Short ultramarathon promo at DVinfo.net

Jody Arnott · November 27th, 2015, 01:07 AM

Here's a short promo that I created for an athlete coaching business based here in NZ. It was shot at the stunning Tarawera Trail Marathon and 50K that was held in Rotorua a few weeks ago.

Shot on a Canon C100 and Phantom 3. Any thoughts appreciated :)

Adam Grunseth · November 28th, 2015, 11:34 PM

I think it looks okay, but I'm not entirely clear from the video who the intended audience is or what message that audience is supposed to get from the video.

From the title graphic, I am guessing that the purpose of the video is to attract new clients for this business? However, I'm not exactly clear on how the rest of the video accomplishes that goal. What is the reason behind choosing the shots you did, making the edits that you did, and how does this help attract clients to this business?

I know that every project has its own, unique challenges. And I know that it is extremely easy for someone who is not involved with the project and who has know understanding of of what it took to complete that project to offer suggestions that would have been impossible in reality. So first and foremost I want to say congratulations for actually putting an entire, finish promotional video together. It is a lot of work and you should be proud of it.

If I were tasked with making this video, and if I had complete creative freedom in the matter, I would try to find a character to build the piece around. Perhaps a current, satisfied customer of this business could tell their story. Tell us about their live challenges, get us emotionally invested in them, and show how this coaching service helped make his/her life better. Use b-roll of this person achieving their goals.

Right now the video that you chose to use doesn't mean much to me, except that it looks good, but if it is helping tell a person's story, a story that I can become invested in, suddenly I care a lot more about this. And if it is a story that I can relate to, well then I might be tempted to give this company a call and see if they could help me.

Jody Arnott · November 29th, 2015, 12:31 AM

Fair comments. However this is exactly what the (very happy) client wanted. The brief was use as many pretty shots of scenery and people running as possible, and cut to music (a track that they chose).

The target audience is marathon runners who love nothing more than to run in pretty places. And that target audience will know exactly what the video is promoting.

The reaction from the running community around the race in question has been extremely positive.

Videos like these don't always have to tell a story. Sometimes nice looking shots do the trick :) I do a lot of promotional videos exactly as you described; happy customer's experiences with the business etc. This promo was a bit different.

Thanks for the feedback though, I don't mean to sound defensive.. opinions are always very much appreciated.

November 27th, 2015, 01:07 AM	#1
Jody Arnott Major Player Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Hamilton, New Zealand Posts: 747	Short ultramarathon promo Here's a short promo that I created for an athlete coaching business based here in NZ. It was shot at the stunning Tarawera Trail Marathon and 50K that was held in Rotorua a few weeks ago. Shot on a Canon C100 and Phantom 3. Any thoughts appreciated :) YouTube (Short URL)

November 28th, 2015, 11:34 PM	#2
Adam Grunseth Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Location: Eugene Oregon Posts: 393	Re: Short ultramarathon promo I think it looks okay, but I'm not entirely clear from the video who the intended audience is or what message that audience is supposed to get from the video. From the title graphic, I am guessing that the purpose of the video is to attract new clients for this business? However, I'm not exactly clear on how the rest of the video accomplishes that goal. What is the reason behind choosing the shots you did, making the edits that you did, and how does this help attract clients to this business? I know that every project has its own, unique challenges. And I know that it is extremely easy for someone who is not involved with the project and who has know understanding of of what it took to complete that project to offer suggestions that would have been impossible in reality. So first and foremost I want to say congratulations for actually putting an entire, finish promotional video together. It is a lot of work and you should be proud of it. If I were tasked with making this video, and if I had complete creative freedom in the matter, I would try to find a character to build the piece around. Perhaps a current, satisfied customer of this business could tell their story. Tell us about their live challenges, get us emotionally invested in them, and show how this coaching service helped make his/her life better. Use b-roll of this person achieving their goals. Right now the video that you chose to use doesn't mean much to me, except that it looks good, but if it is helping tell a person's story, a story that I can become invested in, suddenly I care a lot more about this. And if it is a story that I can relate to, well then I might be tempted to give this company a call and see if they could help me.

November 29th, 2015, 12:31 AM	#3
Jody Arnott Major Player Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Hamilton, New Zealand Posts: 747	Re: Short ultramarathon promo Fair comments. However this is exactly what the (very happy) client wanted. The brief was use as many pretty shots of scenery and people running as possible, and cut to music (a track that they chose). The target audience is marathon runners who love nothing more than to run in pretty places. And that target audience will know exactly what the video is promoting. The reaction from the running community around the race in question has been extremely positive. Videos like these don't always have to tell a story. Sometimes nice looking shots do the trick :) I do a lot of promotional videos exactly as you described; happy customer's experiences with the business etc. This promo was a bit different. Thanks for the feedback though, I don't mean to sound defensive.. opinions are always very much appreciated.