Nervous about my first project - a few questions

[permesanidentity]

Hi guys!

I've been reading this forum for a while now and I finally met a realtor who is willing to give me a shot. A few weeks ago I pass my Part 107 exam and I was able to find cheap insurance since my friend is a broker. I will be filming the exterior only with my drone (Mavic Air) and the property is not that big. I have a couple of questions:

1. How much should I charge? Should I charge by the hour, fixed price or should I bargain a percentage of the realtor's commission?
2. How long should the video be? I've been told 2-3 minutes should be enough. Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[TreeLineView]

I have done quite a bit of Real Estate in the past three years on Cape Cod and Rhode Island Coast. I have found that a fixed price worked best for me. Many folks will be reluctant to give you a price because each region of the country is different. What ever the market will bear. My Clients would not engage me unless the value was over 1 Mil.
Talk to your Client. Yeh, if you put together some awesome clip most will be happy, but the most important thing I learned is to make sure you are clear about your deliverable. I mean speak to your customer, understand what they what to showcase in the listing and write out a short SOW. You will get repeat business if you get it right the first time. It is easy to promote an ocean front listing but if you are not in that environment, than you need to listen to your customer and let them tell you what they are going to key in on to get a sale. If they say the listing abuts a beautiful walking trail or lake than add that to the video.
As for video length, I find that if you keep it just over a minute to minute 10 seconds is best. Any longer and Client and customer loose interest. Just enough to get them wanting more. Here is one I recently finished.
Old Cape Sotheby's

 

[SellingTheAcres]

Hi!

First of all congrats on getting your first contract (for me, that was the toughest part so good job!)

I’m glad to read that you have both your Part 107 and insurance. Too often, newcomers don’t follow these rules and if they’re caught, it can get pricey, and fast!

Two great questions.

1- Since this is your first project (I believe you don’t have a portfolio yet?), I personally wouldn’t charge anything. For my very first project, I approached a realtor and offered to shoot his most expensive property free of charge and he agreed. After the video was published online, he started getting calls from international buyers who saw the short film on social media. He was convinced.

Now, he’s a recurring customer and he agrees to pay full price since he saw the potential aerial videos have in the real estate industry.

Secondly, I wouldn’t charge by the hour. The reason is simple: the better you get, the less money you make! You should aim for a fixed price, that way, the better you get, the less time you need to complete a project but you still get the same price. You win!

And most importantly, I would be careful in asking the realtor for a part of his or her commission if they sell the property. I’ve been told that realtors don’t like that… at all (keep in mind this can be unique to my market, I’m curious what other members from this forum might think about that!)


2- The length: that’s a good debate. Here’s my take: in today’s world of social media, we consume so many pictures and videos daily that we don’t have time to watch a long video.

Not only should you video catch the interest of the viewer in the first few seconds, it should be short. Since you mentioned you were only filming the exterior of the property, I wouldn’t go over a minute. If you decide to shoot interior and exterior, aim for 1 min 45 sec top.

I remember having a hard time convincing clients that they do pay a premium fee for a drone video but if they want results, the video needs to be quick.

Hope this helps! Let us know if you have any additional questions! Good luck!

 

[permesanidentity]

TreeLineView: Thanks for the tips! I watched your video, how long did it take for you to complete (from start to finish)? Also, pardon my ignorance but what is a short SOW?

SellingtheAcres: Great stuff! How long have you been doing this? I love your idea of offering a free video to build my portfolio and showcase the potential impact an aerial video could have on that realtor's business, that's a great way to get recurring customers. I'll try to keep my video short (I might borrow your "social media and the way we consume videos" explanation to my client). Just like TreeLineView, do you have a video you could share? I'd love to see your work.


Another question that I had yesterday: how do you all deliver the final video? YouTube, Vimeo or you send it directly to your client?

Thanks again for your help

 

[TreeLineView]

It took me about 20 minutes to shoot but if you look at the video you will notice that I did not account for the tidal change and had to go back a second time because the tide was out about 1/4 mile. Perfect example of why you have to do your homework and prep so you only have to shoot once. Your Client is not going to pay you extra because the sun washed out all your good angles during the wrong time of day and you have to go back. Luckily I had another shoot nearby on the Ocean side a couple of days later so no big deal. Post processing takes me about another 30 minutes.

SOW "Statement of work". Just a written summary of what you and your Client have agreed upon so everyone is on the same page.

Deliver is a great question. This should be in your SOW. Exactly what you are going to provide. I use Dropbox and provide a complete video, high-res for local playback on a PC and one at low res so it will stream over the internet easily along with any photos they may have requested. Most want to post on MLS listing which can be problematic. For my repeat customers, I sometimes will embed video and provide them with a link off my website.

 

[SellingTheAcres]

I've been in the business for a little over two years. I'd be glad to share my latest project, we decided to use the best cinema techniques and apply them to a real estate video. If you want to read more about the making of our short real estate film, check out my blog in my signature!

As for your question, I publish the videos on YouTube and I make sure to select "unlisted" in the options. That way, the realtor can easily watch the video, share it with friends, family, colleagues and clients without having to worry about giving permission (private option). If the client requires minor modifications, I re-upload the new version on YouTube and then select "public" as soon as I get the final approval from the customer.

I then export the final video in two versions: 4K and 720p. 4K for maximum resolution and 720p so it's already optimized for Facebook (I've had bad experiences with uploading a 4K file directly and letting Facebook take care of the compression). I create a zip file that I send via wetransfer (it's free up to 2gb and doesn't require an account - my clients love that!).

Looking forward to your feedback on my video!

Cheers!

RP

 

[Earnest Ward]

I have done quite a bit of Real Estate in the past three years on Cape Cod and Rhode Island Coast. I have found that a fixed price worked best for me. Many folks will be reluctant to give you a price because each region of the country is different. What ever the market will bear. My Clients would not engage me unless the value was over 1 Mil.
Talk to your Client. Yeh, if you put together some awesome clip most will be happy, but the most important thing I learned is to make sure you are clear about your deliverable. I mean speak to your customer, understand what they what to showcase in the listing and write out a short SOW. You will get repeat business if you get it right the first time. It is easy to promote an ocean front listing but if you are not in that environment, than you need to listen to your customer and let them tell you what they are going to key in on to get a sale. If they say the listing abuts a beautiful walking trail or lake than add that to the video.
As for video length, I find that if you keep it just over a minute to minute 10 seconds is best. Any longer and Client and customer loose interest. Just enough to get them wanting more. Here is one I recently finished.
Old Cape Sotheby's

I totally agree with the advise TreeLineView and SellingTheAcres have offered and would offer two additional thoughts.

1) Evaluate your own skills and experience; how much video editing have you done? If little or none, yet another reason to offer your first job free. And be prepared to re-edit until the client is 100% satisfied! (The experience you get will be priceless. And a better video will make for a better portfolio, and bring in more clients going forward.)

2) Consider throwing in un-contracted "sweeteners." 10-20 premium quality quality stills - as a "Thank You" gift - won't require much extra work on your part, but will certainly impress your clients with your customer service, and could generate future business (both repeat business and new word-of-mouth clientele.)

Good luck!

 

[A Higher Perspective]

I have done quite a bit of Real Estate
Old Cape Sotheby's

It looks like you fly directly over unprotected people on the beach. Are these active participants in the operation? Is this common practice for you? Do you have a waiver?

 

[John Decker]

I've been in the business for a little over two years. I'd be glad to share my latest project, we decided to use the best cinema techniques and apply them to a real estate video. If you want to read more about the making of our short real estate film, check out my blog in my signature!

As for your question, I publish the videos on YouTube and I make sure to select "unlisted" in the options. That way, the realtor can easily watch the video, share it with friends, family, colleagues and clients without having to worry about giving permission (private option). If the client requires minor modifications, I re-upload the new version on YouTube and then select "public" as soon as I get the final approval from the customer.

I then export the final video in two versions: 4K and 720p. 4K for maximum resolution and 720p so it's already optimized for Facebook (I've had bad experiences with uploading a 4K file directly and letting Facebook take care of the compression). I create a zip file that I send via wetransfer (it's free up to 2gb and doesn't require an account - my clients love that!).

Looking forward to your feedback on my video!

Cheers!

RP

Very interesting video - the first I've seen using someone to focus the narrative. Also a lot shorter than i shoot (3 minutes).
I guess the answer depends on the property - mine are larger farms and lifestyle sections -

 

[A Higher Perspective]

Great video, beautiful property.

 

[Wilson Lake Drone]

It looks like you fly directly over unprotected people on the beach. Are these active participants in the operation? Is this common practice for you? Do you have a waiver?

Crossed my mind as well.

 

[BigAl07]

It looks like you fly directly over unprotected people on the beach. Are these active participants in the operation? Is this common practice for you? Do you have a waiver?

Crossed my mind as well.

Initially I was going to take up for @TreeLineView and say they never "actually" showed flying over any people because I didn't watch the last bit of the video (was called away). I had typed up a full reply as to how unless the video actually depicts them flying over people it's only an assumption.

Then I watched the video again and this time till the end and saw the Pull Back that did indeed show flying directly over the beach goers. Tsk Tsk @TreeLineView . You may want to do another edit and remove that last bit of incriminating data. All it takes is one phone call from a rival company and you get the dreaded letter/phone call/visit from the FAA. It's hard to argue your case when the evidence is on the internet for all to see and "convict" by.

 

[permesanidentity]

Sorry for being so quiet guys, I'm bootstrapping my new business together and it's taking quite some time!

2) Consider throwing in un-contracted "sweeteners." 10-20 premium quality quality stills - as a "Thank You" gift - won't require much extra work on your part, but will certainly impress your clients with your customer service, and could generate future business (both repeat business and new word-of-mouth clientele.)

That's a great idea! I just hope I have enough battery life to shoot video and get a few stills. I'll definitely try it!

I've been in the business for a little over two years. I'd be glad to share my latest project, we decided to use the best cinema techniques and apply them to a real estate video. If you want to read more about the making of our short real estate film, check out my blog in my signature!

Wow! That looks phenomenal! That last shot with the drone flying backwards is by far my favourite. I just checked your blog, it's really helpful. I was surprise to learn you added a 3D model in your video... I missed that (it's really small).

The location is set and I'm supposed to film Sunday... if the weather allows it.

Thanks to all of you for your help!

 

[eaglefreedom101]

Very interesting video - the first I've seen using someone to focus the narrative. Also a lot shorter than i shoot (3 minutes).
I guess the answer depends on the property - mine are larger farms and lifestyle sections -

John: Seeing beautiful NZ in the middle of our East Coast US "polar vortex" makes me long to walk those beaches again! I have no problem with Summer in January

 

[John Decker]

The stuff of memories.. I'm currently in Moldova where it hasn't been above zero for weeks. Hard to imagine I got fed up with the constant greenness and sunshine (or warm rain) of NZ.