Often I see people become excited about the prospect of making a video for their business. However, sometimes the first I hear of it is when they eagerly tell me about the camera they have bought. Personally I take a long time before investing in a new video camera. I can only scratch my head when I see someone who has handed over thousands of dollars without knowing what they have bought.
Pretty soon they realise it only does half of what they need. I mention this today because last week I shot a video and used a wally dolly. This is a really useful piece of equipment. It enables you to create those impressive moving shots as the camera glides in front of the subject. It lifts the production quality of the video immensely.
I’ve been toying with the idea of buying a wally dolly for several years. They cost about $2,000 and they really make videos look impressive. The thing is, I really only get the chance to use one several times a year. Last week I hired it for $60.
So my advice to all would be video makers is: Do you really need to buy it? Especially if you are just starting out in the area of video production, why not hire different cameras and different lights and different microphones and different tripods? Eventually you may find one of everything that you really like and that really works well for you. And you may also realise that you won’t be using the equipment quite as much as you first thought. After all, what business are you in?
I’m in the video production business and I use my equipment every week, so it is worth my while to invest in the right gear. But if you are looking to make an occasional video here or there, then do the sums. What costs $10,000 to buy, could cost you only a few hundred to hire for the day.
Better still, tap into the experts who use the equipment every day. They know how to light properly, how to frame properly, colour balance and monitor audio. Basically they know how to make your business look like a professional operation and not an amateur set up.
Have you had “Buyers Remorse” because you were a little too eager?
Geoff Anderson is the Managing Director at Sonic Sight
He has over 20 years experience in corporate video production. You can follow him on Twitter on @geoffsonic
