Real Estate Video

[DevonH]

Like many other posters here, I'm interested in getting into doing video tours for real estate agents in my area, and I believe the GH13 would be a fine camera for the job (though I wish I had a lens smaller than my 24mm). I'd enjoy hearing from other members that have used the GH13 for real estate video and if they've picked up any neat tricks, and perhaps have some sample footage. My main concern is low light, though I'd say I could build a basic lighting kit with some daylight balanced lights to help light up some of the darker areas. Also, what's your weapon of choice for moving shots? I'm looking at a flycam nano.

Thanks in advance ;)

[wgzn]

i have to tell ya. ive tried this angle before and run into the following issues. for general, middle class homes. i have found that most realtors:
1. dont want to pony up the cash for a video
2. dont like video because its harder to hide a houses flaws in video
3. dont want to give away too much online or offsite. they want warm bodies to come to the homes.

the best application for real estate video is for either apartments. where it saves the agents time not having to walk a renter to every model on the property.
or for larger ticket homes and ranches. situations where the buyer may not be able or have time to visit the property. sort of like a dupont registry thing.

now as far as the camera goes. i cant speak for the gh13. but i have found that the gh2 is one of the better dslrs as far as the issue of rolling shutter "jello-vision" which could become an important factor in moving camera situations...

[DevonH]

Thanks for the input wgzn, and I have definitely been looking over the positives and negatives. I'll be doing a dry run here in the next month or so with a few pro-bono gigs. and if it pays off for the realtors, then that'll give me some footing in the "pitch". A lot of people, myself included, are doing their real estate research online these days, and the current "videos" which are just slideshows don't really give a good view of the flow of the house. I also have the advantage of living in a area where we have communities with houses that start at 500k (and I have contacts with the realtors that handle those listings). I'm a web designer by trade, and this new company will focus on providing "complete" media solutions for real estate agents.

I can tell you that the GH13 is also very good about rolling shutter

[JimNastics]

wgzn absolutely hit the nail on the head with the biggest issues you'll face. If, however, you can cosy up to realtors who deal with the top end of the market, then you at least can get past the first 2 issues (clients will have the cash, and there are unlikely to be any real nasty flaws with the property). Issue 3 is the one I came against the most, however... so many estate agents (I'm in the UK) turned me away purely because they want people to view the property, and not give too much away.

My other issue was competition. Businesses like these guys - http://shoothome.tv/products-services/movies - are churning out really nice videos for not much money. They've pretty much got the whole thing sussed.... it'd be hard to go up against people like this particularly as it's not really worth undercutting them.

[ChipThome]

Devon you really have to get something fast and wide. I would say at least the 14mm. The key to doing real estate is you have to make it look both bright and spacious. I am trying to do some portrait photography in my home and the 2X crop factor is killing me. I think you will have the same problem, once you get into these homes and start shooting.

As the example Jim linked to, a slider adds a lot to this type shooting. There is a lot available in a home for your foreground subject to aid in a good slider clip. I'd also try doing some 360 tripod pans to give a panoramic view of an entire room.

[John Frey]

I have been shooting real estate video for nearly 30 years, and issue #1 applied then and still applies now. However, once in awhile, an agent who is handling a very special property (large and expensive), will call our studio. The last one that I did was a 3.5 million dollar home that was being selectively featured to people on 'the list'. This was a 10 hour shoot and included some aerial footage of this gated community that I already had shot from an earlier project. This home was still being lived in, and the interior was full of beautiful, expensive, top-of-the-line furnishings. The real estate agent cheaped-out and would not OK any night shots from the outside, even though the home owners wanted it added, as they had absolutely spectacular exterior lighting.

The point of all this is simply, real estate agents or notoriously cheap when it comes to video production. But if you can contract for a realty shoot, whatever size it may be, you need to be able to:

1 - Light the interior, and not with your little on-camera light, but with a true light kit. Turn on the existing lights in the property and then add the extra lighting with the proper color temps to match. Manual white balance when changing lighting conditions.
2 - Beware of exterior lighting coming in from outside. If you cannot control it, then you will have to use 'daylight ' interior lighting fixtures to match the outside light or gel all of your windows that are allowing uncontrolled exterior light to match your 'non-daylight' interior kit. Consider a qualified 'assistant' for your lighting kit.
3 - Shoot from positions to make the property look as spacious as possible. You may be shooting an empty home, condo or apartment which will make your job more-difficult.
4 - After clearing this beforehand with the occupants, do some quick straightening/re-positioning of furniture, accessories, etc. if necessary to improve the shot. Put it all back the way it was.
5 - Have a smooth zoom lens and use it for those special shots. That will leaved out most DSLR's. If no zoom, do it in post if you are providing the final project in standard def.
6 - Use a smooth tripod - do not handhold. Don't let your tripod feet (spikes) scratch the floors! Do several takes of each shot. Use a slider when appropriate. Do not damage or scratch anything!
7 - Visit the shooting location in advance at the time of the day that you will be shooting - pre-plan!
8 - Have a production contract and solid payment schedule - get a deposit in advance.

Good luck!

[DevonH]

Thank you all for your input and advice! I've been debating this in my head for around a month now and had a lot of the general process and workflow worked out, and I certainly agree on the slider.

I'm tempted to do 75% upfront, and then the other 25% when the house closes. Especially since the service is meant to help agents sell their listings faster, but I have a feeling I would run into payment issues, and there's the fact that I could wait for months.

[steve_r]

wgzn absolutely hit the nail on the head with the biggest issues you'll face. If, however, you can cosy up to realtors who deal with the top end of the market, then you at least can get past the first 2 issues (clients will have the cash, and there are unlikely to be any real nasty flaws with the property). Issue 3 is the one I came against the most, however... so many estate agents (I'm in the UK) turned me away purely because they want people to view the property, and not give too much away.

My other issue was competition. Businesses like these guys - http://shoothome.tv/products-services/movies - are churning out really nice videos for not much money. They've pretty much got the whole thing sussed.... it'd be hard to go up against people like this particularly as it's not really worth undercutting them.

Really appreciate the nice comments about our property movies, although we operate on a volume scale, quality is our core value throughout which we will never compromise on.

It's a tough market, home owners and real estate agents are feeling the squeeze on funds, so it has to be all about value for money these days. This makes it really difficult for independent film makers setting out in the real estate market.

Always happy to talk to talented film makers in the UK and US with regard to advice - feel free to PM me

[dop16mm]

If you are going to offer pro-bono to get your foot in the door, why not write up a contract for fair payment upon sale. Agents are cheap because they get nothing unless the listing sells, and listing agents lose half if another agent scoops it and makes the final sale, they may feel that a really slick video will help other agents get that scoop.

A market that may be worth looking into is owner listings. Either completely free craigs list kind of things, or the ones that pay a couple hundred for a sign and internet listing. You would be dealing directly with the owner, who is already saving thousands buy not using an agent, who in their minds is asking for a ridiculous commission for putting a sign on the line and registering with mls. You can pitch the value of a good video is to keep the looky-lou's out, the ones that make a viewing apt. probably already like what they see.