’s old improv teacher Michael Delaney used to say “discipline is freedom”. Having strict limits imposed forces you to make hard choices and work with what you have. One of Amelia was about to leave the country for the rest of the year, so we only had a few days in which to shoot. We also had spent a fortune on improv classes, so had no actual money for budget, lights, locations etc. So we used what we had. The kitchen was the brightest room in the house so that because the focal point for most episodes (Puns, Shower and the Have You Ever Noticeboard). Once we decided that everything would be set in the flat, we thought it would be fun to centre an episode around them trying to leave (WillLyns) and trying to be noticed from the flat (Agents).

Shooting 

We’re very lucky that we have access to an ok camera, but you can do a lot with a smartphone, good light and attention to sound. And if you have a little money you can rent a great camera for a day or two. None of us are talented DOPs so we made a tonne of mistakes and had to redo a whole episode – you can see the painful puppet edit on the Shower episode. Good light is essential. Capture a tonne of coverage so you can edit around shots. Do multiple takes. Really ensure that you have nice clear sound. And when you hit the edit booth be ruthless.

Apps are also your friend. And apologies in advance that all these are on iOS, we’re sure there are Android equivalents. We wrote outlines in distraction free editing software IA Writer, and the full scripts in the iPad version of Final Draft, which is so much cheaper than the desktop version it’s silly. And there’s a free Final Draft Reader app so you can share with your team easily. On set the Light Meter app was super useful for making sure everything was properly exposed, and that we could have consistent look across shots. We forgot to use it sometimes and kicked ourselves. Filmic Pro is a much lauded camera app that gives you granular control over exposure, ISO and white balance. Sound is super important and iRig Mic Lav is a super cheap way of gaining access to Lav mics. We popped them on Will and Lyns, slipped a smartphone in one of their pockets and synced everything up in the edit later. And we used iMaschine and Garageband to compose the theme song and incidental music, as it’s quick to sketch out a jaunty ditty (WillLyns) or a dope trap beat (Queefy Keefy’s theme).

We edited in Final Cut Pro X which, whilst not as loved as Premiere, is pretty cheap. Our one expense was on the Colour Finale plugin for grading – you can get a free trial but we loved it so much we really wanted to reward the developer with money.

Do it just to do it and then do it again 

We made the show just to see if we could. And that was all. We’ve shared it a couple of places, some people have liked it, some people have *hated* it and most people haven’t watched it. And that’s fine. It’s very unlikely that Lorne Michaels is going to be on the phone asking you to host SNL tomorrow, but it is satisfying to have made something. And once you’ve done that … go make something else.

You can check out the ‘2 Stand-up Comedians’ web series by clicking here. And to see more from Amelia Comedy head to their YouTube and Facebook Pages.

To make sure you stay up to date with the latest opportunities and insights in the world of comedy, join thousands of creators and fans receiving our free weekly newsletter, plus when you subscribe you’ll get our e-book – Getting started and making an impact in comedy:

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