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Video production guide

SaaS and startup launch & demo video production

Use a product demo to show real steps and a result, an explainer to clarify an idea, and a launch promo to introduce a benefit and invite the next action. Solivo works from your approved screen recordings, product facts and brand assets. Choose one main purpose before agreeing runtime, format and any extra versions.

Written by Solivo AI Studio · Last updated

Choose the right starting point

Demo, explainer or launch promo?
TypeQuestion it answersEssential input
Product demoHow does it actually work?A complete recording of the real workflow and result
SaaS explainerWhat is it and why does it matter?Approved explanation, diagrams and terminology
Launch promoWhy should I try this now?One benefit, approved release details and a destination

Published Solivo prices

Single-video production prices · USD before tax
DurationStandard25-hour rush48-hour rush
Up to 30 sec$199$599$499
1 min$390$1,169$969
2 min$700$2,099$1,749
3 min$1,000$2,499$2,079

One single-video order covers the agreed duration and one selected format. Additional edits, aspect ratios or languages need separately agreed scope. One free in-scope revision is included. Prices exclude tax; checkout confirms the final amount and available rush tier.

Standard materials review is within 24 hours of submission, with an optional storyboard preview within 24 hours at that stage and a production preview within 72 hours of production start. Client response time and revisions are separate. Rush skips materials review and storyboard; its 25- or 48-hour preview clock starts when materials are submitted.

Plan a startup launch video around one next action

A launch announcement needs a recognizable problem, one useful benefit and a clear action such as starting a trial, joining a waitlist or requesting a demo. Lead with the person the product helps. Use current screens to anchor the promise in something real, then show only enough of the workflow to make the benefit understandable. A short launch film should not become a speed-run through every feature. Move detailed onboarding into a separately scoped tutorial and make sure the landing page uses the same product names and claims.

Make the product demo from the real interface

Record a complete task from its starting state to the actual result. Keep the original resolution, cursor movement and any waiting states that are important to understanding the product. Explain which pauses can be edited and where a cut could imply unrealistic speed. Generated interfaces are unsuitable as proof of working behavior. Solivo can edit, frame and explain approved recordings, but the production brief must distinguish present features from planned ones. Before approval, check the order of actions and every visible label against the product version the viewer will use.

Use a SaaS explainer when the idea needs context

An explainer connects a familiar problem with your approach and a next step. Narration, diagrams, real screens and appropriate illustration can work together. Start from the viewer’s vocabulary rather than internal engineering names. Each visual should clarify a point in the script: a relationship, a change or the result of an action. If the audience needs evidence that a function works, include real material or plan a separate demo. Attractive graphics should support the explanation without inventing product capabilities.

A screen-recording handoff checklist

Start with one audience, one task and one outcome. Use actual approved screens for interface behavior; choose a promo for interest, a demo for steps or an explainer for the underlying idea.

  • Current screenshots and original screen recordings of the approved interface version
  • A clean demonstration account with synthetic example data, not passwords or customer information
  • The exact workflow, approved feature names and the result viewers should understand
  • Audience, closing action, target placement, budget, deadline and brand files

Record screens that remain readable in the final format

Use a clean demonstration account with synthetic records. Close notifications, remove unrelated browser tabs and avoid recording passwords, tokens or customer information. Choose a consistent browser zoom and capture at the original resolution instead of sending a messaging-app copy. Record each task from start to finish, plus clean static views of important screens. Provide a small text file naming the UI version, exact feature names and any panels that must remain visible. Do not add a permanent crop before the studio knows the selected output shape.

A 30-second software launch outline

This is a planning example, not a published SaaS client case. It shows how to allocate attention before recording.

  • 0–3 seconds: identify one user problem in plain language.
  • 3–10 seconds: introduce the product with a genuine current screen.
  • 10–22 seconds: show one complete useful action and its actual result.
  • 22–30 seconds: hold a readable product name and one trial, signup or demo action.

Hardware startups need real product evidence too

Supply clear footage of the real mechanism, controls and result. State the product or prototype version and approved claims. Generated animation cannot verify a working function. Treat prototype versions, specifications and limitations as part of the recording brief. If the product is also being crowdfunded, use the Kickstarter preparation guide and check the platform category rules before proposing generated product scenes.

One core story and 5–10 launch cutdowns

A useful planning pattern is to define one core film and then list five to ten short pieces with different jobs: a problem hook, a single feature, one use case, a short real demonstration or a reminder. This is a proposed content plan, not the deliverable count included in a single-video order. Some pieces may reuse approved footage; others need a new opening, recording or narration. Agree each version’s runtime, ratio, wording and action before the studio quotes the work. Compare a custom set with the separately defined Campaign Package rather than assuming the package quantities match this example.

Keep a delivery matrix for the whole launch

Name each file in a shared list so reviewers know what they are approving. A horizontal website film may explain the full idea, while a vertical feed clip needs larger interface details and a faster route to one message. Captions, interface labels and calls to action must remain legible on a phone. A crop is not automatically a finished vertical adaptation. Check the destination’s current specifications, including its overlays and safe-zone previews, before fixing text placement.

How much time does the founder need to contribute?

With an approved message and recordings ready, allow roughly 75–150 minutes across the brief, asset selection and reviews. These are planning allowances, not measured client averages or a guarantee. Recording a complex workflow, getting product approval or resolving a claim takes additional time. Appoint one person to gather feedback from product, legal or marketing stakeholders before sending it. A short written decision at each stage can reduce ambiguity without requiring everyone to join every production exchange.

You define the real workflow

Supply the current UI, approved feature names and example data. Mark any planned feature clearly. Do not send credentials, live customer records or unrestricted account access.

We agree the story and edit

We assess the recordings, identify gaps and agree the purpose, runtime, aspect ratio, narration and closing action. Website copy helps explain context but does not replace footage of an actual workflow.

You verify accuracy in review

Check interface labels, action order, visible data and whether the demonstrated result is real. Consolidate feedback into the included in-scope revision; extra flows or versions require agreement.

Book around the state of the product

Choose a UI version before recording and identify any changes expected before launch. A film built around an unstable interface may need new screens and narration when a button or workflow changes. Standard production has separate materials review, optional storyboard and production stages; client feedback time sits between them. Rush skips the preparation review and storyboard. A 25- or 48-hour preview deadline is useful only when the materials are ready. Build time into the launch plan for checking the final interface against the actual release.

What we can substantiate with the current portfolio

There is not yet a verified software-interface demo in the public portfolio. Hardware and cinematic product films are not presented here as SaaS case studies. Ask about the fit using your approved recordings before ordering. We can discuss the edit using your actual approved recordings. Product films elsewhere on this site demonstrate visual direction and pacing; they do not stand in for a verified software case study. Ask for a feasibility discussion if you need exact interface behavior, complex motion graphics or an unusual delivery specification.

Send a brief a producer can assess

Include a public product URL, audience, one workflow or message, original recordings, approved feature names, brand files and the desired next action. State whether the release is live, in beta or still planned. List launch assets by priority and explain the deadline for each. Put critical fixed wording next to the matching screen. The most useful first conversation identifies what can be made from those materials and what is still missing; it should not depend on giving a studio access to a live customer account.

Video ideas for software and hardware launches

See three ways to introduce a product: a fictional finance platform shown through everyday tasks, an e-bike reveal, and a labeled space tourism concept. These studio samples explore creative approaches; they are not client launches or demos of working products.

Plan your contribution

Client participation planning allowance, with existing materials ready
Your taskSuggested allowanceWhat to do
Brief and scope15–30 minutesChoose one audience, message, format and decision-maker.
Gather existing assets30–60 minutesOrganize approved files. Recording new footage takes additional time.
Review the direction15–30 minutesOptional storyboard review on standard orders.
Review the video15–30 minutesCheck the complete preview and consolidate timestamped notes.

Total: about 75–150 minutes across the project. These are planning allowances, not measured averages or promised time savings. New photography, recordings, internal approvals and additional feedback are extra.

Questions before you start

Can you work from our website and screen recordings?

Send the public product URL and approved recordings for assessment. We need real screens to demonstrate behavior accurately; a website alone cannot establish how a workflow operates.

Can you log into our live application?

For your privacy, please share approved recordings with sample data rather than login credentials. Any different access arrangement would need a separate agreement.

How much founder time is required?

You provide the facts and assets, approve the scope and review the preview. Participation depends on the readiness of those materials; there is no universal time commitment or preparation-free promise.

Are five to ten cutdowns included in one video?

No. That is a proposed launch plan. Additional edits, ratios and languages need separately agreed scope, or the published Campaign Package with its own defined quantities.

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