Get your umbrellas out! Brainstorming is a very important part of our video process. It determines the framework, tone, and strategy for our videos. That’s why it’s critical that the team gets on the same page and stays focused, yet creative enough, to accomplish the task at hand.
Over the years, we’ve noticed that some brainstorming scenarios created better results than others. In fact, the pandemic caused us to have to adapt our approach from in-person brainstorms to virtual as well. How do you facilitate a vibrant, collaborative atmosphere when your team members can’t even be in the same room? We explored some of these rules in a helpful blog post about virtual brainstorms.
But whether you're WFH still or back in the office, some things never change. The importance of preparation and collaboration. Here's a few rules to make sure every Demo Duck brainstorm is a home run. Of course, as a creative video agency, we're always experimenting with new ways to approach brainstorms, but here are a few best practices that always hold true.
1. Prep the team
No one on your team should enter the brainstorm without at least a little bit of knowledge on the goal(s) and strategy behind the explainer video.
Make sure you distribute a project brief of some kind to anyone attending the brainstorm so no one’s playing catch up. This will allow you to quickly recap the scope of the project at the beginning of the brainstorm and get to the creative ideas faster.
Besides a brief, are there other helpful materials that the team might find interesting? Company history...a successful YouTube series...a podcast featuring their CEO. Who knows where inspiration could strike from! For example, we shared CAD files for a Logitech for Business project, which helped us brainstorm this approach driven by a 3D model of the project.
2. Put someone in charge
It’s important to designate a brainstorm leader who’s in charge of keeping the ball rolling, recording ideas, and knowing when it’s time to move on. This isn’t someone who rules with an iron first, but rather nudges the crew along when things get stalled, sidetracked, or spin off the rails completely.
By clearly establishing who this person is beforehand, the rest of the group can also focus on letting their biggest business video ideas flow rather than keeping the house in order.
3. Bring an idea
Everyone–yes everyone–is responsible for bringing at least one idea to the table. This can be a fully baked concept idea, a raw visual effect, an animated metaphor, a hook, a character, a live action parody, or even a shot-by-shot remake of Jurassic Park.
It’s a lot easier to get everyone involved if the whole team has something to contribute from the start. Even if you only have a few words for your “idea” that may be enough to spark the creativity of someone else who can make it grow into a keeper.
This playful explainer video started with a silly, slightly tounge-twister-y idea. "What if there was an association for people who work at associations." Everybody started playing off each other during the brainstorm, and the idea grew from there.
4. Don't Hold On Too Closely
Once you share your idea with the group, let it spread its wings and fly. Give up ownership and trust the group to make it better…or in some cases, kill it entirely.
We’ve found that when someone becomes too attached to an idea, they limit its true potential. This is often one of the most difficult rules to follow because a corporate video idea seems so clear in your head that you don’t want it to get “ruined” by someone else.
It’s okay to state your full vision of the idea, but you need to let it play out naturally during the brainstorm.
This is another place where the person in "charge" can help play referee or tiebreaker. Ideally, they are a member of the project team who is aware of the specific asks of the video's style, the goals of the marketing campaign, etc. While everyone else dreams big, they can help keep their eyes on the prize of what the client truly needs.
I recall we had a concept that was originally "superhero" driven to portray everyday heroes—firefighters. Well, after some excellent brainstorm debate, we decided the superhero hook was somewhat of a tired explainer video trope after the 2010s blockbuster run of caped crusaders. But something that was timeless is the style of vintage comic books, a la famous artist Jack Kirby. What if instead of depicting firefighters as superheroes themselves, we depicted their normal lives in a eye-catching design style fit for heroes! Some great teamwork during a brainstorm ultimately helped unlock a cool new direction for an educational video series.
5. Record the ideas
This seems like a no-brainer in a brainstorm, but it’s important to plan out how you’ll get everything down in rapid fire. Sometimes a few ideas come out at once or take vastly different routes from their inception- so proper notation is vital.
Someone, or a few people, need to be actively listening and scribbling those amazing business video ideas down as quickly as they come out. We use giant post-it notes and big chunky markers, so everyone can easily see all the ideas that have been shared.
If you want to get even fancier, check out these Visual Brainstorming Techniques by creately, including editable templates to help you generate ideas through drawing, writing and diagramming.
If you're running the brainstorm, this notation part can often be tricky. You want to keep the creative momentum and interactive flow of the session going—but you also need to properly take notes, draw sketches on the whiteboard and more. As per usual, it's always a good idea to over-communicate. Hey, can you repeat that? Can we pause for a second? I just want to write this down. It can take a little practice being moderator and amateur stenographer at the same time!
6. Unplug
It’s crucial to stay focused on the task at hand during brainstorming. Since it’s so early in the video production process, the work done in this session will determine the next few weeks of work.
All you really need during your brainstorm is a notebook with your ideas in it and a pen. So no phones, unless you’re the timekeeper. And be sure to step away from your inbox for awhile….you may even find that you like the tech-free time.
This is especially an important rule if you're doing a virtual brainstorm while working from home. You may still be bombarded by Slack or Teams messages...or feel tempted to check your email or favorite social media platform. Don't do it! Distraction is an enemy of creativity, and it's especially easy to do when nobody else is in the room with you. Stay strong and stay locked in!
Recap
It may feel counterintuitive to institute hard-and-fast rules for such a creative process, but our best business videos started with an efficient brainstorming process. One that encourages sharing, spurs colorful conversations, and moves along appropriately.
Itching to learn more about video? Here are other great posts:
How 6 Industries Got Creative with Their Video Strategy
5 Techniques (and Videos) That Spice Up Boring Subjects
The Ultimate Battle: Live Action vs. Animation