Hiring Professional Videographers vs Amateurs
From unusable sound, unflattering images and visuals, to bad editing, amateurs can fail in many ways, leaving you with a noticeably poor quality video or even an unwatchable video that poorly represents your products or services.
Camera Techniques and Equipment
The professional videographer has experience, skill, and the required equipment to accomplish the job outstandingly. The pro takes a variety of different types of camera shots, making a significant difference in the quality of a video compared to that of an amateur-made video. Often professionals work in teams bringing with them several years of combined knowledge. This type of atmosphere creates a professional setting that allows the team to be incredibly creative and for each crew member to collaborate and learn from each others’ different past work experiences.
A professional videographer also brings professional equipment to the table that amateur videographers may not have the budget or knowledge to properly and safely use. For example, professionals utilize multiple cameras, tripods, and camera stabilizer systems. By having this equipment, professionals can easily avoid some of the amateurs’ most obvious pitfalls: shaky footage, and a lack of depth and perspective. Something can also be said for the look and feel of the production as it is happening. Would you want someone showing up to your office with homemade camera gear that is cobbled together with pvc-pipe and roller-skate wheels?
Recording Good Sound
Director Danny Boyle, best known for his film Slumdog Millionaire, once said in an interview: “… 80% of a movie is sound”(Source). So basically, if you have a bad audio recording, regardless of how the video looks, no one is going to watch it.
There are several different tools and techniques that a professional videographer uses when recording high quality sound that an amateur may not. But before even starting to film on set, the professional will survey the area to determine whether the surroundings provide an optimal environment. A professional will exclude a setting that has noticeable background noises, something that can be easily overlooked or not be noticed by an amateur.
A professional will often use a combination of different microphones and microphone placements to record the best possible sound, while the amateur may only have the standard onboard camera microphone.
The Value of Editing
Editing is essential when creating a high-quality video, and the pros spend many many hours editing to polish and perfect their videos while working within a predetermined budget and deadline. Amateurs, on the other hand, may be: working on a small budget (or worse, doing the job as a favor), not accustomed to deadlines, and considering editing as an afterthought.
The finished, edited video is your baby. It’s what you have spent days thinking about, hours in meetings discussing, and countless emails back and fourth crafting your vision.
The Character of a Professional Videographer
A professional videographer is intrinsically motivated by his passion and desire to perform well at his job. He has integrity, professionalism, and pride in his work. A professional works closely with you every step of the way, setting up a game plan right from the beginning and delivering your vision as planned.
In a nutshell, amateurs simply lack experience and this frequently means that producers lack the time and equipment to produce a professional video. If you are planning on making a YouTube or corporate video, Facebook Ad, film, television commercial, etc. consider not only what you want the final video to look like, but also what you want the entire process to look like.