Rather less expensive than full motion video, a ‘pan and zoom’ slideshow gives a sense of movement by moving a virtual camera across and into (or out of) a still image. It’s not true video; trees & water won’t move in the wind for instance, although there is opportunity to intersperse real video between the still shots.
Yet another marketing option for the toolbox.
If you’re a sports fan you may have seen TV cameramen scuttling down the sideline, following the action with their camera mounted on a framelike contraption which is itself supported by a body harness. That’s a steadicam, a device designed to absorb the ‘bobbling’ motion imparted to the camera by the cameraman’s own movement. The result is smooth, almost floating, footage. If you’ve ever walked with a full cup of tea (anyone?) you’ll appreciate the challenge of keeping that liquid surface motionless.
I recently purchased a small steadicam, scaled down for my camera. What a fiendishly frustrating device! Right up there with the rubber frypan!! However, just the tool for transitioning the camera between ‘scenes’, or rooms in the house.
Have a look at the ‘walk-through style’ video below which consists mostly of steadicam sequences, along with a dashboard intro!
What is it with this incessant urge in people to chronicle their every waking moment, with each brain-purge shamelessly aired via blogs and social networking sites to a world the author believes is panting in breathless anticipation!
Why when I was young we didn’t have Facebook or Twitter. Nor did we have digi cams the size of a cigarette packet. We had pen and paper…and…and…we had to wait days for prints to come back from the lab. Like this self-portrait from 1978 taken while hitching from Sydney to Brisbane. Camera perched on a rock, delayed shutter. Yes I was shameless even then. And if I’d had today’s technology, I would have shared this within 30 seconds instead of waiting 30 years ;-D
Why use video to market real estate?
1) video is engaging. It will hold a viewer’s attention longer than a static photo.
2) by telling a story appropriate to a target demographic, video can create an emotional hook between the content and the viewer.
3) video can deliver not only the spatial flow of the home, but also include the sounds of the home, further evoking emotional response. Great for the long-distance buyer.
4) video distribution via Youtube and social media sites increases the visibility of any given property from a search engine standpoint.
5) video boosts the agent’s own brand power, in part by showing that the agent is willing to utilise new marketing technologies. By introducing the property on-camera the agent can begin a relationship with prospective buyers.
The following video (filmed by Gold Coast company Platinum HD) drives home many of these points, and it’s not even about a property!
Well I’m convinced! So much so that I’ve tooled up to offer real estate video on the Sunshine Coast. Here’s my example…