Corporate Video Analysis Essay

In this essay I will analyse three corporate videos individually, looking at style, pace, use of camera, editing, sound (diagetic/non diagetic), mise-en-scene, and overall effectiveness as a corporate piece.

One additional element I will focus on however is the type of representation used in the piece. I.E. How does the video represent age, gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity and class?

1. Apple Recruitment Video

The style of this video is incredibly professional; the interviews are all filmed under well-balanced lighting conditions which give a crisp image similar to that of a movie production. The cinematography as a whole looks like something you wouldn't be surprised to see in a cinema tell you it was filmed with expensive, industry standard cameras. The piece moves along at quite a leisurely pace, allowing the viewer to absorb all of the information they are having thrown their way, but is still fast enough to convey all of the appropriate corporate information in just over 4 and a half minutes. All sorts of camera angles are used in the cut-away visual pieces which are shown while a person's interview is being heard and between interviews when nothing but simple, up-beat background music is heard (which is in a major key to imply nothing but positive emotions to the viewer). Most of the cut-away footage is panning shots of people in Apple working in their respective environments. There are also clips from videos which were originally used to promote an Apple product as well as original concept animations from the design of their new battery. With regards to editing, everything joins together really smoothly and looks very high-end. For example; as I mentioned previously, we are shown a clip of a person's interview before the screen cuts away to other footage while the interview audio still plays; this is to give visual examples of what is being talked about in the interview as well as to show different aspects of the company and make the whole thing look as professional as possible. All of the sound heard in the corporate video is diagetic (from peoples' interviews) apart from the background music which runs throughout and only becomes prominent when nothing but the Apple logo appears on screen at the end. The mise-en-scene we are given shows Apple as an incredibly modern, fulfilling and professional place to work, with shots of laid-back business meetings and design meetings where everyone looks engaged and happy. Overall the piece works very well as a corporate video as it really engages the viewer and gives a real positive feel for the company, or at least the side of it they want potential employees to see.

Representation;
The video contains interview footage and audio from the following people;

Male: 3 x American (Caucasian) 2 x English (Caucasian) 1 x American (Black) 1 x American (Asian Descent)

Female: 1 x American (Caucasian) 1 x East Asian (Speaking in native language) 1 x Mexican (speaking in native language)

This suggests that around 70% of the people working at Apple are male while 30% are female. 60% are American, 20% are British, 10% are Asian and the other 10% are Mexican. There could of course be other nationalities working at Apple who are such a small minority that to include them all in the corporate piece would mean many more interviews which time does not allow for. The number of people working at Apple who don't speak English is at around 20%. Sexuality and class are non-issues and people of all ages are shown on screen (mostly in their late 20s, early 30s though).

2. Holmefield Vets Video

The style of this video is professional yet friendly - using close-up shots during interviews to engage the viewer and make the whole thing seem more personal (which is important when choosing a vet!) you can tell that the quality of the corporate video is proportionate to the size of the company it is created for (Apple's video clearly had a whole load of money thrown at it, while this one would have had a much more modest budget (vets aren't know for being the wealthiest of people, nor is the company even comparable in size with Apple). A lot of the kind of lighting you might see on reality TV shows such as Animal Hospital is used which shows that a budget probably didn't stretch to an entire lighting crew but was shot professionally nonetheless. Pace-wise, the video trots along quite slowly, relying more on visuals if cute animals than anything else to keep the viewers' interest. The camera angles used in this piece are mostly mid shots and close-ups for the interviews. The footage is edited together quite simply, with fade-ins and outs and not much else - the initial shot of the centre manager does turn turquoise though to indicate she is of importance which looks quite good. The video is very simple in terms of sound - there is a non-diagetic musical soundtrack running throughout the piece which dips in volume to allow for the interview audio, nothing else. The piece shows Holmefield Vets as a professional yet friendly place to take your pet when they are in need of medical help and works very well as a corporate piece in that it is easy to understand (which is handy as it is intended for the public, most of whom are quite simple) and focuses on the professional, such as being inspected by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons which makes it clear they are a legitimate surgery.

Representation;
The video contain interview footage and audio from just two people who are both female and middle-aged. All of the other people we see throughout the video and don't have any pieces to camera are also female apart from one male who we see to be a practice vet. This leads us to believe that around 90% of the people who work at Holmefields Vets are female and just 10% are male. Everybody appears to be British apart from one lady who we don't see an interview from who looks East Asian. Sexuality isn't represented as it is totally irrelevant to the subject matter and all that can be said about the representation of class is that it doesn't seem like the kinds of place the Queen would take her corgis though it's nice enough.

3. London Business School Video

The style of this video is very professional and business orientated as it is fast-paced and is narrated by pieces to camera (even beginning with a sleazy guy in a suit speaking to the viewer about what they're about to see). I think you can tell that the video isn't the highest-budget of things with the mismatched music which runs throughout and the irrelevant cut-away footage of London landscapes between sections. The camera angles used in this video are pretty boring (mostly mid-close-ups for the interviews and stationary mid shots of lectures from the program). The piece is edited a little bit like an episode of The Apprentice which plays up to its subject matter - it contains interviews from 'The Participants' and is narrated. The narration serves to mark the end/beginning of each of the 3 continuous chapters which represent each of the units studied in the educational programme the video is promoting. Most of the sound in the video is non-diagetic (the background music and voice-over) while the interview audios are diagetic. The video gives the viewer a very clear impression of London Business School as a very serious, professional place for people serious about their business careers. The video promotes a particular programme as opposed to the school as a whole but still indicated the kind of people expected to show an interest in such a place. I think the video works incredibly well as a corporate video as it is pretty no-nonsense and will scare away anyone who isn't completely into what they see from applying for the course / to come and study at the business school while attracting the kind of people who look for that environment.

Representation;
There are interviews from 2 females (one participant, one lecturer) and everyone else we hear on screen is male. We do see a couple of other women in the footage though never hear them speak. This implies that around 80% of the people at London Business school are male, which isn't a surprise as business is quite a male-orientated career sector. There are countless nationalities in the video (countless because we don't hear everyone speak, we only see some of them, and you can't tell a person's nationality just by looking at them for the most part. The nationalities we are made aware of though are people from Germany, the Netherlands, Nigeria as well as the UK. This shows us that most people there are European though people travel from as far as Africa to attend this course. Again, sexuality isn't even hinted at as it is totally irrelevant and you can't always tell a person's sexuality just by looking at them/ hearing them speak. A lot of the people in the video are in their late 20s / 30s and work for big companies such as Sony Ericsson which demonstrates the kind of professional people that attend this course. Class isn't an issue in this video either.