From Cringe to Credible: How Unscripted Testimonial Videos Win Every Time
Authentic testimonial videos can boost sales, but scripted content can backfire. Learn how to create genuine, engaging videos that build trust with customers.
Make Interviews More Engaging with Direct Eye Contact
At Cognitive Films, we’ve conducted hundreds of interviews, and we’re not exaggerating when we say that a single project might involve more than ten interviewees in one day. Being on camera can often make you self-conscious—some thrive under the spotlight,
A Monster Kickstarter Campaign Comes to Life
In mid 2020, veteran character and concept artist Allison Theus turned to Cognitive Films to help produce a Kickstarter campaign trailer for her second concept art book, Mostly Monsters.
YMCA Uses Documentary Stories to Raise and Recruit
Never is trust more essential than in producing a documentary-style marketing film like the three we’ve completed for the YMCA of Greater Williamson County.
Leveraging Client Voices For a High Energy Testimonial Video
When the Director of Product Strategy for Bitbox first reached out about creating a testimonial film, he wasn’t convinced we could create a great video out of the little they had to work with.
How to Get the Most Production Value From Your Video Budget
Video production has a reputation for being costly and time-consuming. If you want to create a commercial, video series, film or documentary with a high production value that also stays within the comfy confines of a pre-defined budget, you are
How to Scale Your Business Operations with Video
Producing a video isn’t always about acquiring more customers. A well planned and executed video can streamline your internal processes, cut down on customer support time, reduce returns, attract the right people, or make new hire training more efficient. Here
Your Customer is the Hero in Your Brand Story
How do you tell your brand story that resonates with customers? Make your customer the hero in your story. The word “Storytelling” has become a bit of a buzzword in the marketing world. It’s the perfect buzzword because on it’s
Interview Techniques for Capturing Powerful Video Testimonials
How to conduct and capture and on-camera testimonial or case study interview Capturing a compelling testimonial interview on video is more than setting up a camera and asking customers to talk about their experience. While it’s true that you have
Bumper Ads: The Haikus of Video Advertising
It has been reported that nearly half of all Internet video is watched on mobile devices, and Youtube now reaches more 18-to-34-olds and 18-to-49-year-olds than any single TV network – broadcast or cable, on mobile devices. News, comedy, documentary, web series and educational video
Make Me Care: Pixar Writer Andrew Stanton on Storytelling
In this TED Talk, Pixar director/screenwriter Andrew Stanton (“Toy Story,” “Finding Nemo,” “WALL-E”) shares a few of his ideas about what makes a great story. Here are a few takeaways from the presentation: Why should you care? Every good marketer at least pretends
Mobile Video Platforms: The Big Three
You don’t need to be told that digital and mobile video are hot these days. You can read this article, or you can read this one, and don’t forget to stare at the pretty charts some intern put together in
Ken Burns on Emotional Truth in Storytelling
In this short video featured in The Atlantic, legendary documentary filmmaker Ken Burns explains how the whole of the story transcends the sum of its parts: Jean Luc Goddard said cinema is truth 24 times a second. Maybe. It’s lying
Study: Original Digital Video Content Advertising Budgets on the Rise
In May of 2014, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) held their second annual NewFronts conference, coinciding with the release a multi part study indicating that (not surprisingly) 68% of marketers and agency executive will be increasing video ad budgets, with three out
Understanding Push vs. Pull Video Marketing Strategies
If you want to make a video to promote your company or organization, you need to ask a lot of questions. What is the concept? What is the budget? Who is the audience? What is the core message? How long
Documarketing: The Branded Documentary
Brands are putting themselves in the spotlight with feature-length documentaries. Over the last decade, documentary films have been on the rise in popularity and profitability. Production and equipment is lighter and cheaper, and filmmakers are free to experiment in finding creative
Measuring Facebook’s Massive Growth in Video Views
Since the 2014 introduction of new auto-play video features, Facebook video view averages have been growing by leaps and bounds. Uploads are also are on the up and up as people are seeing videos flying through their timeline, triggering even more uploads. Since June 2015, an average of 4
Depicting Digital Interfaces in Film & Television
Showing interaction via text, the internet and other devices can be a challenge on film. You are faced with a few choices. You can shoot the screen on the device in a live action shot, use graphics or typography to overlay the messages
Transparency in Fashion Documentaries
Removing the veil in front of fashion From finance to fashion, certain industries are traditionally, by design, cloaked in mystery. New York Times fashion columnist Vanessa Friedman’s column, Fashion Has Much to Gain From Honest Documentaries, points out how fashion brands clearing the air
A Rare Interview with Stanley Kubrick on His Life and Filmmaking
Check out this 76 minute uncut interview with Stanley Kubrick in 1966 during the filming of 2001, A Space Odyssey. Interviewed over a game of chess by New Yorker columnist Jeremy Bernstein, Kubrick answers questions on his early career, creative problem-solving, photography, why he
Commercials We Love: The Impossible Dream by Honda
When Honda released “The Impossible Dream” commercial in December 2005, created by Wieden+Kennedy London, it set a benchmark for aspirational advertising. It is a narrative about pursuing one’s passions against all odds, embodied by a protagonist riding through various terrains
Your Name Here: The First All-Purpose Film
After watching the 1960 corporate parody film Your Name Here, it will start to dawn on you that the corporate cliche’s of yesteryear are still alive and well in the modern world. It was created for trade shows by The Calvin Company, a Missouri-based educational
Viral Video Study Part 1: Amazing Stunts and Spectacles
The key to understanding how viral videos spread is knowing what motivates people to share. What common traits do successfully branded viral videos share? I’ve been researching videos that have amassed millions of views in an attempt to find the common
5 Commercials Directed by Wes Anderson
Commercial production and ads support many independent would-be filmmakers dreaming of shooting their first feature film. Some may look at these ads as a troublesome stepping stone to the “big break”. But for seasoned feature filmmakers like Wes Anderson, directing
10 Business Website Video Integration Mistakes
Many businesses are now integrating video on their websites. Unfortunately, the integration can be sloppy. Why spend the time, resources and energy making a great video just to fall short on the final delivery? Here are 10 common mistakes businesses
Adobe Anywhere Offers Collaborative Video Editing Across the Web
Adobe has just announced a new service/feature called “Adobe Anywhere” that allows video editors to collaborate on editing projects across the web. Using Adobe Anywhere, video editors can work with remote assets over the network and work on a single
Robert Rodriguez on Digital Filmmaking at UT
Robert Rodriguez visits the UT campus to host a conversation with students and inspire what he calls, “the next generation of innovators.” covering the push and acceptance of independent films in the 1990s, the rise and explosion of digital film
