Corporate e-learning videos aren't meant to be entertaining.
They're meant to be understood and then remembered.
A brand video is successful when it makes you want to take action. A training module is successful when, three weeks later, someone performs the correct action without even thinking about it. These aren’t the same types of videos, nor are they the same methods—and confusing the two can be costly.
Why So Many Training Videos Are Useless
Let’s be honest: most video production agencies treat training videos like corporate videos. Same style, same pace, same penchant for pretty shots. The result is often very well filmed but completely useless. Employees watch it, think it looks polished, and don’t retain anything.
The symptoms are the same across different companies.
- A single, long file. Twenty minutes in one go—impossible to resume partway through, impossible to update when even a single procedure changes.
- A fast-paced edit. The rapid cuts and intense music work well for a commercial. But when it comes to a technical maneuver, they prevent the brain from keeping up.
- An expert filmed without direction. You set up the camera in front of the expert, let them talk, and what you get is a lecture, not a training session.
- There is no repetition. The film says everything once, clearly. Memorization, on the other hand, requires saying it three times, each time in a different way.
- No production plan. The first episode is well-crafted, but the subsequent ones never materialize, since the series wasn't planned from the start.
None of these flaws stem from a lack of talent. They stem from a misguided intention. We asked for a beautiful film, and we got a beautiful film.
A training video that makes an impression
but isn't reused is a failure.
What We Do Differently, in Practical Terms
It all starts before the camera rolls, with a question that many briefs fail to answer: What should the person be able to do by the end? Not “know” or “discover”—but be able to do. Once that sentence is written down, the structure of the module practically falls into place on its own.
- Broken down into short modules. One idea per video, one skill per video. This makes it possible to resume, skip, review, and—most importantly—replace a module without having to redo the entire series.
- A deliberately slow pace. We hold the shot on a single gesture. We repeat the movement from a different angle. We leave moments of silence. An editor used to working on commercials will find this slow. That’s the point.
- Organized repetition. State, demonstrate, summarize. This isn’t repetition for its own sake; it’s the basic mechanism of memorization, and it’s built into the script, not the editing.
- Consistent visual cues. Titles, step numbering, and a color-coding system that remains consistent across modules: the viewer always knows where they are in the process.
- The learner's perspective. Filming a procedure from the front is aesthetically pleasing. Filming it over the shoulder is reproducible. We almost always choose the second option.
- Guided speakers. Your experts know their subject better than we do. Our job is to help them speak concisely and coherently, and to cut out anything that isn't helpful.
And here’s a practical consideration we address right from the start: a training program lasts several years. So we plan the shoots to allow for updates—reproducible sets, neutral outfits, standalone sequences, and voice-overs recorded separately when the content is likely to change.
The film alone doesn't educate anyone.
It's the context surrounding it that educates.
We say this about brand campaigns: the outcome depends on the distribution budget as well, not just on the video itself. In training, the logic is the same—just with different terminology. An excellent module, uploaded to an LMS that no one ever opens, achieves nothing. Before we start filming, let’s discuss who should see what, at what point in their learning journey, on which screen, and what prompts them to watch it. This conversation often changes the format of the videos even before the script is written.
Training, product, onboarding: three uses, three approaches
The term “e-learning” encompasses a wide variety of things. These materials vary in length, style, and production cost.
| Usage | What We Expect from the Audience | Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Product Training for the Network | How to Present and Make Your Case | Close-up demonstration, benefits stated aloud, series by product line |
| Technical Skills and Safety | Reproduce exactly | Long shots, first-person perspective, numbered steps, no frills |
| Onboarding and Integration | Understanding the Organization and Finding Your Place Within It | Faces, real locations, a warmer tone, very short segments |
| Academic or certification module | Follow a line of reasoning | Moderated panel discussion, course structure, meaningful visual design |
| Instructions and Customer Support | To fend for oneself | Short format, without dialogue if possible, designed for an international audience |
A single company often needs several of these ledgers. The mistake is to adjust them all in the same way just because they are based on the same budget.
Content Designed to Be Watched Again
Decathlon Oxelo
Show a product in real-world use, in a way that’s clear enough for the network to describe it accurately.
View the project →
EDHEC Online
Guided facilitators and a consistent course structure from the first module to the last.
View the project →
IBSA Fertistart Kit
A step-by-step guide to the protocol, where clarity takes precedence over everything else.
View the project →
How much it costs, and why
Our approach is the same for all projects: the price is based on the people involved and the time spent, not on the equipment. In e-learning, this time is concentrated in two areas that quotes often overlook—the upfront instructional writing and the editing. Our estimation rule still applies here: allow two days of editing for every day of filming. For a series of modules featuring captions, diagrams, and voice-overs, the ratio leans even more toward editing.
- Very short-form videos, produced in series. How-to videos and product spotlights: €50 to €500 per video, provided they are produced in batches.
- Well-produced training module. Custom script, professional presenters, and visual design: €1,500 to €5,000 per video.
- Full-service package. Entire project, multiple episodes, multi-location filming, motion design: €5,000 to €50,000.
Details about our pricing structure are explained on the pricing page for a corporate video. Here’s a tip, though: it’s better to have a series of six solid modules than a single spectacular film that leaves the rest of the program as a PowerPoint presentation.
Let's talk about your program before we talk about the camera
We’re based in Mandelieu-la-Napoule, with teams in Lille and Nantes, and we come to your production sites, stores, or offices—that’s often where the real footage is shot. If your training videos are also used for recruitment and to showcase different jobs, our employer branding page covers that topic.
Tell us what your employees need to be able to do by the end of the training, how many there are, and which platform they'll be using. We'll let you know how many modules that entails, the order in which to produce them, and how much it will cost. We'll get back to you within the day.
