Video is everywhere. Every day. Every minute. Every second. And the quality of those videos can range wildly from cell phone selfie videos to Hollywood-level productions.
It’s easy to see this dearth of content out there and determine that your brand or organization can get by with cheap video content. But this can lead to poor representation of your brand, loss of business, and jumbled up messaging. Investing in professional video content will make your content stand out in a crowded field, keep the interest and excitement of your audience, and make sure your message is crystal clear.
Why Not Just Hire a College Kid with an iPhone?
As professional videographers, we have heard this a lot. Cell phone video quality is so good that it seems unnecessary to hire a professional when a kid with an iPhone and ambition will do just fine. And we won’t argue against the quality of some cell phone videos these days! In fact, we’ll encourage using cell phone video when the time is right. But of course, cell phones still have a lot of limitations and the difference is visible.
Cell phone cameras have limited options in terms of zoom, stabilization, and focus. If you’re a fan of videos with crushed, blurry backgrounds, you’re likely not going to get that on even the best iPhone, Galaxy, or Pixel.
Our cameras, including the Canon C100, Canon C70, and Panasonic EVA, shoot in high quality and allow us as videographers to adjust the way we shoot for each project. The end result is a crisp and consistent looking video that fits with your brand.
But the difference isn’t just visible. You can hear it too. Cell phone audio quality is just bad. People can forgive bad video quality – but they never forgive poor audio. That’s why we use professional microphones including Rode boom microphones and Sennheiser lavaliers.
By hiring a professional company like Uproot Creative Services, you are also hiring our years of education and experience in news, sports, politics, and commercial production. Our experience will inform our planning and processes so that you don’t make the same mistakes that we once did.
Reliability
Perhaps the most important reason to hire a professional videography company is for reliability. Uproot Creative Services has been in business since 2017 and boasts 5 star ratings on Facebook and Google. Our clients are happy with our video quality and the results the videos yield.
Our clients know we aren’t going to disappear. They know us on a first-name basis and we answer emails and texts in a timely manner. If clients dislike any part of a video, we quickly work to fix it. And we hold onto all of our video, so if a change is needed in three years, we’re ready and able to make that fix.
The Social Media Comparison
Video for social media is often a very different animal than video for broadcast or internal use. Social video is also the most likely to be made entirely on a cell phone. While we understand this is a sensible option for small and simple videos, it’s important to note that quality often leads to higher viewership.
For example, WellSpan Health on Facebook has 38,000 followers and posts brand content consistently. Videos range in quality from amateur to professional, but one thing remains consistent. The professional video performs better. For example, Uproot was hired by WellSpan several years ago, and our video is still among the company’s top ten performing videos.
Results may vary, but it’s a trend that’s hard to ignore.
Uproot is also a leader in the social video space. We have worked with numerous clients who have actually sent their own cell phone video to us to give it a professional upgrade. These are low-cost, high-reward projects that we are happy to take on. If you’re interested in this service, reach out to Kevin at Kevin@UprootCS.com.
Should Companies Hire Videographers Internally?
We are not going to stop you from hiring a professional videographer to work on your staff. In fact, we encourage it! But the reality is that this is sometimes not an option. Paying for a new full-time staffer isn’t just about paying their salary – their benefits package will also cost the company some money. And paying for cameras, lenses, proper editing laptops, tripods, and software will put a company back tens of thousands of dollars. And don’t forget that upkeep will also cost you!
Professional video companies like Uproot have already invested in equipment and software. We boast five professional-quality cameras and tripods, lights, lenses, a teleprompter, and MacBook Pros with the full Adobe Creative Suite. We come into every job fully equipped and ready to work.
In addition, not every project is right for just one videographer. Production companies are also equipped to outsource for additional project needs such as: additional lighting, casting, sound recording, etc. When you have only one person monitoring sound, lighting, camera, talent and everything on the shoot, mistakes can happen! Additional crew members can be an investment that levels up the production.
Remember that videography is a skill, just like photography, writing, or graphic design. “Video Production” isn’t just a job responsibility that can be tacked onto an existing role if you want it to be done with quality. Many very talented photographers and graphic designers will tell you that video shooting and editing just isn’t in their skillset.
What Uproot Brings to the Table
Uproot Creative Services was founded in 2017 by newsroom veterans with a love for film and creativity. In addition to our experience, reliability, and our professional equipment, we offer flexibility and creativity. We follow trends, but we’re also willing to buck them to try something different. We understand the differences between video for broadcast, web, and social. We know when it’s best to script a video and when it’s best to let candid interviews tell the story.
We will guide you through the creative process from pre-production to approval. We’ll give you honest timelines and realistic goals and budgets.
We would love the opportunity to work with you on your next project. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to us at Contact@UprootCS.com and we can set up a meeting to discuss our services.