Discovery to Production: Hometap

Client testimonials are great for growing your brand. They are different than your average brand video. These videos show real people, not actors. They are people positively impacted by your company and get to exemplify how much they love it. In addition, the video shows your brand in use first hand, through the B-roll used in the video. Recently, Boston video production agency, Skillman Video Group, went through the process of creating a unique client testimonial.

SVG worked with Hometap, a company that specializes in home equity. However, they are an investor, not a lender. Hometap will invest in your home, for no monthly payment, allowing you to access your home’s equity, without selling. Right off the bat, they were a very interesting brand to work with. A small, unique, startup in need of growing its brand.

Discovery

Like many companies, Hometap took a hiatus from creating content during the pandemic. Nonetheless, they have been in need of a client testimonial video for years, where someone could tell their story from a client’s point of view. There’s nothing better than a client’s perspective. Even better, this is a client that loved the company and their ideology so much, they went to work for them.

Since SVG has worked with Hometap since 2018 and already had a great relationship with them, the discovery phase for this project just needed a short conversation between SVG CEO and Creative Director, Christina Skillman, and the Hometap marketing team. The majority of the pre-production time was spent discussing the strategy of this project.

Strategy

The strategy phase lays all the details out. It expands the main concepts that were discussed in the Discovery phase and we design what exactly should be covered in the video. Christina discussed what specific pain points the Hometap solved for this customer, and what could be highlighted in the video.

Next up in the Skillman Video Group process is the creative phase.

Creative

When their brand video was made, we did not have access to any of their clients, so we didn’t have any B-roll strictly for their company.  That meant we had to use stock footage. (Check out our B-Roll blog post to see when it is okay to use stock footage, here.) Stock footage is not bad, but it is always best to capture the B-roll of the actual client because it shows more authenticity.

We made sure to capture the B-roll of the homeowner for this client testimonial. This allows us to use the footage in this project as well as any future project we conduct for Hometap.

Planning

The fourth phase in the Skillman Video Group process is the Planning phase. All of the logistics, such as scheduling and locations, are figured out in this phase. Pictures of the location were sent to our Director of Photography could work with Christina to figure out the best place to execute the production. Upon arrival to set, we were able to scout two rooms within the building that would give us the best look.

Once the logistics, such as crew, talent, scheduling, and call sheets are done, it is time for the shoot day.

Production

This is where the magic happens. The crew arrived to set around 10 AM with the gear truck ready to be unloaded. We headed up to the fifth floor of the building, set up the camera, lights, and audio. Once our DP Matt and Christina decided on the background, we sat the Hometap client down and prepared him for the interview.

Christina asked him questions relating to him as a person and then related the questions more towards Hometap and how he got involved with them as a client and then eventually as an employee. Once the interview was completed we shot some B-roll.

Conclusion

After staging some shots, we wrapped up the set. This production was a well-oiled machine. It ran so smoothly, and we got everything we could have asked for. From lighting to B-roll, everything looked fantastic. We have high hopes for the final product once it goes through our Editing and Finishing phase. Our footage will be beautifully transformed into a beautiful client testimonial for Hometap to use.

For more information, we encourage you to continue to explore our website and blogs about our innovative production process. If you have questions or would like to get started on your own project, contact us at [email protected]!