how does an audiovisual production company work?

When most people think of an audiovisual work, a major motion picture comes to mind. Titanic, Avatar, Star Wars, are some classic examples of creations for the big screen. If you try to follow the breadcrumb trail of such works, you will see a complex web of by-products: sequels, series, animated series, trailers, associated merchandising ads, video games and a multitude of marketable spin-off products.

When we think of these products, we cannot believe that they are the fruit of the moment. Creations of such a high level require adequate prior planning, an efficient and budget-conscious production and a creative and painstaking post-production. Many professionals dedicate countless hours to the execution of projects of such magnitude. You only have to look at the length and the countless names that can be seen in the credits of these films.

But these great works are only the tip of the iceberg. In the shadow of these giants, there are a multitude of exercises in creativity at the service of less lofty goals, although no less necessary. Films and series of lesser calibre, live programmes, commercials for large and small businesses, are other clear examples. And the smaller products? Videos for social networks, advertising banners, corporate sessions, conferences, webinars, streamings and even private consumer products such as videos of weddings, baptisms and communions (the famous BBC), nothing is free from being a creation meticulously planned, budgeted and carried out by professionals. At least not if an optimal result is desired.

In the world of smartphones, phones with cameras within everyone's reach, the temptation to describe any video recorded with the improvisation of a nervous finger as a professional quality audiovisual product is present, as much as it is to compare a play in a match between friends as worthy of those of Messi, Cristiano and others. Quality is obtained through work, and this is where an industry that brings together talent and transforms it into a spectacle comes in.

Audiovisual production companies, responsible for everything you see

If we go back to the example at the beginning, we will see in the credits not only the names of individual professionals, but also those of companies and brands. These companies carry out smaller sub-tasks in a combined effort to compartmentalise tasks in order to develop elements simultaneously and reduce time. In turn, they hire smaller companies for specialised tasks. El Ranchito, a Spanish special effects company, became famous for producing only the water effect in Hollywood films. With their system called Real Flow, they were included in the biggest audiovisual productions and even won an Academy Award in 2008. And that was only for a small part of their activity. As Walt Disney said, "I only hope we never lose sight of one thing: it all started with a mouse".

As always, sticking to the best known limits us. Let's not let the trees blind us to the forest. There are thousands of functions that the colossal conglomerates responsible for these mega-productions are not going to offer to the audiovisual market. Nobody is going to be able to hire Spielberg to direct their advertising campaign unless the project is of a colossal calibre.

In these jobs, which in the end end up being more visible and necessary for the day-to-day running of any company or professional, there are other service providers capable of recording both a programme that can be broadcast on television, and producers of advertising campaigns for small and medium-sized businesses that want to give their product greater visibility. The more people know about them, the greater the increase in sales. And this is where the creative companies come in again: the audiovisual production companies.

Nine types of production companies and their integration into the current market model

Since we are talking about such a broad market and with such a wide range of customer types and needs to be satisfied, the variety of audiovisual companies can change a lot from one environment to another. Let's look at some examples of this:

1) Large film or fiction audiovisual production companies: these are the companies with the biggest budgets, the ones directly responsible for the biggest audiovisual works, the so-called Majors. Disney, Sony, DreamWorks are just a few examples. These are companies so colossal that they go beyond the audiovisual production company barrier and extend their networks to other business models such as streaming services or video games and consoles.

2) Derivative creation producers: these are companies dedicated to very specific parts of audiovisual creation that, due to their complexity or specific use, would not be useful for the Majors: special effects companies (both physical and virtual, VFX), colour correction companies (video colour correction), sound mixers and music producers... The quantity and variety is as great as the needs of the producers.

3) Documentary or reality audiovisual production companies: These are usually companies aimed at creating television content from a documentary or investigative point of view. They focus their production on working on a project basis, with or without prior financing, and are hybrid companies that mix journalistic models with other audiovisual production models.

4) Television production companies: Focused on live or deferred transmission of entertainment programmes, in many cases they belong to the same group that owns the television channels. They are responsible for the main blocks of the programmes, although they are not usually in charge of fiction or derivatives such as advertising.

5) Corporate production companies: Focused on events, company video recordings or webinars for the transmission of protocols to employees, their function is usually to provide the service demanded by their client portfolio, being very specific jobs.

6) Advertising producers: Very booming due to the development of social networks and the need for visibility in media such as television or digital. They focus on the creation of promotional campaigns using a multitude of elements such as videos, gifs or posts on social networks, standing out in creativity but being subordinated to the creation of advertising and branding content.

7) Creators of small products for private use: They are in charge of recording personal events such as weddings or various celebrations, as well as other small services.

8) Companies dedicated to product-oriented creation: These are the production companies that develop audiovisual elements for e-commerce on platforms such as Amazon and also in private catalogues or online sales platforms.

9) 360º audiovisual production companies: These are the most versatile. Hybrid models such as Occam Agencia Digital, which not only combine fiction, corporate and advertising creation functions, but are also dedicated to the development of advertising campaigns, offering SEO and SEM, Inbound Marketing, blockchain development and customer response services. As they are such versatile companies, they can meet most of the needs of their partners. Their functionality makes them optimal for companies that need to take care of many facets of their advertising positioning as well as those that only need a specific service.

why hire an audiovisual 360 production company like Occam?

The answer is simple: these companies are focused on achieving maximum client satisfaction and have less limited capabilities than other companies aimed at less specific markets. If an audiovisual consultant can make videos, record webinars or corporate meetings, create advertising campaigns and position you in search engines with SEO techniques, the gain is unquestionable.

Whether your need is focused on giving you more visibility, branding or online positioning, a company that performs most of the necessary services will be able, not only to guide in the right direction the realisation of these blocks of audiovisual production, but also to coordinate all its elements. The greater the coordination, the better the cohesion and the greater the brand or product identity achieved.