Starting at the Low End… DIY Videos
DIY (Do It Yourself) videos have an important role to play, even with professional companies. Videos like these can supplement blog posts, reassure website visitors it’s safe for them to give you their information, or even to simply entertain. Let’s discuss the 2 tiers of DIY videos.
Tier 1 – The Quick and Dirty DIY
When It Makes Sense
When your main goal is to relay a basic message and entertain your audience, this is a way you can go. Usually, these videos are shared through a social media platform or in emails, but there are times that a DIY could find itself on a website. There is little, if any, planning involved, the message is unscripted and there’s not much concern for picture composition or audio quality.
Production Quality?
Very low. A video like this may be shot handheld on your phone or recorded on a platform like ZOOM. There’s usually not much editing involved and rarely do the videos include much if any, b-roll, text, graphics, or music.
How Much Will It Cost?
These videos can be shot with the phone you already have or recorded from your computer and don’t require any additional tools. Most videos produced in this way usually require little, if any basic editing on the backend as well. Therefore, the only cost for these videos is your time.
An example:
The social media platform Tik Tok is full of great examples of quick and dirty DIY videos (though it allows you to easily add music and text). Many businesses have embraced their “content over quality” platform with great results.
Tier 2 – Prosumer DIY
When It Makes Sense
When you want to share a quick message or helpful hint that is related to your business, product, or service to your audience, this can be a great way to go. This tier also makes sense for creating internal videos, such as training videos. Videos in this tier have a script or at least an outline so the speaker stays on point with the message.
Production Quality?
Low. Videos like these can still be shot on your phone or recorded off a laptop, but there’s some thought put into the location of your video, lighting, sound, picture composition, and stabilization. These videos usually are lightly edited and include some professional aspects, such as text, graphics, and/or even music.
How Much Will It Cost?
These videos can cost you a little more than time. However, it may be worth investing in some basic tools to make your shots or sound better. If you don’t know how to edit a video, it’d be worth it to hire someone for that.
An example:
We work with our good friends, Bob Fish (co-CEO of BIGGBY Coffee) and his wife, Michelle on doing the editing for the videos they shoot on their phone for their blog, One BIGG Island in Space. Below is one of the videos we helped them produce.
Interested in learning more? Click here for our FREE video tutorial on how you can shoot decent videos on your phone or laptop. We can help with the editing to snap up the finished product.
The Next Two Tiers…
These second two tiers are the journalism production tiers. Journalism Productions are where a majority of professional videos fall because the quality is high enough while still being quite affordable. Journalistic videos can also be particularly appealing to an audience due to their unscripted feel and authentic presentation.
Tier 3 – Earned Journalism
When It Makes Sense
This is a bit of an x-factor. Earned journalism aka news journalism, is a possibility whenever your organization is doing something that is deemed newsworthy to the masses. If you have an event or cause that you feel is a great opportunity for News Journalism, make sure to let your local news stations know with plenty of lead time.
Production Quality?
Decent. News journalists are professionals with training and quality equipment. Ultimately, though, news stations must produce several newscasts throughout a day, so they don’t have much time to put the story together and it may be missing the depth or aspects that you’d like.
How Much Will It Cost?
It can really vary when it comes to getting the news to produce a piece on you. Usually, it doesn’t have any direct costs, but rather a combination of time and the costs for putting on a quality event or cause that intrigues the community and attracts the news.
Tier 4 – Hired Journalism
When It Makes Sense
There are a lot of things that happen that are a big deal to you and your specific audience, but it may not check the boxes for the mainstream media. Other times, even if it makes the news, you may want a more robust, well-rounded, story to share. That’s when hiring a professional video production team to tell your story makes sense.
Production Quality?
Good. Usually, there’s not a script, and the story is put together with first-person interviews. There are a minimal crew and minimal equipment during these productions. Many times the final video is accompanied by music, graphics, pictures, and text.
How Much Will It Cost?
A production like this is likely going to cost at least $2,000 and can be much more depending on the time needed and complexity of the production.
An example:
One of our values at Good Fruit is to help first and be a positive force for good in our community. In that spirit, we volunteer our services once a quarter to tell the story of an organization within our community. This is one such story.
Want more examples? Check out our Solutions Menu to understand what’s possible at what price point!
Tier 5 – Cinematic
When It Makes Sense
When you want a piece that’s more polished than a professional Journalism piece but doesn’t need to go full Hollywood, this is the right fit. Your video likely doesn’t utilize hired actors, a makeup artist, or music written for the piece, but there’s still a lot of thought and energy into creating a quality, polished piece.
Production Quality?
Great. There is more thought put behind the shot selection, likely more equipment, and a larger (but not massive) crew involved to make sure everything runs smoothly and the video is high quality. The final product will include the same elements as a Professional Journalism piece, but may also include some (or all) animation, and advanced picture and sound enhancements.
How Much Will It Cost?
A production like this can vary greatly depending on the overall scope, but you should expect to spend a minimum of $5,000 and the zeroes can tack on quickly depending on the scope.
An example:
We love working with our friends at SISU Mouthguards. Recently, we produced this commercial for them. Check it out!
Tier 6 – Hollywood
When It Makes Sense
When you need and want to wow your audience, this is the way to go. It’s likely that there is a script, a big crew, lots of equipment, actors, and logistics involved.
Production Quality?
Superior. There is a lot of planning behind every shot and every word in the video. All aspects of the video are controlled. The crew is large and the equipment is top-notch. The final video will be meticulously put together for a superior look and feel. The sound will be top-notch and it may include high-end graphics and animation.
How Much Will It Cost?
If you want a cinematic production, pull out the pocketbook. It is possible to get some things done for as little as $25,000, but depending on your end goal, you can add zeros to that price tag quickly.
So there you have it; a quick tour through the spectrum of video production. Every tier has its own time and place when they are the best choice for relaying information to your audience. If you utilize the proper videos at the proper places and times, the value will be immense. If you have further questions, please feel free to give us a shout! Thanks.
