Pros & Cons of DIY Video Production vs Hiring a Video Production Company

Doing it yourself versus asking someone else

If you’re a business owner, chances are you’ve watched a video online this week – today, even. Chances are it wasn’t a cat video (although there are many hilarious videos featuring funny felines out there!). Chances are it was a business-related video that captured your attention and made you watch it right through to the end. And chances are you wondered if you could produce your own video for your business too – because if they can do it, you can too, right?

If you’re in the market for a business video, you’ve pretty much got two options: hire a video production company to make it for you, or do it yourself. Not sure which might work for you? Here are some pros and cons of both.

Pros of DIY video production

• If you’ve got the skills and now-how, making your own videos can be faster than hiring a professional video production company.
• DIY video production can be cheaper if you shoot it with an iPhone or a DSLR camera, use staff members instead of actors, and do your own editing.
• You already know the ins and outs of your business, so you don’t need to spend time teaching an outsider about what makes your business tick.
• You’ll feel pride and satisfaction when it’s finished.
• It can be really fun.

Cons of DIY video production

• Making a video is not easy. You need to write a script, find actors (or at least people to walk through your shot), film it, edit it, and distribute it when it’s done.
• It’s very time-consuming. You will spend at least 40 hours on making your own video – probably more – and that’s not even including figuring out how to tell the world about your video afterwards.
• If you don’t have all the gear and software you need, making your own video might become very expensive. It’s not just about hitting ‘record’ on your iPhone. Think about microphones, lights, props, graphics and editing software.
• It’s a stressful process, particularly if you’ve never really made a video before.
• The end result might just suck. The audio might be muffled, and there might be more shadows than light. If you don’t know what you’re doing, your production values might not be as high as they’d be if you were a professional.

Pros of hiring a video production company

• In much the same way that you’d go to a dentist to get a tooth pulled or take your car to a mechanic when it doesn’t start instead of trying to pull or fix it yourself, a video production company knows what they’re doing. They specialise in making videos. That’s their thing.
• You can pretty much guarantee that the end product will be far superior to anything you could have produced yourself. A video production company will ensure the lighting, audio, framing and editing is as perfect as possible, which will mean your final video will look, sound and feel like a professional made it – and thus make your business look, sound and feel professional too.
• When you work in the same office day in and day out, it can be hard to step back and view your business with your customers’ eyes. Someone who doesn’t know what your business does can often offer a really objective and fresh perspective. A video production company isn’t just there to make a video, they’re also there to make your business look awesome, so a fresh pair of eyes will help you figure out exactly what makes you unique and what are the most important points of your business.
• They will look after everything from beginning to end. That means all the planning, all the organisation, all the shooting, and most importantly all the editing. You just need to sit back and relax while it’s all done for you.

Cons of hiring a video production company

• There’s no beating around the bush; paying a professional to make your video isn’t cheap. But if its quality you’re after, you need to have money to invest.
• If your communication isn’t very good, professional video production can take longer than doing it yourself.
• A great video production company can be really busy – which while you might think it’s a ‘con’ when you can’t get your schedules aligned, it’s actually a ‘pro’ because they’re obviously in high demand because they’re so good. Still, be prepared to negotiate schedules so all parties can do the best job possible.

Video is integral to 21^st century online business, so if you’re keen to take the plunge and use a professional rather than do it yourself, contact the friendly team at Onepost Media Production for a free quote.