Expanding my business at DVinfo.net

Chris Hewitt · November 25th, 2012, 12:52 PM

Can anyone give me any advice on furthering my business. I have shot some promotional videos as well as my mainstays which is wedding videography but as the northern hemisphere is in winter almost, I need to further my field. I know some of you film real estate, funerals and training etc but I would like to ask how you go about getting that work. Thanks for any suggestions.
I'm using Panasonic AG Ac160 cameras and have pro audio gear.

Chris Harding · November 25th, 2012, 06:15 PM

Hi Chris

You will have to see what works in your area and where the demand is. Things that work for some people will just not work for others simply due to market demand.

This is my "during the week" income earner and it works for me... No Title

You could obviously try the funeral market as well as doing web based videos for business??

Chris

Chris Hewitt · November 26th, 2012, 06:13 AM

Thanks Chris, that's a very good idea and I'll get straight on to that. It was you I thought of regarding real estate as I know it keeps you quite busy but I wasn't sure what it involved but the link you've posted explains it all. Again, thanks. I may be out in Perth early new year so if you fancy a drink....

Roger Van Duyn · November 26th, 2012, 07:02 AM

Thanks Chris for that post.

Chris Harding · November 26th, 2012, 07:53 AM

Hi Guys

Some realtors love the idea and some don't (the tight fisted ones) but if you target Realtors with a big rent roll with Property Management rather than the sales agents you will have more success..I don't over-stretch myself but I do get an average of 5 or 6 shoots a week which makes a handy bread-and-butter income ..you don't need to be creative either ..it's just shoot/render to DVD and that's that...no editing as such and I have a DVD menu template so all I need to change is the still image of the house and the address and date...quick and easy.

Chris ?? Absolutely yes!! Let me know when you are coming and I'll give you my contact details!

Chris

Bill Grant · November 26th, 2012, 09:50 AM

Chris,
I'm not sure how it works there, but you could search for agencies without a production staff. I get hired a good bit just to DP commercial shoots for agencies. They pay me a day rate and I just shoot and give them the footage to edit. It takes a lot of pressure off of you and can be fun. Also, consider that if they need small projects (read under $10k) done then a lot of the time, big production houses won't touch them so contact your competition to make connections as well. Work on wedding vendors as well. Who needs promo for their business more than wedding photograohers, planners, Djs etc. That will also increase your wedding network.
Good luck.
Bill

Nigel Barker · November 26th, 2012, 10:42 AM

Chris, How are the agents actually using your videos? We filmed quite a lot of properties when we lived in the South of France but it was a hell of a job persuading the real estate agents of the value & we ended up having to do web development just so we could put our video on the web for them as they hadn't a clue how they would use the videos unless we set up a website for them. You mention delivering on DVD so do they dish out copies of DVDs to prospective tenants? also what class of properties are these? swanky or regular?

Chris Harding · November 26th, 2012, 05:48 PM

Hi Nigel

These are NOT promo videos at all. They are proof of property condition prior to the tenant leasing the homes so I do ALL the agents rentals from 1x1's to mansions!! The tenant gets one DVD and the agent keeps the other. When they vacate if anything is wrong/damaged/not up to standard they have proof of the condition when the tenant moved in so the hole that was kicked in the back of the bedroom door by the drunk tenant will be deducted from their security bond as they have proof the door was pristine at the start of the rental. I also do furnished homes and give them a running commentary of what is there so we have physical evidence that the items are actually on site.

Promo rental videos here are useless as new rentals are often snapped up the same day as there is a huge demand... We had one property that was advertised on line and my agent got 128 calls in 15 minutes for it!!

Chris

Nigel Barker · November 27th, 2012, 02:47 AM

Chris, I have never come across that before but that sounds like a great idea. In France at the start of a property rental there must be a formal examination called an État des lieux (literally state of the place) where the renter walks round with someone from the agent or owner & they note down scuff marks on the doors, cracked windows etc. Then at the end of the lease the same inspection is carried out again. Here in the UK there is no formal process at all & there is often a dispute at the end as to whether the place is properly cleaned etc That's a great idea doing a DVD for the tenant & landlord. I'll have to contact some letting agents.

Chris Harding · November 27th, 2012, 04:54 AM

Hi Nigel

It's actually fun doing a rental shoot too!! No pressure and no creativity needed..plus you can do it at your own pace with no-one to bother you as you are normally in a vacant house! I just use a wireless transmitter on my belt and a lav mic on my shirt as my cams have the receivers always mounted.

I think a camcorder might be a better tool than a DSLR ...I tend to do quite fast pans around the floor and ceilings as well as down doors and suchlike so you might get problems with a big sensor with rapid movement..I'm not sure?? I use the HMC cameras as it's way quicker to have a camera in full auto and it can adjust iris, shutter and ND's when you are doing a wall and come to a window.

Sounds like France do it the right way too!! Over here the new act (2011) has made Condition Reports mandatory but I have been doing them for years.

Chris

Adrian Tan · November 27th, 2012, 02:05 PM

I think it's a brilliant idea. But, Chris, you must have had some sort of background or interest in real estate before you started doing them? I personally wouldn't know all the little things to look for/comment on.

Chris Harding · November 27th, 2012, 05:10 PM

Hi Adrian

Absolutely none whatsoever! What happened is about 10 years ago I did a promo video for landlords on request by a local lady and we have stayed friends and I have done bits and pieces for her over the years. About 4 years ago SHE had the bright idea of shooting condition reports on video and did 6 of them with her Sony handycam. I had a call from her saying "help" ..she had no idea how to transfer the M2T files onto a DVD and make a menu either so I did those for her and supplied DVD's with a screen grab from her video as a cover pic on the DVD....From there she was so impressed she asked me if I wanted to do the filming as well and took me out and pointed out what she needed filming so effectively I had "on site training" (total maybe 30 minutes!!) Over the years she has pointed out stuff that I now include that makes her life easier ..eg: pulling the grids/trays right out of an oven so they can see if they are properly cleaned or not. It's mainly just common sense and paying attention to stuff that tenants tend to damage (punching in the back of bedroom doors seems quite common...obviously domestic arguments???)

Chris

Phil Murray · November 27th, 2012, 09:04 PM

Is anyone doing what Chris describes here in the US? I'd be curious to know how it might be working here as it sounds like a very useful service that might bring in a few dollars.

Chris Harding · November 27th, 2012, 09:24 PM

Hi Phil

Just for interest I met a guy over here from the USA and he said he had rental properties in California and when he saw the DVD he said that he really wished that that facility was available in the States...there obviously must be a demand.

Chris

November 25th, 2012, 12:52 PM	#1
Chris Hewitt Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Broadstairs,Kent, England Posts: 225	Expanding my business Can anyone give me any advice on furthering my business. I have shot some promotional videos as well as my mainstays which is wedding videography but as the northern hemisphere is in winter almost, I need to further my field. I know some of you film real estate, funerals and training etc but I would like to ask how you go about getting that work. Thanks for any suggestions. I'm using Panasonic AG Ac160 cameras and have pro audio gear.

November 25th, 2012, 06:15 PM	#2
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Expanding my business Hi Chris You will have to see what works in your area and where the demand is. Things that work for some people will just not work for others simply due to market demand. This is my "during the week" income earner and it works for me... No Title You could obviously try the funeral market as well as doing web based videos for business?? Chris

November 26th, 2012, 06:13 AM	#3
Chris Hewitt Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Broadstairs,Kent, England Posts: 225	Re: Expanding my business Thanks Chris, that's a very good idea and I'll get straight on to that. It was you I thought of regarding real estate as I know it keeps you quite busy but I wasn't sure what it involved but the link you've posted explains it all. Again, thanks. I may be out in Perth early new year so if you fancy a drink....

November 26th, 2012, 07:02 AM	#4
Roger Van Duyn Major Player Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Lakeland Florida Posts: 693	Re: Expanding my business Thanks Chris for that post. __________________ Roger My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAp...2AHr_pHFID5LDA

November 26th, 2012, 07:53 AM	#5
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Expanding my business Hi Guys Some realtors love the idea and some don't (the tight fisted ones) but if you target Realtors with a big rent roll with Property Management rather than the sales agents you will have more success..I don't over-stretch myself but I do get an average of 5 or 6 shoots a week which makes a handy bread-and-butter income ..you don't need to be creative either ..it's just shoot/render to DVD and that's that...no editing as such and I have a DVD menu template so all I need to change is the still image of the house and the address and date...quick and easy. Chris ?? Absolutely yes!! Let me know when you are coming and I'll give you my contact details! Chris

November 26th, 2012, 09:50 AM	#6
Bill Grant Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Location: Columbia,SC Posts: 806	Re: Expanding my business Chris, I'm not sure how it works there, but you could search for agencies without a production staff. I get hired a good bit just to DP commercial shoots for agencies. They pay me a day rate and I just shoot and give them the footage to edit. It takes a lot of pressure off of you and can be fun. Also, consider that if they need small projects (read under $10k) done then a lot of the time, big production houses won't touch them so contact your competition to make connections as well. Work on wedding vendors as well. Who needs promo for their business more than wedding photograohers, planners, Djs etc. That will also increase your wedding network. Good luck. Bill __________________ Cinema Couture www.cinemacouture.com

November 26th, 2012, 10:42 AM	#7
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	Re: Expanding my business Chris, How are the agents actually using your videos? We filmed quite a lot of properties when we lived in the South of France but it was a hell of a job persuading the real estate agents of the value & we ended up having to do web development just so we could put our video on the web for them as they hadn't a clue how they would use the videos unless we set up a website for them. You mention delivering on DVD so do they dish out copies of DVDs to prospective tenants? also what class of properties are these? swanky or regular?

November 26th, 2012, 05:48 PM	#8
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Expanding my business Hi Nigel These are NOT promo videos at all. They are proof of property condition prior to the tenant leasing the homes so I do ALL the agents rentals from 1x1's to mansions!! The tenant gets one DVD and the agent keeps the other. When they vacate if anything is wrong/damaged/not up to standard they have proof of the condition when the tenant moved in so the hole that was kicked in the back of the bedroom door by the drunk tenant will be deducted from their security bond as they have proof the door was pristine at the start of the rental. I also do furnished homes and give them a running commentary of what is there so we have physical evidence that the items are actually on site. Promo rental videos here are useless as new rentals are often snapped up the same day as there is a huge demand... We had one property that was advertised on line and my agent got 128 calls in 15 minutes for it!! Chris

November 27th, 2012, 02:47 AM	#9
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	Re: Expanding my business Chris, I have never come across that before but that sounds like a great idea. In France at the start of a property rental there must be a formal examination called an État des lieux (literally state of the place) where the renter walks round with someone from the agent or owner & they note down scuff marks on the doors, cracked windows etc. Then at the end of the lease the same inspection is carried out again. Here in the UK there is no formal process at all & there is often a dispute at the end as to whether the place is properly cleaned etc That's a great idea doing a DVD for the tenant & landlord. I'll have to contact some letting agents.

November 27th, 2012, 04:54 AM	#10
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Expanding my business Hi Nigel It's actually fun doing a rental shoot too!! No pressure and no creativity needed..plus you can do it at your own pace with no-one to bother you as you are normally in a vacant house! I just use a wireless transmitter on my belt and a lav mic on my shirt as my cams have the receivers always mounted. I think a camcorder might be a better tool than a DSLR ...I tend to do quite fast pans around the floor and ceilings as well as down doors and suchlike so you might get problems with a big sensor with rapid movement..I'm not sure?? I use the HMC cameras as it's way quicker to have a camera in full auto and it can adjust iris, shutter and ND's when you are doing a wall and come to a window. Sounds like France do it the right way too!! Over here the new act (2011) has made Condition Reports mandatory but I have been doing them for years. Chris

November 27th, 2012, 02:05 PM	#11
Adrian Tan Trustee Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 1,149	Re: Expanding my business I think it's a brilliant idea. But, Chris, you must have had some sort of background or interest in real estate before you started doing them? I personally wouldn't know all the little things to look for/comment on.

November 27th, 2012, 05:10 PM	#12
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Expanding my business Hi Adrian Absolutely none whatsoever! What happened is about 10 years ago I did a promo video for landlords on request by a local lady and we have stayed friends and I have done bits and pieces for her over the years. About 4 years ago SHE had the bright idea of shooting condition reports on video and did 6 of them with her Sony handycam. I had a call from her saying "help" ..she had no idea how to transfer the M2T files onto a DVD and make a menu either so I did those for her and supplied DVD's with a screen grab from her video as a cover pic on the DVD....From there she was so impressed she asked me if I wanted to do the filming as well and took me out and pointed out what she needed filming so effectively I had "on site training" (total maybe 30 minutes!!) Over the years she has pointed out stuff that I now include that makes her life easier ..eg: pulling the grids/trays right out of an oven so they can see if they are properly cleaned or not. It's mainly just common sense and paying attention to stuff that tenants tend to damage (punching in the back of bedroom doors seems quite common...obviously domestic arguments???) Chris

November 27th, 2012, 09:04 PM	#13
Phil Murray Major Player Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Cusco, Peru Posts: 375	Re: Expanding my business Is anyone doing what Chris describes here in the US? I'd be curious to know how it might be working here as it sounds like a very useful service that might bring in a few dollars.

November 27th, 2012, 09:24 PM	#14
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Expanding my business Hi Phil Just for interest I met a guy over here from the USA and he said he had rental properties in California and when he saw the DVD he said that he really wished that that facility was available in the States...there obviously must be a demand. Chris