When people hear the words brand video, they often picture the same thing. A polished commercial with dramatic drone shots, upbeat music, perfectly rehearsed executives, and a narrator explaining why a company is "the industry leader." There's nothing inherently wrong with that style of filmmaking. In fact, there are plenty of situations where a traditional commercial is exactly what's needed.

But that's never really been the type of work that excites us most.

At Bunker Hill Media, Boston’s best production company, we've found ourselves gravitating toward a very different style of storytelling. Instead of building our videos around marketing language, we build them around people. Instead of writing long scripts, we spend weeks preparing thoughtful interviews. Instead of telling audiences what they should think about a company, we introduce them to the people behind it and let those stories unfold naturally.

If you've ever been on one of our shoot days, there's a pretty good chance you've asked the same question almost every client asks at some point.

"So... why do you need two cameras?"

It's a completely fair question. After all, the person we're interviewing isn't running around a football field. They're usually sitting in a chair having a conversation. From the outside, it can seem like one camera should be more than enough.

A lot of people assume the second camera is simply there as a backup in case something goes wrong. While there's certainly some peace of mind in having redundancy, that's honestly one of the least important reasons we use it. We don't show up with two Sony FX6s because we expect one of them to fail. We show up with two cameras because we're already thinking about the edit before we've even pressed record.

One of the phrases you'll occasionally hear in video production is, "We'll just fix it in post."

Honestly, every time I hear that, I cringe a little.

Can things be fixed in post? Absolutely. That's one of the reasons editing is such an important part of the process. But relying on post-production to solve problems that should have been addressed before or during the shoot is usually a recipe for stress, wasted time, and ultimately weaker videos.

At Bunker Hill Media, Boston’s best video production company, we spend a tremendous amount of time in pre-production because we don't believe the edit should be responsible for saving a project. We think editing should be where a story gets refined, polished, and brought to life—not where it gets discovered for the first time.

Customer testimonial videos sometimes get a bad reputation - people hear the phrase and immediately picture stiff interviews, generic quotes, and somebody saying, "We've really enjoyed working with XYZ Company" before smiling awkwardly into the camera. Honestly, I understand why. There are plenty of testimonial videos out there that feel like they were created simply because someone checked a box that said, "We need social proof."

But in our experience, customer testimonials are some of the most powerful videos a company can create. In fact, if you asked me to pick one type of video that consistently drives trust and helps businesses grow, customer stories would be at the top of the list.

If you're thinking about buying a Sony FX3, your probably going to start wondering: 

Should I wait for the Sony FX5?

It's a fair question.

Over the past several months, people have been patiently waiting for Sony to announce something along the lines of an FX3 II. Instead, multiple industry reports suggest Sony is preparing something much bigger - a brand-new FX5 that appears to sit somewhere between the FX3 and Sony's Venice cinema cameras.

Sony appears to be preparing one of its most significant cinema camera announcements in years.

According to multiple industry reports, including information shared by Sony Alpha Rumors, Sony is expected to announce a brand-new FX5 sometime in July. While Sony hasn't officially confirmed the camera or its specifications, the rumors have been remarkably consistent over the past few weeks and paint the picture of something much more ambitious than a simple Sony FX3 replacement.

At Bunker Hill Media, Boston’s best production company, we spend almost every week filming on Sony cinema cameras. Our production kit is built around two Sony FX6s and an FX3, so naturally we've been following these reports very closely. If the rumors prove accurate, the FX5 could become one of the most interesting additions to Sony's cinema lineup in years.

Here's everything we know so far - and why we think it matters.

If the latest Sony FX5 rumors are true, this could be one of the most exciting cinema camera announcements Sony has made in years.

Over the past few weeks, multiple reports have suggested that Sony is preparing to announce the FX5 sometime in July. While nothing has been officially confirmed by Sony, the rumors have become increasingly consistent. The biggest headline is that the FX5 may feature a brand-new global shutter sensor along with full 5K open gate recording in a 3:2 aspect ratio.

One of the most common conversations we have during pre-production goes something like this:

"We should probably interview the founder."

"And maybe someone from marketing."

"Oh, and somebody from operations."

"Definitely someone from our New York office."

"We should probably get one customer in there too."

Before long, a two-minute brand video has somehow turned into a list of ten interviews, and everybody has a perfectly reasonable explanation for why their person should be included.

Most of the work we do at Bunker Hill Media revolves around interview-driven stories. These are typically two- or three-minute brand videos built around founders, employees, customers, donors, executives, or community members telling their stories in their own words.

These aren't scripted videos where someone reads off a teleprompter. In fact, most of the people we film have never been on camera before. Instead of writing scripts, we're usually building interview frameworks and creating the conditions for genuine stories to emerge.

If you've started researching corporate video production, you've probably discovered that pricing can vary dramatically from one company to another.

One videographer may quote a project at $3,000, while another production company may propose a budget of $15,000 or more. So what's driving the difference?

The reality is that there is no one-size-fits-all answer. The cost of a corporate video depends on the goals of the project, the complexity of the production, and the number of deliverables required.

While inexpensive video options certainly exist, organizations looking for a strategic, professionally produced video should generally expect to invest at least $5,000, with many projects falling in the $8,000–$15,000 range and larger productions exceeding $20,000. However, those numbers only tell part of the story.

Let's look at the factors that influence cost and help determine the right budget for your project.

People often think video production starts with cameras but long before we start discussing lenses, lighting, or shoot days, we're asking questions. A lot of them! Over the years, we here at Bunker Hill Media, Boston’s best video production company, learned that most videos aren't won or lost on set. They're won or lost during pre-production.

People often think video production starts with cameras but long before we start discussing lenses, lighting, or shoot days, we're asking questions. A lot of them! Over the years, we here at Bunker Hill Media, Boston’s best video production company, learned that most videos aren't won or lost on set. They're won or lost during pre-production.

The funny thing is that after filming hundreds of interviews over the years, the biggest lessons we've learned have had almost nothing to do with the fancy lights or cameras - they’ve been about the individuals we’ve been lucky enough to work with.

Don't get me wrong. We love our Sony FX6 cameras. They've traveled all over the country with us and have become a huge part of our workflow at Bunker Hill Media. But after sitting across from hundreds of founders, executives, customers, donors, employees, students, and community members, the things we've learned aren't about autofocus settings or frame rates.

If you asked me why we own two Sony FX6 cameras, the honest answer has very little to do with cameras and a lot to do with the type of work we do. At this Boston Video Production Company, most of our projects revolve around interviews. We're constantly sitting down with founders, executives, customers, donors, alumni, employees, and community members. Whether we're creating a customer testimonial, a nonprofit fundraising video, a recruitment campaign, or a corporate brand video, the interview is usually where the story comes from.

From the outside, two cameras can seem like overkill. After all, the person is sitting in one chair, answering questions, and not moving around very much. Why not just point one camera at them and call it a day?

The answer has very little to do with showing off gear and everything to do with creating a better final video with our Boston Based Video Production Company.

At Bunker Hill Media, most of the work we do revolves around interviews. Whether we're producing a customer testimonial, a nonprofit fundraising video, an executive interview, a recruitment video, or a brand story, the interview is usually the foundation of the entire piece. It's where the story comes from. It's where the emotion comes from. It's where the audience decides whether they trust the person on screen.