Why Hire a Professional

A good question.

When should you hire a professional and when should you do it yourself?

As is true with most things, whether it be fixing your car, renovating your bathroom or producing a video for your business, anyone can with the time, the tools and some learning, do it themselves. But you have to ask is the finished product worth it?

There are plenty of reasons that you might hire a professional. First, they have the tools. When it comes to video production the tools include professional cameras, lighting and audio equipment.
Second, they have the knowledge and skills. In video production, this means that they know how to properly light a scene, get good clean audio, and get the best performance out of people that are on camera.
Third, they have the time. Video production can be very time consuming. Then there are the hours spent in editing.

When I look at video that people (non-professionals) have produced for themselves, the quality ranges all over the place. Sometimes it is downright awful, with horrible lighting and barely audible sound. Other times it is great with perfect lighting and good sound. Most of the time it falls somewhere in between. Today anyone can get hold of an HD camcorder or DSLR which will give them great picture quality (in good lighting) so often the video looks quite good. What usually gives away the fact that it was produced by a non-professional is the audio. The on camera microphones just are not ideal for picking up good clean audio. You can almost always hear too much room tone or echo in the shot.

When I shoot a video for someone, it can be a simple 30 second piece or a 10 - 20 minute full blown production, I have the time, the tools and the knowledge. The time of course, because I have been hired to do the job. The tools are very important. A professional camera for the highest quality picture, along with proper lighting and good audio equipment to make sure that the sound is right. Also, if the size of the production calls for it, there will be a crew of skilled people. The knowledge and skill is very important. Under perfect conditions, an amateur can very well make a good video. The problems usually arise because conditions are rarely perfect. Knowing what to do when things aren't perfect or when things go wrong is where the knowledge and experience is really an asset.

I don't want to discourage anyone from trying to shoot video for themselves. There are times when it is much more economical to shoot yourself rather than pay a professional. For instance, if you do a video blog once a week it would not make sense to have a pro come in once a week to shoot it for you. (You could hire a professional to come and shoot 10 or 20 video blogs in one day which is much more economical and then release them one a week. I have done that for people and they were happy with the result.) Even if you are going to shoot them yourself, it may be worth asking a professional for advice on how to light and how to get good audio. I have also helped people create a set-up with a good camera and simple lighting etc.

For any video that is meant to promote you and your business it is worth hiring a professional. Firstly you need to be focused on how you and your business are coming across and not on the technical aspects of production. It is your image that you are putting out there. Do you want to promote your business with an amateur looking video or a well produced video? You need someone that knows how to use the tools to produce a product that professionally and creatively shows off your business. You need to hire someone that knows how to not only shoot but edit (sometimes a rather cumbersome process) the footage into a clear story about your business. You need to hire someone that knows what works and what doesn't and why.

Video is an incredibly powerful tool that all businesses should be using. Keep in mind the points above when you are deciding whether you should hire a professional.