I know what you’re thinking, a post like this on a website like mine is probably going to be a very bias piece. I wouldn’t blame you for thinking I’ve written it solely for advertising myself. But if you do care to read on, I actually want to present my own opinion away from self-interest in the hope that it may actually help you make a more informed decision.
You see I love meeting new people. And most recently I had the opportunity to meet a lovely Real Estate Agent, let’s say her name was Lauren. Getting on the subject of video, she was ecstatic to show me that she had actually been creating her own promotional videos with her new phone. ‘It gave her a competitive edge’ she told me, over her more traditional competitors who weren’t utilising video to engage potential buyers.
Her workflow basically involved getting her partner to film herself at the house as she walked through and explained the rooms, she would then put this footage onto her computer and edit it with a very easy use software. And the end result? Well, it was absolutely watchable!
Lauren is the perfect person in this case to benefit from having a really high quality camera a phone. She’s comfortable on camera, she has numerous houses with a fast turnaround and she’s eager to learn a new skill to elevate her above her other fellow Real Estate Agents.
For Lauren, who’s main prerogative was to showcase numerous houses to potential buyers, didn’t need to worry about factors such as production value. To the contrary, given the videos were really ‘in the moment’ and down to earth, this most likely added to their appeal. If the videos were shot in a traditional way with a piece to camera and b-roll to match, it might’ve even failed to make an emotive connection with the audience.
Having said that, there are some really important things to look out for – audio is the key one. Most people getting into video don’t realise that audiences are happy to forgive bad video (for the most part), but bad audio (ie. too quiet, noisy, distorted), will make people switch off straight away.
What I’ve just presented is the perfect case where filming and editing yourself can save time and money, only after the initial learning curve has taken place. Think about buying a power drill, you don’t buy it for drill itself, but getting a hole in the wall for example. Well, the same goes here. Lauren’s end goal was to showcase houses across her social media channels, and she managed just that using her phone and computer to create her own content.
So have I just written myself out of all future filmmaking jobs with this single story? Of course not. If you’re reading this now and looking to create your own content, you’ll know what kind of video you’re looking for. You may decide that the extra production value, experience and expertise you’ll gain from hiring a video content creator will be worth it to you. Conversely if you have the time and resources to do it yourself, and you have the confidence the video can still serve its purpose, more power to you!
In some cases, you don’t need a power drill, just a simple screwdriver will do the trick.
