Why you should hire a professional video production team instead of a videographer

In the video production business, there is often a stigma about the difference between a videographer and professional video production. To some of the more established video production studios, a single videographer couldn’t possibly shoot as well as their full production teams. And largely this makes sense. But what are the key differences between a single videographer and a full production crew? Why should you hire a video production team? Read on to find out!

As video production equipment has become much more affordable and online video training courses have flooded the web, it’s obvious that there have never been more videographers than there are today. For many new videographers, it starts as a hobby and then develops into a side gig. Then once it’s enough income, they make the job into being full-time videographers. It is truly an exciting time as a videographer. And as the shoots begin to become larger budget and there is more financial pressure on the videographer, it usually results that they go two routes. Either A. Commercial or B. Corporate. Commercials are obviously more desired as there is more prestige that comes along with them, but on the other hand, it is oftentimes harder to “make it”. Conversely with corporate, although you have to shoot a lot of dry content, it’s a reliable source of income as long as you can be professional and deliver a quality product on time.

You might be wondering… “Am I looking for a videographer or a video production company”? Well to be honest, there is a lot of overlap. Most of the time, the videographer is a part of a video production company, whether it is their own or not is another question…

And while a new videographer with a new prosumer camera may be able to get the job done, there are often other factors that should be considered before hiring them.

Primary factors when deciding between a videographer and a video production company.

1. How experienced are they? Obviously, their work needs to look professional but does it fit into the genre you are looking for? Sure maybe they’ve shot a wedding, but does that mean they can shoot a dynamic product video? Perhaps. Be sure to look at many samples to determine this. You’ll want to see similar work to what you are looking for before hiring them.
2. Do they have experience working with companies with many key players? Often times the jump between small shoots and larger scale ones, is that there are many cooks in the kitchen. Everyone wants to share their opinion. Your videographer or video production team will want to be able to work in a complementary fashion in order to adequately make sure everyone is heard but at the same time, be able to take the ideas and guide the company for what would make sense on camera. Oftentimes, newer videographers just want it to look flashy(which isn’t always a bad thing) but it’s important that the core messaging and brand show through.
3. Are they licensed with the city to operate as a business? Is this a side hustle or are they taking their business seriously?
4. Do they have liability insurance? What happens if their equipment gets damaged or stolen on the shoot?
5. Are they permitting locations? Sure, you may be shooting on private property or in a way that is “discrete”, but we usually find, if there is any doubt of getting challenged to film at a particular location, it’s always best to permit it appropriately.
6. Do they have positive reviews? Often times past clients will be able to give insights as to the quality, delivery, and customer service. Will you have to wait days for an email reply, or will your feedback be taken into account immediately. Often times, deadlines are tight, so you’ll want to make sure whoever you hire is on it!

At the end of the day, you are trying to have a quality video made for a reasonable price. If you are still wondering why should you hire a video production team feel free to reach out. Often times the price is lower for a single videographer(or one-man-band as we call them), but just be cognizant of who you are hiring. Is this a team of professionals with a plethora of experience working on tight deadlines for big companies, or a single videographer who is new to the game and might be a risk. After all, it is your reputation on the line so choose wisely!