Every year, more than 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. Decision-makers are drowning in content. In that context, why do some brand films break through where others go unnoticed?
The answer fits in one word: storytelling.
The human brain is wired for stories
Neuroscience has shown it: our brain processes a narrative differently from a simple list of information. When we follow a story, even a made-up one, our mirror neurons fire as if we were really living it. Emotion creates memory.
That’s why a corporate film that “lists product benefits” never sticks, while a film that tells the story of a client transformed by your solution can leave a lasting mark.
What we call “the cinematic approach”
At SIGNS Films, we bring the codes of cinema to brand communication, the ones that make you cry at a film or keep you on the edge of your seat.
In practice, that means:
- A central character: the client, the employee or the founder, someone the viewer can relate to
- A clear stake: a challenge, a transformation, an aspiration
- A resolution: how your brand, product or service changed something
- A coherent art direction: lighting, framing, music, edit rhythm, everything has to serve the emotion you’re after
The brands that win most in video
Look at the video campaigns that stay with you, whether it’s Nike, Apple or French brands like Hermès. They all share one thing: they don’t sell a product, they sell a worldview, a sense of belonging, an aspiration.
That level of ambition is accessible to every brand, at every size. It just requires approaching video production not as a comms tool, but as a creative act.
Before we shoot, we write
That’s the philosophy at the heart of our approach at SIGNS.: before we shoot, we write. The creative brief, the storyboard, the script: that’s where a film’s strength gets built, long before the camera rolls.
This narrative rigor is what allows our corporate films, our luxury films and our brand content productions to stand out in a crowded market.
Going further
If you’re convinced your next video deserves a storytelling approach, get in touch for a first conversation. We’d be glad to show you concretely how this approach can transform your audiovisual communication.
Also take a look at our work: every project tells a different story.
Frequently asked questions
Why make a corporate film for your company?
A corporate film gives a company a story people remember, where a list of product benefits is forgotten at once. The brain processes a story differently from raw information: emotion creates memory, which makes the difference with decision-makers drowning in content. A well-written film then serves for years on the website, in presentations and at trade shows. This is how SIGNS Films built the 10th anniversary film for Tikehau.
Why is it important to be original in your corporate film?
Originality is what lets a corporate film exist in a stream where more than 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. A film that looks like every other one gets ignored; a film that follows a character, a stake and a resolution holds attention. That originality is built in the writing, not on set: this is why SIGNS Films validates the brief and storyboard before the camera comes out.
How do you measure the ROI of a corporate video?
The ROI of a corporate video is measured by setting an indicator before the shoot: completion rate, time spent on the page, contact requests, applications received or qualified views. One film cut into several formats multiplies the measurement points. As an example, the three-minute film SIGNS Films made for Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris passed six million views on Instagram, an awareness indicator you can observe directly.
How do you integrate a corporate film into your communication strategy?
Integrate the corporate film as the central piece from which everything else is cut: a long version for the website and presentations, 60 to 90 second excerpts for LinkedIn, teasers for social media, reusable shots for trade shows. Plan those cutdowns from the brief so the right shots get filmed. SIGNS Films includes multi-format deliverables in every production, and the upfront writing is precisely what keeps the film alive all year.