Whoops.
This could have saved me a lot of money. Like, a lot.
When I first finished college, I was hungry for immediate success. I was willing to do anything and everything to get success — success being a lump some of money.
Since filmmaking was my passion, I made the knee-jerk decision to buy a fancy camera. It was a huge financial risk, and I put all my marbles and then some on this one camera.
When I opened the camera box, I was fired up. I was so excited, because I believed this camera, one that I could actually hold while driving my wheelchair, was going to capture the best photos and videos. I thought, in short, I would soon be holding a Pulitzer and bags of cash.
But I wasn’t, and I immediately jumped into a financial mess that I had to hustle to get out of. In the two years thereafter, the camera didn’t pay for itself, and I wasn’t exactly in a better place professionally.
In retrospect, this was a huge learning lesson.
I learned you do not need a fancy camera to take awesome pictures and create an awesome video. You just need to focus on what you’re taking photos / videos of, and how you’re capturing emotions on screen. That’s it!
Roger Deakins, one of the best cinematographers in the movie industry, once said, “It’s not about what you shoot, but how you shoot it.” He is so right.
Here’s why …
Be Not Perfect
Most marketers know how important it is to create videos. Create a highly produced film can be expensive, so they’ll do the best they can with the cameras they do have. That’s exactly what you should do, yet some want every single detail to be perfect.
The lighting …
The music …
The people on camera …
I understand it feels good to have a “perfect video,” but perfection really isn’t possible. I can look at the videos we’ve done and find things we could do differently. I’m sure any video producer can make the same comment.
At the end of the day, your videos and your marketing as a whole won’t get better on its own. You need reps, practice creating videos, and you should enforce deadlines to stay focused on getting those reps.
As you create more and more, your videos will get better. Team Trust’s certainly have over the past few years … because we’ve ironed out and tweaked angles, stories and headlines as we go.
What I Wish I Would Have Known
Consider Apple’s very successful marketing campaign, “Shot on iPhone.” The footage for the campaign was shot on iPhones, and it highlighted its visual storytelling capabilities. It’s a great example of how the content within the frame is more important than the camera you use.
Hollywood, too doesn’t always use the highest-end, most-expensive cameras, either. We used lower-quality cameras a couple times for filming when I was with the Big Ten Network.
I would have known that when I bought my expensive a few years ago. Once I learned this, I focused on using my own camera better, and my videos got so much better.
You Want To Maximize Your Budget, Right?
Of course you want to get the biggest bang for your buck. Who wouldn’t?
Unfortunately, too many organizations invest in resources and efforts that don’t pay off. Then they get discouraged, and quickly conclude they wasted their money.
I imagine you, a friend or someone on your staff has access to a camera of some quality. Maybe it’s eight years old, and little outdated. That’s OK. Take as many pictures and videos with that camera as you can, and lean into getting a return on your efforts.
From there, you’ll have data and a few extra dollars in your account. If you then want to invest in a higher quality camera — once you essentially know what your audience likes — you’ll be a better position to do so.
You can take your videos to another level in my Free Video Marketing Guide. I’ve listed out several more questions you can ask people on camera, and I detailed how to edit it all into a video.
I don’t want you wasting a single penny without knowing how to get great footage first.
