If you want to entice cash buyers, move luxury listings, or stand out among the plethora of other agents, then you need to be utilizing video in your marketing. How do you make the video of a new listing, or property stand out, look professional, and catch the viewers eye?  While much of that can be subjective, there are several key elements that have proven effective in the past.  Whether you are new to producing these videos yourself, or are an agent looking to hire someone, implementing these tips into your finished product will help you to rise to the top!

The 3 tips we will discuss are:

1. Time Lapse

2. Movement Framing

3. Comprehensive Drone Angles

Time Lapse

Effective time lapse’s provide a normally unseeable dimension to the property.  It gives a glimpse into the future passing time by showcasing the past. Time lapses are creative and draw people into another dimension.  I have found that 2-3 time lapse’s  can really lift the quality of a video.  These could be of the entrance, the backyard, or from an aerial perspective. They can be really powerful if you capture a sunset and make for a great way to end a video. I mean, who doesn’t want to watch the sun descend over the property!

While time lapses are effective in videos, be sure to add motion in post production or by using a motorized slider during the capture process. This motion could be a pan across the shot, a push, or a pull out on the scene. Often because time lapses are taken on a stationary tripods, adding movement makes the final product come to life a bit more. Adding sound effects that match the scene, like a light breeze, or birds chirping really steps up the final product. Remember its the little things that take your video to the next level.

Movement Framing

As with any video, you are likely already using a gimble for camera movement, and if not you should be!  With that in mind there are a few tips and tricks that should be included if you decide to add movement into the shot. 

First, move slowly. Fast motion often looks bad and shaky in post production even when using a gimble. Quick movements, turns, or jerks of the camera will make your shots unusable. Now fast motion camera movements have there place from time to time, but this is a real estate shoot, not an actions film. We want people to see the property in detail, not in a blur.

Second, use a high frame rate. Shooting at 60p, 120p, or even 240p will allow you to get the buttery smooth shots you have always dreamed of. This does not replace the gimble, but should be used in addition to. This allows you to shoot at normal steady walking speed, but then slow things down to just the right tempo.

Third, use speed ramps to move between rooms. Now we mentioned not going to fast, and thats important. Going slow is the way to go. But at times, perhaps between rooms or down long hallways, we don’t need slow motion footage of the mundane. In this case, speed ramping should be used and applied in post production. For instance, lets say you are going from the living room to the kitchen in one shot. To do this, you would have your camera on a gimble, you would move steadily through your shot of the living room and then simply turn slowly and move into the kitchen to begin your shot. In post production you would slow down the shot in the living room and then in a wave form, ramp the speed up during the transitionary period between the two rooms, finally slowing it down again once you’ve reached the kitchen shot.

Fourth, as a small pro tip you should be shooting wide angle. Preferably something between 10-18mm. This will allow a lot to be captured in small places and will look amazing as you move between doorways and walls.

Comprehensive Drone Angles

It shouldn’t need to be said, but here it is anyway. Any professional video of the property must have drone footage. Its enticing, beautiful, and captures a property in a way that brings real life and completeness to a video. In addition, make sure that you or the drone pilot is Part 107 licensed for the work. You can read my other article here on that subject if you’d like more information on what that means.

So now that you have a drone up in the air, what comes next. This is where the skill of a drone pilot will shine through. Good footage is NOT going to be jerky. It is going to be smooth and include at least two forms of movement in the shot to look professional. This might mean the drone is flying sideways while turning to keep the property in focus. It might also mean that the gimble is being moved while the drone flies over, around, or otherwise. In this fashion, multiple different comprehensive angles of the property should be captured. Their should be some straight down footage, panning, pulling, close ups, far away, and so on types of shots.

What you don’t want to see is the video cut back to the same type of drone footage every time it is used in the video.

While most footage should be cinematic in nature for real estate videos, there is a time a place for drone action shots. This could come in the form of either flying through a tight space to reveal an aspect of the property or using and FPV to fly in and out of the house. These action shots, and especially the use of FPV are really only afforded in very high end luxury homes - and there is always a danger of crashes with this medium so be sure you are hiring a professional if you want this type of FPV footage included in the video. To read more on what type of drone works best in differing situations check out my other articles on FPV vs. Cinematic here.

Yes, the effort, the detail, and the more unique kinds of footage you add into your real estate marketing video, the more enticing, professional, and desirable your property will be! So if you are having a video done, don’t skimp on the quality, make sure your video includes these three dynamic tips: Time Lapses, Movement Framing, and Comprehensive Drone Angles!