Hoptocopter Films

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a manufacturing company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Hoptocopter Films?

We had some funding set aside to produce a whole series of videos highlighting the manufacturers that we worked with, specifically some small manufacturers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In total, they delivered 20 videos. We pitched our ideas, and then they sent out a film crew and put everything together. Speaking about their process, they sent us a rough cut that showed us what their vision was, and then we gave feedback on that. They then made their edits and put the soundtrack underneath it and returned a finished product.

The specific video we’re speaking about was a profile they did of our company comprised of b-roll from the other video they made. All the videos are live-action, but we did use Hoptocopter for one animated video. Each video has been between 2–5 minutes long. They provide all their own equipment, studios, and video and audio editing capabilities. The owners are also musicians and can do their own orchestration.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with five different people over the course of our relationship, including the husband and wife owners.

How did you come to work with Hoptocopter Films?

I went to school with the owners and reconnected with them several years later when someone referred us to them. I was completely blown away by what I saw, absolutely floored.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $55,000–$70,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June 2017–May 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

All the videos are available on our company website, as well as on our clients’ websites. We also post them on our Vimeo, YouTube, and social media channels and display them at live, in-person events. They’ve made the rounds.

The videos that Hoptocopter makes outperform all of our other videos in terms of clicks, shares, and engagement. The video they specifically made to tell our story has been viewed tens of thousands of times. We’ve shown it at public events, and the response that we’ve received has been overwhelming.

We’re one of 51 centers in the country, and when the other centers saw our videos, they started working with Hoptocopter as well. Now, our entire national network uses them. The finished product is always unbelievable. It surpasses our expectations every single time.

How did Hoptocopter Films perform from a project management standpoint?

This is one area that they could use a little bit of help with. They meet all the set deadlines, but they can be overwhelmed at times and lose some of their responsiveness. The day-to-day transparency, hand-holding, and communication is where they could improve.

They were hands-on in the preparation and planning of the videos, from start to finish.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re amazing videographers — and the quality of the film is amazing too — but what makes their videos special is Hoptocopter’s storytelling ability. We brought them in to do a profile on us, and what usually takes me five minutes to explain, they fit into a two-minute video. They made us realize how cool we were as a company. It truly reflected our heart, leaving us in tears; it was incredibly inspiring. They got to the heart of who we are and reflected that back to us in a powerful way. It was like going to therapy. They reaffirmed our dreams as an organization with this video; it wasn’t a simple production product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t be too rigid in your vision of the final product and trust Hoptocopter’s artistic instincts. Go to them with an open mind and let them unleash their creative brilliance, as they’ll come up with something even better than you could have possibly imagined.