Color plays a fundamental role in the lives of Indian communities across the globe. We just have to look at the Holi festival that has been celebrated on the Indian subcontinent for thousands of years to appreciate the value Indian communities place on color. Although this festival originated in South Asia, it is gaining traction across the world, which Holi events organized in countries like the UK and USA.
In summary, as the website, strandofsilk.com correctly notes, “India is alive with color.” Specific colors also have symbolic meaning in Indian religion, folklore, and culture. For instance, black has connotations of darkness and anger. It is also associated with death and lack of energy. Black is also used to ward off evil. Consequently, young children often have a little black dot under their ear or on their chin to protect them from evil.
White is worn to funerals because white repels light, is devoid of color, and indicates a detachment from the pleasures and luxuries life brings. However, it is not a negative color and symbolizes peace and purity.
Secondly, according to the video experts at Spiel, “It is imperative to note that different colors have different meanings in different parts of India. Thus, when deciding on a color scheme for a promotional video for an Indian target audience, it is critical to confirm how the video’s target audience will interpret the colors according to their religious and cultural beliefs and values.”
For example, in southern India, red means disruption and violence. Moreover, red is also associated with the goddess Durga, one of the most esteemed goddesses in Hindu mythology. Strandsofsilk.com describes her as having a “fiery image, which is enhanced by her red tongue and red eyes.”
Red also represents purity, so it is the preferred color for an Indian bride’s bridal clothes. Additionally, red celebrates the unity between the bridal couple and symbolizes fertility and prosperity.
Blue is linked to Lord Krishna, one of the most popular gods in India. And lastly, green symbolizes a harvest of crops.
Now that we understand the role that color plays in India and the Indian people, let’s look at how to create a successful promotional video using color as the main driver of the message.
At the outset of this discussion, let’s have a quick look at the definition of a promotional video. Succinctly stated, a promotional video is a business video or short film clip designed to promote your products and services to your brand’s target audience.
Table of Contents
1. Identify the goal of the video
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Determining your video’s goal is critical both as a starting point and defining the end goal. Without this determination, there is a good chance that your video will end up without meaning, and it will not reach its aim, resulting in the loss of time, money, and effort.
Thus, it is vital to identify the reason for making the video before you start writing the script and putting together a storyboard. For instance, let’s assume your video’s goal is to promote a new product line to your Indian target audience.
2. Identify your target audience
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All target audiences are made up of different persona types. Therefore, unless your brand is particular in the persona types it targets, it is necessary to identify the subset of your target audience as the first point of the promotional video creation process.
While this point does not seem important under normal circumstances, it is essential to promote products and services to a community that attributes symbolism to color.
3. Create the video script
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Now that you have defined the video’s ultimate goal and its target audience, the next step in the promotional video creation process is to create the video script. The best place to start is to start with a brief, then use the brief to draw up an outline, and thirdly, use the outline to write the full script, being as accurate and concise as possible.
4. Put together a storyboard
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The ultimate aim of a storyboard is to simplify the video-making process. The more in-depth and detailed the storyboard, the easier the video’s production and postproduction phases will be.
Also, this is the point where the video’s color scheme is finalized. The video’s goal and target audience play a fundamental role in determining the video’s color scheme. In this scenario, the story is told through color. It is also vital to note, at this juncture, that it is a good idea to create a vibrant, multi-colored video.
Indians love entertainment. They love vibrant, colorful videos that tell a story using promoting a product or service. And in the world of promotional video marketing, Indian brands often successfully pioneer new techniques.
The caveat to this point is that, as highlighted above, it is critical to be mindful of the symbolic meaning of color. For instance, using red as the primary color in a video that promotes a new Ultra-HD television to a target audience that predominantly lives in South India is not a good idea. In this scenario, red symbolizes violence and disruption. Thus, if you promote your new television with a predominantly red theme, your target audience will perceive that purchasing one of these televisions is not a good idea. It will bring a violent, destructive atmosphere into the home where the television will stand.
5. Shoot the video footage
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This part of the process takes what is on the storyboard and interprets it onto live video or film. The more comprehensive the storyboard and script, the easier it will be to shoot both the main parts and the accompanying B-roll. It is essential to film as much as possible, within reason, to make sure that the post-production team has lots of material to work with.
6. Edit the video
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The post-production or editing phase is where the raw footage is pieced together to create the final product. It is also reasonable to expect that this phase can take the longest time to complete. Not only is the raw footage joined together, music and sound are also added. Finally, it is imperative not to rush this phase because the result must be of the highest quality to reach its target audience, drive customer conversions, and increase sales numbers.