Watch Party is a Q&A style interview series where we discuss a recent Demo Duck video production with the team that brought it to life.

Meet the Team

Cody Benefiel is a Senior Producer, Chris Reynolds is a Senior Writer, Ossian Mendoza is a Senior Art Director and Nick Roth is an Editor/Director here at Demo Duck. We gathered 'round to watch the Newsela video series, and chat about how it all came together.

Let's begin.

Is it true that this concept was born out of some super relatable internet-famous memes?

Cody: Our client, Newsela, wanted to create a digital video production series for the start of the school year. They came to us with the idea of using existing internet-famous memes that communicate the overwhelming feeling of being a teacher. We knew licensing those memes would be outside the budget, but we immediately loved the idea, and thought, okay, we can do this same kind of expressiveness with custom work of our own, using these memes as inspiration.

Ossian: Yeah, so the concept we came back to them with was called Doodle Characters. I was thinking about some kind of way that we could translate these memes into our medium. And obviously, doodle animations was one of the first things that came to mind. They're pretty popular on social media. There’s a whole subreddit called r/reallifedoodles. I'm sure we’ve all seen those cute little clips of buildings falling apart with animated eyes and arms added to them. There's tons of them. Production-wise, it was also a practical idea: Easy to do, funny, super relatable. It was a no-brainer.

Establish legitimacy. Social proof. Brand elevation. FOMO.

There are more reasons than ever to produce a customer testimonial video. And we've recently seen many clients use them as a quick follow-up project to more overview or explainer video productions. Not only do they hold great value, but they also simplify the process—perfect for a final step in a video engagement.

When you are able to ditch the need for storyboards, designing every inch of every frame, casting a bunch of actors, or buying dozens of props—and focus on capturing an authentic set of answers and anecdotes from one of your customers via a one-day shoot, things often feel a lot more streamlined. The budgets may even reflect that difference depending on who you’re working with on each of these.

However, given that a client testimonial video is less-complex, that can mean that it’s more difficult to make it stand out and engage your audience.

Demo Duck has always made a pointed effort to make sure when we made a customer story video, we were finding different ways to elevate the productions.

So here are 6 tips on how you can elevate your customer testimonial video, broken down by production stage. 

Pre-Production

1. Perform a Pre-Interview

While this is a pretty standard practice in the world of late night television, it’s often overlooked for video testimonials because of scheduling or the feeling of inconveniencing the interviewees. However, this quick 30-minute meeting doesn’t need to be overly formal nor be seen as an audition.

We approach these pre-interviews with two primary goals: getting to better know the subject’s personalities and pulling out a storyline on how they use our client’s product or service.

The former is something that we are able to get relatively easily by the interviewees demeanor, level of comfort, and how they present themselves on the call. All of these factors help us hone in on the mood of the production and edit, before we even roll the camera. Also, it’s important to lean into who these people are with the approach to make everything feel more authentic. Don’t force an outgoing HR executive to focus answers solely on KPIs and don’t try to make a comedic customer story if a marketing manager is a bit more reserved in how they approach their work.

In terms of storyline, this comes together based on the content of the pre-interview answers and is something we make sure we’re aligned with our clients on after the call. It’ll help us craft questions across various value propositions of the product and how we plan to order those within the edit as well. If your customer is a remote-first organization, perhaps we focus more on the cloud-based component of the tech. If they were using a competitor before making the switch, let’s focus on the ease of onboarding and API.

2. Preparing The Interviewees

Here’s an easy two-birds-one-stone scenario. The pre-interview also allows us to better prepare our subjects and put them at ease. Rather than meeting the crew of strangers on the day of the shoot, interviewees will have already met a few of us remotely and have been given the download on what to expect for the shoot. This can include talking about the process, the shot list, how much time it’ll take for their contribution, what they should wear, and more. 

This will help calm their nerves as they prepare to get in the “hot seat” and provide a more natural performance on camera. So, give them a quick rundown (or link to this post) and allow them to ask any questions (no bad ones!) during that pre interview call—it’ll be better for everyone.

Below is a video we produced that was largely informed by the pre-interview, when we realized we had a great group of characters to shoot and a fun story to bring to life. This led to us collecting more b-roll of the robots in action and asking some more outside-the-box questions about their friendships. 

The world is different now. For instance, 63% of articles written since March 2020 start with some version of the phrase “the world is different now.” Probably…

All jokes aside, one simple truth remains—nearly two years of COVID has changed the way all of us work, including the video production world.

Demo Duck has seen a lot of new video trends while adapting  to pandemic-safe production styles—and we’re not clamoring to go back to the old ways just yet. Some of these quick and creative solutions have changed our video production for the better. Here’s a few successful (and safe) video trends that we’ll be using moving forward.

Animation Appreciation

One trend we’re thrilled to see is just how many brands are “getting animated.” We saw plenty of companies turn to producing an animated marketing video when live action production simply wasn’t an option. And many of them quickly realized that animation has benefits beyond the ability to stay socially distant.

For your brand, it’s the chance to bring any idea to life without the limitations of live action productions—or humans in general. The style, tone and concept can be entirely your own, whether it’s an explainer video or something for social. And with technology and industry tools always improving, it’s never been easier to develop and execute a unique style your brand can own. Plus, animation allows for greater collaboration between creatives and clients working remotely.

The additional flexibility in just how animation gets made makes it a timely and cost-effective option for a single video project. And it’s super easy to do when you know the right people. With that sort of versatility, you can expect brands to continue animating their ads and messaging.

Remote Control

Speaking of new technologies, Zoom and its competitors aren’t going anywhere. You’ve no doubt looked at a whole lot of video chat windows recently (you might be ignoring one right now).

The popularity of FaceTime and other chat apps means every device has a pretty decent camera built-in. And thanks to the pandemic, we all know how to use them. So, when the whole world gets a crash course in lighting, finding clean backdrops and staying in frame, why not take advantage?

“We conducted a few remote interviews prior to the pandemic, but this kicked things into the next gear. In a way, it’s liberating. With minimal coordination and unlimited access, we can record an interview with anyone, anywhere, at any time.” according to our ACD, Kelsie Ozamiz. “Plus, people are more relaxed and comfortable in their own home, so answers are more authentic and engaging.”

Over the past two years, we now know everything it takes to direct a shoot from miles away. And if that means we mail ring lights, cameras and microphones and talk through everything step-by-step, we’re always prepared.

With interviews in hand, Demo Duck can easily pull together a full testimonial video. Or, integrate them into animated projects so your video gets the best of both worlds. Because hey, If it’s good enough for late night talk shows, it’s definitely good enough for your video project.

Shoots Made Simple

The past few years showed us just how many moving parts are involved in making, well, everything. At Demo Duck, we discovered what’s essential to have on set for live action shoots and what’s simply “nice to have”—turning ourselves into an even leaner, meaner, video production machine(-er?).

Fewer folks on set allows for days that move quickly. We can capture more footage and try different things without an overstuffed schedule. And we can connect our clients to a live feed of the set via Zoom, making shots easier to review and approve while eliminating the need to travel.

“​​I think Demo Duck adapted incredibly well to smaller sets because our people have a wide variety of past experience,” says Karen Schmitz, DD producer. “Even with fewer people helping out, it doesn’t feel like we’re sacrificing anything. Leaner crews have actually helped us to stay focused through the day and it’s a better, more efficient use of the budget in the end.”

What’s really exciting to us is the creative freedom these smaller productions afford us. And it’s to your benefit too. One day would have been enough time to shoot a single video in the past, but now we can plan ahead and do more. We can create concepts that include simple videos for social, pre-roll ads and more into our single day schedule. Ultimately, it leads to you getting a bit more bang for your buck.

Stock and Roll

Back in the “before times”, using stock in their videos wasn’t the first choice for many clients. There were only a couple libraries to choose from and they didn’t provide a unique or personal touch that so many folks strive for in video storytelling. And even though it isn’t always cheap, stock videos could sometimes look and feel that way. Now, we can see the benefits of stock outweighing it’s drawbacks. And with the right editor, it’s even easier to craft a tone and emotional hook that really drives your video forward.

“Every stock site out there has its own style and flare,” according to our editor Nick Roth. “With so many options at our disposal, we can easily find enough of the right clips to give every project a unique tone and style. I also like to use video ‘families,’ which are clips shot on the same day with the same people but from different angles. These let us create complete scenes and ultimately make for a more cohesive video that doesn’t feel like stock”

Stock is a great way to ensure your video is diverse and representative of the world around us. We can easily show real people using your website or app with the right clips, while also adding exciting graphics for further interest. And, because so much of the footage is meant to last, using stock has the advantage of extending the shelf-life of your video.

The Perfect Time for a Video Partner

Yes, people have been saying video is the future for a while. But oh boy, there’s so much more video out there now than before. For some folks, watching video is how they spend most of their day. Attention-grabbing content can come from anywhere and isn’t defined by a certain look or perspective. The audience’s only expectation is to be engaged, entertained or enlightened.

With a little help, any brand can make that happen. The trends we’ve talked about here are helping lower the barrier to entry for brands and providing a roadmap for the future of video production. So, if you’re not creating video content already, now is the perfect time to jump in.

If these video trends are enticing to you, and you need a production partner to help you get started, Demo Duck is excited to show you what’s possible. So, let’s make a video!