Navigating Brand Video Production for Gustavo Preston: From Discovery to On-Site Execution

For the last few months, Skillman Video Group has been creating a brand video for Gustavo Preston Company.

Gustavo Preston sells fluid pump products and specializes in their installation, maintenance, and repair. We first worked with Gustavo Preston in early 2019 and were glad when they approached us with a new video project to help them grow their brand further.

Due to the pandemic, our video shoot was halted until this last November, when we shot at the Gustavo Preston office, and this February, when we shot at different fluid pump systems.

Discovery: considering the audience

The discovery phase is when the form and intent of the brand video are ironed out, prior to building concrete steps toward the end result.

This is one of the most important phases as it clarifies the importance of the work ahead, and provides a reference point for the rest of the project. Skillman Video Group and Gustavo Preston Company evolved as companies while the project was put on hold in 2020, and during that time both parties could take a step back and think about the bigger picture and ultimate goal.

This step back was beneficial as it allowed for some time to sit with the video, and we were able to define the audience as well as how we would present Gustavo Preston. Before the shoot, Creative Director and CEO Christina Skillman called the Gustavo Preston members that were to be interviewed and prepped them with sample questions, to get them ready for the shoot day and to establish trust and familiarity with the process.

Strategy: creating lasting impressions

The key themes of Gustavo Preston Company that we highlighted were their acute customer focus, their quality products, and their technical expertise.

Shooting at Gustavo Preston’s home office in November allowed the audience to be invited in to their space, and for our most recent shoot in February, we wanted to take video to their products.

The brand video focuses on addressing property owners who would need water pump system installation and maintenance. Deciding who to interview in the Gustavo Preston Company was also important, as the brand message had to be both authentic and concise. This brand video would be a way to bridge the gap between the seller and buyer with Gustavo Preston leaving a lasting impression on the viewer.

Creative / Concept: executing the details

The brand video that we created needed to inform the audience that Gustavo Preston is professional, easy to work with, and capable of taking care of customer needs.

Everything contained in the video needed to reflect Gustavo Preston’s values. We shot at water pump rooms that had Gustavo Preston equipment to showcase what their products looked like in action. By showing the products in action with the interviewees, we are giving the audience insight into the value of these products.

The purpose of the brand video is not to go into the specific details of these products but to showcase the people at the heart of the company. We have already made explainer-style videos for Gustavo Preston, and the purpose of this video was to establish an emotional connection between the viewer and the people of Gustavo Preston.

Planning / Pre-Production: finding the right location

The most important difference between this shoot was the locations with various fluid pump systems.

We were very deliberate while scouting different locations to shoot in Boston, and once we had the locations decided upon, the next step was deciding crew members.

We went with trusted specialists for this shoot, as it is important for large-scale project shoots to move as fast as possible.

Video marketing requires the synergy of all these moving parts; without it the project can come grinding to a halt.

Production: adapting to challenges on set

There were challenges and constraints on the day of the shoot. The water pump systems were critical to the video, but when we arrived at the location, we quickly realized that they were very loud. We had our sound engineer find a way to get rid of a lot of background noise in order for the interviewees to have clear, crisp sound. For most of the interviews, we went with a handheld camera vs a locked-down tripod camera in order to make the interviews seem more natural. Our video production crew were calm and collected throughout and the process was smooth.

The prep work for the interviews had already been done, and now the unscripted interview responses just needed to be fine tuned. Finding the perfect balance of incorporating brand messaging with the identity of the people running Gustavo Preston required the most careful consideration.