Pushing the EX1 in Low Light - Here's what happened...

B

ben1000

Active member
Howdy...

Thought you all might enjoy seeing what happened on my last shoot...

Last Friday I shot a property for JP King Auctions. It was a ski lodge at Snowshoe Mountain, WV. Beautiful place...

Towards the end of the video, we decided to include a piece called 'Soaring Eagle At Night'... I was worried about how the EX would perform in such low light, and with progressively more gain applied, but I think it came out amazingly well..

You be the judge. Let me know what you think:

http://vmlh.com/homes/soaringeagle/index.html

Ben Freedman
VMLH.com
 
That's a nicely-produced video.

But I am curious as to whether there is much of a market for 'real estate video' per se, given that up here in the NE, real estate tour videos top out around $100 per account. Up until recently, I didn't consider them worth doing, which gas/travel costs being so high and production time and script writing being a considerable number of hours. We had a company called RealTourVisions trying to sell us on their VR tour package, a 360º optical attachment for a still camera for about $2,000, but having learned of the dollar amounts real estate was paying for these, I decided to wait.

Do you have to write your own scripts, or are you getting your clients to do much of the preparation? I know the tapeless workflow really weighs things in favor of small-budget projects, but I am wondering just how you control production costs (time spent) on these projects.
 
That looks really great. Those preset lower thirds really make clients happy. This is basically what I been doing with my camera since july.
 
Howdy...

Like most things in life, some people will pay for a superior product, and some people won't. We've been producing these videos since February, and have made over 100 of them so far.

Things like scripting and graphics are extras that the client can pay for if they like. Typicall we don't include them for free. Our normal rates are around $700-$1200 for a medium sized home, but for a shoot like this one in WV, we charge a daily rate plus travel.

Thanks for the comments. Appreciate the feedback.

-Ben
 
Holy smokes! That's pretty good money for a real estate tour video!
Do you find that the price tracks the home values pretty much as a percentage of home asking price?
 
Hi, Mark.

Actually, I think we're cheap considering what we're giving people for their money. I mean, many Realtors spend $500-$1000/month on print advertising. It makes more sense to spend $1000 once with us which lasts for as long as the home is up for sale.

Folks who sell home tour videos fo $100-$200 are undervaluing themselves.

Just my 2 cents.

Best,

Ben

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Benjamin Freedman
VisitMyLuxuryHome.com
480.240.9262
 
Very nice Ben! Great work! What mic do you use for the host? Where is it placed on her?

The video looks VERY nice! Thanks for sharing! :)
 
That's good information, Ben.
I think this must depend on the market, and how realtors are educated about the value of video. Obviously it's perceived value down there is much higher than it is up here in CT!
I really would think this is viable here, with the number of $2M and up homes in my neighborhood and surrounding communities where rich movie stars retire.
I see so many of these homes for sale with a blase web presentation, maybe a VR 360º view that's mouse-driven, and that's about it. But with the housing market being what it is now, it might make sense to try and educate local realtors about the power of a great video presentation.
 
What I like most about the video is not one thing, but that the totality of its simple elements combine for an effective and interesting presentation of the marketing message. If I'm not expressing myself right, what I'm trying to convey is high compliments and praise for using simple techniques of motion and composition that don't call attention to themselves or distract from the message. It's easy to overdo, go overboard with post edits that call more attention to the production and distract from the marketing message.

This presentation is very consistent beginning to end. It always keeps the action moving. Every scene is panning, even the still shots are in motion. It's very professional looking, the technique of transitioning from a blur to sharp focus for the building signs and marquees, while keeping a branch or two in the frame for a polished shallow depth of field. The narration is nice, the talent is dressed appropriately, the message is so focal that I'm not distracted with thoughts of which camera, which NLE, which workflow, which editing effect, etc., exactly what I would want if I was the client. Nice!
 
Well good for you for getting top dollar for your Real Estate Videos.
They are really well done.

You might want to have your web designer look at stopping a video playing once you click another on your website video page.
 
Howdy...

Thanks for the kind words. As I mentioned before, I don't think this IS top dollar. I think that we videographers often undersell ourselves and what we think we can get for a video. Hey, any dude with PageMaker can design your business cards for $50, but a graphic artist can charge $500 or $5000.

Some videographers think they are worth the money, and some videographers don't.

Either way... they're right!

We use Sennheizer Evolution G2 mic packs with Audio Technica AT892 headworn mics.

Regarding our website... when you click on a new video, most times it opens in the same webpage, so the old one would stop playing. If you have your browser set to open a new tab or page with every link, that could be a problem... Anyone else experiencing this?

Again, thanks for all the comments...

-Ben
VMLH.com
 
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