Don't Judge A Camera By It's Size.
When we first got into this industry, we were both shocked and appalled at the pricing methods other video production agencies were using to dictate their business models.
Don't get us wrong - we fully believe that you get what pay for in most cases, especially when it comes to video. But we also think that pricing should be more based on the value you're providing, rather than the price of the camera you’re using.
Let's Compare a Few Options
In the video below, Gene Nagata compares footage that was shot on an entry-level DSLR with modern, high-end cinema cameras.
If you watch very closely, you will be able to notice a few slight differences between the shots (mostly around contrast and dynamic range). But overall, they're extremely similar. In fact, after showing this video to a few of our friends and family members, the majority of them couldn't guess which footage came from the more expensive cameras.
Here's the cost comparison between the gear (in CAD):
Canon EOS-R w/ batteries, monitor, lenses: $6,500
RED Helium w/ batteries, monitor, lenses: $47,250
Arri Alexa Mini LF w/ batteries, monitor, lenses: $82,680
Bet you were expecting the "cinema" cameras to look 10x better, right? The technology is so good these days that even entry-level cameras can create incredible, high-definition video.
So don’t pay 10x more for an agency just because they’re using netflix-approved cameras. It literally doesn’t matter to your customers.
What matters more than gear?
Marketing strategy
Target audience research
Key messaging and wording
Who's actually viewing the video (and when)
Format (vertical vs. horizontal)
Ad spend + targeting strategy
Brand positioning, product positioning
Where the content is being consumed
SEO, keyword research and targeting
When things are too perfect.
What's even more fascinating is that our testing shows that videos that are "too perfect" actually perform worse on paid social channels compared to videos that look more organic and less staged.
Yes, you heard us correctly.
We've personally helped clients spend tens of thousands of ad dollars, time and time again, only to find that the variations that were "less perfect" outperformed the fancier, more cinematic versions almost every single time.
If it looks too good, your customers know it’s an ad.
Don't believe us? Go scroll through Instagram and LOOK for the ads in your feed.‍ You'll be amazed at how many ads you see but consciously block out, because you can tell it’s an ad.
We don't even register them or remember them when scrolling because of how obvious they are
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What does this all mean?
What it means is that technology has come such a long way that most cameras can produce beautiful, stunning images, and therefore, how much money you spend on video should depend less on the gear you're shooting it with and more on the value it brings your business.
Unless you're shooting a Netflix TV special, you don't need a $80,000 camera for your corporate video. Trust us, not a single customer will be able to tell the difference. It's just not a good investment.
Instead, use that money to invest in things that matter, like a distribution plan including paid social ads, display, YouTube pre-rolls and email marketing to get your video in front of your target audience.
To be clear - we're not proposing that you shoot all your product videos and customer interviews on a cell phone. Quality DOES matter in a lot of cases, especially with Brand Story videos. But you need to be strategic about how you spend your marketing dollars, and spending 10x more because the video agency has a $100,000 camera is not the best use of your budget.
Expensive cameras does NOT equal more views, customer or revenue.
