As the founder of an online video agency, I see many businesses try to attempt creating video in-house. We get it: professional video can get expensive, and their iPhones/iPads shoot HD footage… so they think it would be an easier and cheaper solution to just whip something up themselves.
Just because the tech is cheaper and more available than ever before, what most don’t fully understand is how much knowledge and expertise actually goes into creating a professional looking & sounding video. From lighting to shot composition, framing, smooth camera movements and clear audio – there’s a lot behind creating professional quality shots, and those shots stand as the very foundation of the video. If those shots are bad, it’s very hard for your business to be perceived as a professional. Bad quality video is actually proven to negatively affect brand perception.
In fact, one of our newest clients recently told me: ’I honestly didn’t think I needed you until our marketing girl shot/edited a video herself, and I needed gravol by the end of it.” I watched those videos, cringed, and thought ‘you’re not the first and you definitely won’t be the last’.
These days, many companies are expecting their marketing or digital managers to be able to just pick up a consumer camera with little to no experience & start producing videos in-house as easily as they post links to social media.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: creative & professional video production is a learned and practiced skill, takes talent, and is honed after years of experience.
From developing a creative strategy, a video then has to be shot, it also has to be edited, which are three entirely separate creative skill sets. None of these areas can be learned overnight, so it’s unfair to ask untrained employees to pick up that ball and run with it – if you want to realize the great potential online video holds.
In fact, it’s so rare for us to receive a videographer application from someone who went to film/digital media school actually have their talent’s honed until at least a few years in the field. For this reason, our creative team, videographers and video editors all have a minimum of 5-10 years experience telling visual stories. It’s an expertise… and proof is always in the end product.
It honestly makes me a little nervous when I see some of our clients try to supplement the professional videos we do for them with their own… in fear someone will (gasp!) think we had a hand in them! Alas, I understand their motivations because online video truly is the now and the future of marketing & advertising for businesses of all sizes. If they wish to supplement with some in-house videos, we offer them guidance and tips to make sure what they do themselves doesn’t destroy the reputation for quality they have developed by working with a pro video agency.
I always beg amateurs to avoid shooting video themselves, because there are trained professionals ready to help… which, when done properly, consistently delivers great ROI and doesn’t put your brand at risk.
Lisa Ostrikoff, Founder – BizBOXTV