How To Find The Perfect Inspiration Reference For Your Corporate Video
By Stanley Meytin
One of the best ways to start the brainstorming process for your corporate video is to find a reference piece that inspires you. Finding a video you like or want to emulate in some way can be a strong point of reference when beginning a consultation with a video production company.
It’s hard to pull your creative ideas out your head and explain them in conversation. A reference video helps you visualize, concretize, and flesh out your ideas.
But you can’t just go to a production company and say, ‘Hey, we really like this video. Can you make something like this?” That’s like asking someone to rewrite a Harry Potter book with giraffes as the main character. It definitely won’t turn out the way you want it to.
Rather, a reference video has the potential to be a starting point to explain the kind of form, style, tone, and message you want to get across in your own corporate video.
You can’t force inspiration, but you can help along the process of discovering new ideas. What can you do to find the perfect reference or inspiration when creating your corporate video?
What is a Reference Video?
A reference video is simply a point of reference you can use to gather ideas and brainstorm your own corporate video. It’s typically a video you really like (or really, really dislike), and you want to do something similar in some way.
It doesn’t mean you 
want to create exactly the same video. You might come to your film production consultation with five reference videos, each with a different aspect you like. You might love the videography of one video, and you might like the emotional storytelling of another, and a third might have really cool animation.
The goal of a reference piece is simply to brainstorm, share ideas, and communicate to the production company a basic understanding of what you want your corporate video to look like.
How to Find Corporate Video References
Let’s start finding some inspiration for your own video! But how do you go about discovering a reference piece of content?
Keep your eyes peeled.
You can find reference videos from competitors, partners, players in your industry, or even companies in other industries. Inspiration is everywhere—you just have to be open to receiving the inspiration.
We’re all guilty of scrolling “mindlessly” through social media. So why don’t you make this time more productive by scrolling purposefully? Look for videos you like, save them, and jot down a note about what initially drew you into the video.
Tip: Take notes about your first impression of a video. It’s usually the first impression that leaves the longest impact.
Look outside your industry.
Sometimes, what’s working well consistently in another industry can be novel and innovative in your industry. So don’t narrow your focus to just your competitors or partners.
Consider how major players in other industries are capturing the hearts of their audience through their videos. Consider how it could work for your business as well.
Recommended read: How do you create content that tackles multiple industries?
Browse creative spaces, like Vimeo and YouTube.
Creators want to share their creations for you to watch and enjoy. The most popular avenues for sharing are Vimeo and YouTube. The two platforms are similar, though Vimeo is known for its more “artistic” aesthetic for professional creators while YouTube has a wider range of video topics and types available. They’re both worth looking into so you can see what kind of style works best for you and your audience.
Both platforms curate homepages or playlists based on your expressed interests. For example, if you watch a video about pet grooming on YouTube, you’ll start to see recommended videos that are from similar pet grooming creators. You can use these curating algorithms to your advantage to browse for videos and ideas within your industry.
Search for hashtags and keywords on social media.
Social media is a sanctuary of content. You can find endless videos—micro-videos and long IGTV videos alike—that can provide great inspiration for your own corporate video.
The best way to cut through the noise is to search for relevant hashtags on the social media platforms you use the most—and the platforms on which you post your videos the most.
This helps you get an idea of what kind of videos are doing well in your sphere through those channels. You’ll especially be able to get a good idea of video style and design.
Create a saved collection of videos.
Almost every platform on social media (including YouTube and Vimeo) allows you to save videos in your own personal collection or playlist. This means you can curate and save all of your reference videos in one spot, so you don’t have to go searching for them before your production consultation.
Keep a list of your favorite videos, add notes with your thoughts, and you’ve got a great place to start brainstorming!
Some platforms will even allow you to “share” your collections via email or messenger, so you can send True Film your reference videos even before your consult.
Know what your production consultant needs.
The process isn’t going to work well if you show us a video and say “do it like that” or “here’s our competitor’s video—do it better.” We need specifics. What do you like from videos you’ve seen? What do you dislike?
That means you’ll need to do some digging into your reference videos to fully understand which elements you want to incorporate in your own corporate video.
What are some elements we’ll want to chat about for your corporate video?
- What is the format? For example, is this a product explainer video, an event video, or a brand mission statement video?
- What is the tone? What emotion are you looking to stimulate in your audience? How do you want to talk and share your ideas?
- What is the style? Are you telling a story, sharing an idea, or presenting client testimonials? How do the videography elements backup this style?
- What is the message? What do you hope to get across to your audience?
- What is the purpose of the video? What is your “why” and how can all of the other elements back up this primary goal?
Maximize Corporate Video Potential
We’re not here to just give you a cool looking video. At True Film production, we are your consultants to help you create a corporate video strategy that actually shows long-term results for your business.
Our goal is to make your visions come to life in your corporate video. We use reference videos to get a visual sense of what you’re looking for. Then, we use the rest of our innovative brainstorming and collaboration process to express your vision and make it happen.
(Psst… Check out these 7 powerful questions to get the most out of your next corporate video.)
Have a video (or a few) that you really like? What do you like about them? What do you want to do differently to stand out to your audience? Send us your initial thoughts for a free consultation about your corporate video.
We’re excited to start brainstorming your next video story together!
Reading Time: 5 minutes
By Stanley Meytin
One of the best ways to start the brainstorming process for your corporate video is to find a reference piece that inspires you. Finding a video you like or want to emulate in some way can be a strong point of reference when beginning a consultation with a video production company.
It’s hard to pull your creative ideas out your head and explain them in conversation. A reference video helps you visualize, concretize, and flesh out your ideas.
But you can’t just go to a production company and say, ‘Hey, we really like this video. Can you make something like this?” That’s like asking someone to rewrite a Harry Potter book with giraffes as the main character. It definitely won’t turn out the way you want it to.
Rather, a reference video has the potential to be a starting point to explain the kind of form, style, tone, and message you want to get across in your own corporate video.
You can’t force inspiration, but you can help along the process of discovering new ideas. What can you do to find the perfect reference or inspiration when creating your corporate video?
What is a Reference Video?
A reference video is simply a point of reference you can use to gather ideas and brainstorm your own corporate video. It’s typically a video you really like (or really, really dislike), and you want to do something similar in some way.
It doesn’t mean you 
want to create exactly the same video. You might come to your film production consultation with five reference videos, each with a different aspect you like. You might love the videography of one video, and you might like the emotional storytelling of another, and a third might have really cool animation.
The goal of a reference piece is simply to brainstorm, share ideas, and communicate to the production company a basic understanding of what you want your corporate video to look like.
How to Find Corporate Video References
Let’s start finding some inspiration for your own video! But how do you go about discovering a reference piece of content?
Keep your eyes peeled.
You can find reference videos from competitors, partners, players in your industry, or even companies in other industries. Inspiration is everywhere—you just have to be open to receiving the inspiration.
We’re all guilty of scrolling “mindlessly” through social media. So why don’t you make this time more productive by scrolling purposefully? Look for videos you like, save them, and jot down a note about what initially drew you into the video.
Tip: Take notes about your first impression of a video. It’s usually the first impression that leaves the longest impact.
Look outside your industry.
Sometimes, what’s working well consistently in another industry can be novel and innovative in your industry. So don’t narrow your focus to just your competitors or partners.
Consider how major players in other industries are capturing the hearts of their audience through their videos. Consider how it could work for your business as well.
Recommended read: How do you create content that tackles multiple industries?
Browse creative spaces, like Vimeo and YouTube.
Creators want to share their creations for you to watch and enjoy. The most popular avenues for sharing are Vimeo and YouTube. The two platforms are similar, though Vimeo is known for its more “artistic” aesthetic for professional creators while YouTube has a wider range of video topics and types available. They’re both worth looking into so you can see what kind of style works best for you and your audience.
Both platforms curate homepages or playlists based on your expressed interests. For example, if you watch a video about pet grooming on YouTube, you’ll start to see recommended videos that are from similar pet grooming creators. You can use these curating algorithms to your advantage to browse for videos and ideas within your industry.
Search for hashtags and keywords on social media.
Social media is a sanctuary of content. You can find endless videos—micro-videos and long IGTV videos alike—that can provide great inspiration for your own corporate video.
The best way to cut through the noise is to search for relevant hashtags on the social media platforms you use the most—and the platforms on which you post your videos the most.
This helps you get an idea of what kind of videos are doing well in your sphere through those channels. You’ll especially be able to get a good idea of video style and design.
Create a saved collection of videos.
Almost every platform on social media (including YouTube and Vimeo) allows you to save videos in your own personal collection or playlist. This means you can curate and save all of your reference videos in one spot, so you don’t have to go searching for them before your production consultation.
Keep a list of your favorite videos, add notes with your thoughts, and you’ve got a great place to start brainstorming!
Some platforms will even allow you to “share” your collections via email or messenger, so you can send True Film your reference videos even before your consult.
Know what your production consultant needs.
The process isn’t going to work well if you show us a video and say “do it like that” or “here’s our competitor’s video—do it better.” We need specifics. What do you like from videos you’ve seen? What do you dislike?
That means you’ll need to do some digging into your reference videos to fully understand which elements you want to incorporate in your own corporate video.
What are some elements we’ll want to chat about for your corporate video?
- What is the format? For example, is this a product explainer video, an event video, or a brand mission statement video?
- What is the tone? What emotion are you looking to stimulate in your audience? How do you want to talk and share your ideas?
- What is the style? Are you telling a story, sharing an idea, or presenting client testimonials? How do the videography elements backup this style?
- What is the message? What do you hope to get across to your audience?
- What is the purpose of the video? What is your “why” and how can all of the other elements back up this primary goal?
Maximize Corporate Video Potential
We’re not here to just give you a cool looking video. At True Film production, we are your consultants to help you create a corporate video strategy that actually shows long-term results for your business.
Our goal is to make your visions come to life in your corporate video. We use reference videos to get a visual sense of what you’re looking for. Then, we use the rest of our innovative brainstorming and collaboration process to express your vision and make it happen.
(Psst… Check out these 7 powerful questions to get the most out of your next corporate video.)
Have a video (or a few) that you really like? What do you like about them? What do you want to do differently to stand out to your audience? Send us your initial thoughts for a free consultation about your corporate video.
We’re excited to start brainstorming your next video story together!
What story would you like to share?
Whether you want to launch an idea, spark a movement or simply get people talking about what you do, you have one shot
at delivering your message in a way that matters. Let’s make sure you do it right.
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