This paper talks about the basics of real estate video- covering what you need to get started and do a decent job.  I will warn you that video production is much like golf.  It it’s not really expensive but it will take lots of time and lots of practice to get good. 

I won’t go into details about the benefits of video apart from saying that in addition to being a great tool to showcase a listing, it is also a great way to get a listing.  Imagine telling your prospect that you are going to produce a video documentary of their home and distributed it to all major video and real estate search sites on the Internet.  That will stand out far above a photo slide show.    The information below is broken into four parts: Equipment, Filming, Editing and Distribution.  I’ve tried to include as much as possible, but I know I missed something.  If you have any questions please give me a call.  I’m happy to help and I love to talk about video for real estate.

David

Part 1 - Equipment

To get started filming real estate video consider the following equipment:

A video camera
I will not make a recommendation of something I have not tried personally which limits me.  Ultimately buying a camera is a personal decision.  If you have big hands you will find that many little cameras are difficult to operate.  Go to a store, try them out to see how they feel.  Here aresome things to look for.

1. White balance – This feature allows you to tell the camera what color white is.  All other colors are adjusted to match that color line.  If your camera does not at least offer auto white balance you will find that your videos look yellow when you are shooting a room with lights on and they will look blue if you enter a room with more daylight
2. Video quality Standard Definition or HD – while there is a great deal of buzz about HD video for the web, it is still relatively rare and ensures only people with a very high speed modem can watch your video.  While its time will come, I don’t believe its time is here yet – Standard Definition is fine.
3. Audio jack – if you plan on recording interviews, you will want to get a camera with an audio jack this feature is lacking in many of the smaller flip-style cameras.
4. Video Format – The majority of cameras capture video in one of the following ways: on Mini DV, on Flash Drive (Flip video) on a hard disk or on DVD. 
1. Mini DV tapes cost about 20.00 for eight tapes at Sam’s Club.  They also require you to manually download your video to your computer for editing – usually you would use a fire wire.  However the video is pure digital un uncompressed giving you the best quality picture.
2. Hard Drive and Flash drive cameras are smaller and lighter.  There are fewer moving parts and they compress your video for you.  However, because that video has been compressed you may see some degradation of your video. (It might not look crystal clear)
3. DVD cameras record directly to a DVD – great for home movies if you want to record a video and pop it directly into your DVD player, but I don’t recommend them for video editing as the quality is not very good..
4.  If you have an older camera that records VHS or High8 I would say get a digital video camera.

Many realtors use the Flip video camera and it does bear mentioning.  It comes bundled with its own editing software and plugs directly into your computer’s USB port.  Higher end versions do accept tripods.  They also allow push button upload to YouTube which is a very nice feature.  In return for the small size be aware that the camera needs plenty of light to capture video.  You will be disappointed if you are shooting a room that is at all dim.  I use a hard drive camera similar to the flip as my pocket knife camera.  It’s great to stick in your pocket and pull out when something catches your eye
Look at the following links for research:
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/
Cnet digital camera buying guide.
http://reviews.cnet.com/camcorder-buying-guide/
Review of Flip cameras and its competitors
http://activerain.com/blogsview/521317/4-Cameras-For-Video
The Flip Video
http://www.theflip.com
Bonica (I have this camera one.  Decent picture, sound is ok.    Like many small cameras it is poor in low light situations but excellent for outdoors as its waterproof sleeve allows you to take it places where you would not want a nicer camera.
Their Website http://bonicadive.com/?p2=modules/bonica/product.jsp&productId=80

A tripod
Again you can start around $25.00 and go all the way up to several thousand.  The better visions have fluid heads which make pans smoother.  This one at target is great for a cheap tripod.
A microphone if you want to record anything other than ambient sound
Here is a wireless microphone from Amazon. 
This one is cheaper, but it is not wireless.  Still, it is  better than relying on your camera’s microphone.
A computer that is powerful enough to edit your video,
Videos require memory, both in terms of storage and processing memory.  Although you can get by with less, I recommend a computer with at least 1 gigabyte of RAM (Random Access Memory)  Click Start/control panel/system/general to see how much RAM your computer has.) If you are buy a camera that records on mini-DV tape, know that an hour of video will take up about 13 gigabytes of hard drive space.  Most computers that are three years old or newer will handle video.  Check to see if your computer has video editing software.  If it does, it will probably handle video.
Software for video editing
I don’t know what Macs ship with. Windows uses a program called Movie Maker. If you are running windows click start/all programs/accessories/windows movie maker.  If you want something with more features,  there is other software available at best buy and similar stores.  I can not recommend them as I have not used them.  You can expect to pay anywhere from $69 to $1200 depending on what you are buying.  Also check which program you will use for editing before you buy a camera.  For example, many of the flash drive cameras create a quick time file that windows movie maker can not read.
Other cameras,  Flip being one, come bundled with software.

Part 2 – Filming a home

Before you begin filming a home consider light.  It is your best friend and your biggest obstacle.  Not enough light and your video will look dark and grainy.  Too much light – sun pouring through a window for example – will overload your camera and cause blow out. (Your picture will be all white).  You can compensate by buying lights to raise the light level inside the home to match the outside, however that can be bulky and expensive.
Before you begin filming do a walk through of the entire home. During the walk through focus on three things –
1) Turn on every light in the home.  Overheads, bathroom lights, night lights, if it will turn on, use it. 
2) Close every blind and at least partially draw curtains.  This is because daylight is much, much brighter than light bulbs.  Although our eyes can adjust for the difference, a camera has a much harder time.  If you are filming on a cloudy day or in the evening when the light is softer you have more flexibility and may be able to leave windows open, if the day is bright, you will want to close the blinds.
3) Make sure that the home is prepared for video.  Shampoo bottles hidden, counters clear, etc.  If it’s there the camera will see it.
Next pick the features you want to highlight.  What is it that will build emotion – is it the fire place, views, hard wood floors?  What ever it is make note and take extra footage.
Also remember who is buying the home.  Kid’s rooms are great but the buyer is more concerned about where he, she or they will spend most of their time – the kitchen, master bedroom, master bathroom and living area make sure you highlight them as well as you can.
Once you have a good idea what you want to film, set up your camera.  Make sure it is level and that you have set the white balance.   When you film a room, consider the following:

1. Pan slowly.  Very slowly from right to left, then from left to right.  It can help to rest your hand on the camera to add some weight.  Also try tying a rubber band or a piece of bungee to the tripod’s arm.  This will act as a shock absorber and make your pan smoother.
2. Don’t use the Zoom. It’s a great feature, and people love to see that they have a 700x digital zoom.  However our eyes don’t zoom and it seems out of place to visually throw the viewer around like a yoyo.  That being said, a zoom can be effective to highlight a particular feature – zoom into a ornate light fixture, or to set a transition to another room – Zoom into a door then cut to the inside of that room.
3. Shooting low makes the room look bigger. Remember how big everything seemed when you were 5?  It’s the same concept.  Don’t set your camera too low, however or furniture will block the view.
4. Shoot high or use close ups in a bathroom.  Bathrooms are already small.  Raise the camera up and shoot down in a bathroom.  Another tactic is hold your camera in your hands and shoot close ups of fixtures, counters, etc.
5. You aren’t married to your tripod.  Feel free to fool around.  I promise I won’t tell.  Hold it in your hands for close ups. Borrow a skate board and move the camera across the counter.  Baby strollers are excellent for moving the camera over smooth surfaces.   Have fun and experiment.
6. Take much more film than you need.  Chances are you won’t notice what the dog is doing in the corner until you are sitting at your computer.  You will be much happier if you have lots of footage to pick from.
7. If you are narrating as you shoot, don’t state the obvious. Maybe it’s just a pet peeve, but video is a visual medium.  I go crazy when I see a video that shows a kitchen and all the realtor can think to say is, “This is the kitchen, That’s the stove. Over there is the refrigerator.”  Video will show people what they are seeing. If you are narrating as you film, paint the picture that the video won’t show. “Your family’s dinners will be warm and lively around the bar, built into this granite topped kitchen island.”
8. Film the community.  You can show what you can’t say about a neighborhood. Use the tripod or shoot from your car.  Fill a 1 gallon ziplock ½ full of dry rice to create a bean bag.  Put it on your dash and put the camera on the bag.  Use that to film out the windshield as you drive.
9. Don’t neglect the outside.  Back yard, grilling area.  Again, tell the story of this home.
   

Part 3 – Editing

I won’t go into much depth here.  Because each software is different it’s hard to be anything but general. In short, editing is the process of getting your video off the camera and onto your computer where you make it pretty enough to share with the world.  Some things to remember:

1. Just because your software offers 133 different transitions, you aren’t obligated to use them.  Nothing screams amateur like a video with 13 different transitions. Watch television, most transitions are either cuts – one clip ends or another begins - or fades where one clip fades into another.  You won-t see a whole lot of star wipes or rolling cubes.
2. If I’m going to use narration I prefer to write and record my script first then edit the video to the narration.  That allows me to be sure I am showing the kitchen when the narrator is talking about the kitchen.  That is just a personal preference.
3. Don’t steal music.  It’s not worth it.  No matter how cool it will be to have James Taylor sing “Gone to Carolina in My Mind,” it will loose its luster when Mr. Taylor’s lawyers sue you.  It can happen and it does happen.  Google Royalty Free Music to find music you can use.  You can also look at http://www.digitaljuice.com or http://www.Istockaudio.com for royalty free music.

Part 4:  Distribution

OK, you’ve filmed, edited and added legal music.  It looks great.  Your sellers think you’re the next Spielberg. Now you’ve got to get it out to the masses.  You are in luck.  Video is the new black.  Everyone is trying to add video to their site and they want your masterpiece.  The good news is most video sites are free.  For less than you spend to mail one post card you can post your video to more than 20 different sites where it can be seen by anyone in the world with an Internet connection. 
Where to send it?  Consider the following:
General Distribution:
For general distribution, Tube Mogul is a must have. Tube Mogul is a FREE site that allows you to automatically upload your video to multiple sites with a single click.  All the biggies are covered including YouTube, Yahoo Video, Google Video, etc.  It also offers analytics which allows you to see how many views your video is receiving on each site.  Imagine how impressed your sellers will be. I will warn you, you will have to create an account at each site where you wish to post your videos.  After you have created your accounts, enter the log in info into Tube Mogul.  Tube Mogul saves them and all future videos can be uploaded with the click of a button.
Real Estate Web Sites: Also upload your video to Realtor.com (its free if you have the enhanced listing plan) Trulia and Zillow as well as Zipvo, Wellcomemat.com and Active Rain..  They in turn will upload your video to other sites and so on, and so on.
Social Networking Sites:
Don’t forget about Twitter, FaceBook and My Space.  If you use social networking for prospecting, your video is a great way to showcase your listing to your friends.
Do you post a blog?  You can embed your video into your blog.  How about Craig’s List?  Again, take the embed code off of your YouTube video and paste it into the description section of your Craig’s List Posting.
Don’t forget about your Web site.  It seems obvious, but you would be amazed at how many Realtors forget to post their video on their Web site.
Create an unbranded video and link it to the MLS.  Just make sure it does not contain contact information or branding of any kind.  When people click on virtual tour they will get a lot more than just a photo slideshow.
That’s video production for real estate in a nut shell.  It’s not nearly as easy as photographs, but there is nothing better for building an emotional connection between the viewer and your listing.  It is also a whole lot of fun.  If you have questions about how to do something or if you want just want to hand the project over to a professional, give me a call or send me an e-mail.   
Best wishes and happy filming.

David Bonyun
Homesonfilm.com
(828)280-5763