Blog / Guide
Corporate video structure: what goes in each section
How to order a corporate video from start to finish: hook, development, proof and close, with approximate durations for each section and mistakes to avoid.
Most of the weak corporate videos I see don't fail because of the camera or the lighting. They fail because of the order. They start with the company's history, continue with a list of services and end with a logo. Nobody makes it to the end.
A clear structure is decided before shooting, not in the edit suite. Here is how I plan it when I prepare a shoot for a company in Madrid.
Why structure matters
Whoever watches your video decides in the first five or ten seconds whether to keep going. After that they keep watching as long as they feel it's moving forward: that each scene tells them something new. Structure is what guarantees that progress.
It also saves you money. If you know which sections you need, you know which interviews, which B-roll shots and which locations are required. Whatever doesn't fit in any section doesn't get filmed.
How I order a corporate video
I work with four sections. It's not a law, it's a starting point that almost always works and adapts to the final length.
1. Hook (5 to 15 seconds)
Open with the problem you solve, a strong line from a real person or an image showing the work in progress. Don't open with the logo or a wide shot of the building. That can come later, once there is a reason to look at it.
2. Development (half of the video)
Here you explain what you do and how you do it, in the order someone who doesn't know you would understand it. I alternate interview voice with B-roll that illustrates what is being said. One idea per scene. If a scene needs two ideas, they are two scenes.
3. Proof (20 to 30 per cent)
Claiming isn't enough. This section is for what demonstrates: a client talking about their experience, a process seen up close, a figure the company can justify. If you don't have data you can defend, use real people and real scenes instead of adjectives.
4. Close and call to action (5 to 10 seconds)
End with a single line and a single action: write to you, book a call, visit the website. Several options at once usually mean none. The logo and contact details go here and stay on screen just long enough to be read.
How it changes with length
In a 60-second video, the hook lasts 5 seconds, the development 30, the proof 15 and the close 10. In a 3-minute one you can give the development more room and bring in two or three different voices, but the order is the same. If the video is for social media, compress everything and bring the proof forward to the ten-second mark.
The mistakes I see most often
- Starting with the company's history instead of the client's problem.
- Putting all the services in a single video. Better one video per message.
- Leaving the proof for the end, when half the audience has already left.
- Long interviews with no B-roll, which tire the eye.
- Closing with three different calls to action.
- Deciding the order in the edit, with footage that can no longer be reshot.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best structure for a corporate video?
The one that takes the viewer from a recognisable problem to a concrete action. Hook, development, proof and close covers most cases. If the video is institutional and slow-paced, you can lengthen the development, but the hook and the close stay.
How long should each part be?
As a guide, the hook between 5 and 15 seconds, the close between 5 and 10, and the rest split between development and proof. In a one-minute video that leaves about 45 seconds to tell the substance.
Is the structure decided in the script or in the edit?
In the script, before the shoot. The edit fine-tunes the pace, but if a key scene is missing there is no way to film it. That's why I define the outline with the client in pre-production.
Does the same structure work for a social media video?
Yes, but compressed. The hook has to happen in the first two or three seconds, the proof comes forward and the close is a single line. Many social videos are cut-down versions of the long video using that same logic.
If you have a video in mind and don't know how to order it, tell me what you want to achieve and who it's aimed at via /en/contact. Before we talk about cameras, we'll put the outline together.