Links to a YouTube Video... A normal link to a YouTube video will take you to the YouTube site with all it's distractions.  This link will take you to a blank page with a player that fills the screen.  If you add the [ ;rel=o ] at the end of the link, you won't get the YouTube menu at the end.  This player will automatically size to your screen.

Want a break?... If you have about four minutes, and you like Joan Osborne and the Funk Brothers Band, you'll enjoy this.

        

High Definition (HD) Video is getting a ton of press nowadays.

But what part does HD Video play in on-line video?  Can you get true HD Video in your on-line video tours?  The quick answer is "no, you can't."  The technically correct answer is "sort of."

The biggest problem with using HD Video online is the fact that it requires a very high-speed line to get it to the viewer's computer screen for immediate display.  While it's possible to download and play a very large file after it's downloaded, that's not how we use video for real estate tours.  We want, and the viewer expects, to see the video within seconds of their request.

Most on-line video we see today is piped to our computers in Adobe's Flash file format.  Almost every computer out there has the Flash plug-in installed.  If they don't, they'll get a message when they click on a Flash application that offers a free download that will install the plug-in for them in just a few minutes.

The average viewer won't see the higher quality picture that a high def camcorder produces.  When the video is uploaded to most sites it is converted to a Flash movie and displayed as a Flash application.  So you lose the advantage of high-quality HD video when you publish on the Internet.  While it may be possible to watch high-quality HD on-line, it's not generally available for the average Internet user.  The average home buyer is an average Internet and so that's our target audience.

The other problem with the HD format for on-line video is the shape of the displayed image.  The ratio of width to height is 16 to 9.  The ratio of the old standard TV set, and the old standard computer screen, is 4 to 3.  That is, for every 4 inches of width you have 3 inches of height.  This doesn't look like a problem at first because it appears that you are getting a wider view in the 16 wide by 9 high format of HD.

But the problem doesn't lie in the display of the picture.  It is in the creation of the video that we have challenges using the HD format.  The camera manufacturers have given us a wider picture. But, generally speaking, they gave us the same lens that we had on the old 4x3 format.  So, if I  take a video of a small room I get the same width with my new HD 16x9 format that I got with my old 4x3 format.  The problem is, on the 16x9 HD format, I give up some area on the top and the bottom of the picture that I had on the 4x3 format.  And video tours are all about showing the house, from floor to ceiling.  That's the reason we use wide-angle lenses and adapters.

So for now the old standard-definition camcorder with a wide-angle lens is probably best for taking video that you want to upload for Internet viewers.  Most HD camcorders that I have seen, or read about, will shoot in the old 4x3 format.  But, most will cut the sides of the picture in, reducing the amount of the subject from side to side that you will have in the frame. To compensate you'll have to use a wider-angle lens than on the 4x3 standard-definition camera. And that will introduce more distortion.

All of this has nothing to do with the production of video for use in non-Internet applications or specialized on-line applications that support high-def video and 16x9 display formats.  HDV is certainly the future in Video and for everything but on-line display for the masses is here now.

So don't throw away that old standard-definition camcorder just yet! 

        

Should a video tour be short and sweet or should it be long and informative? Or... something in between?

Should you make the video a teaser so the viewer is hungry for more information?  Or should you provide details that help the Buyer start the decision process without seeing the home? Maybe even to the point of making an offer?

It's a difficult decision.  And it's one that you need to consider before you begin shooting your video tour. Here's my thoughts on the different approaches:

The 1 to 2-Minute Teaser... A tour of one or two minutes isn't really a tour but it's more of a video ad bringing the viewer's attention the subject property.  Aside from the basics of size, style, location and a few quick scenes you don't have time to go into much detail.  This approach starts with the assumption that you have just a few seconds to capture the viewer's attention and you need to get the message to them quickly and spur them to action.  They assume to viewer is flipping through the possibilities quickly and won't stop to watch a video over one or two minutes.  It's the approach that most of the ads you see on TV use.  They are quick, catchy and tend to be strong in the call to action component. You might feel they are easy to produce, but it takes time and thought to compress an effective message into such a small package.  You need to say more than "Hey there, look at me!"

The Medium 3 to 5-Minute Tour... This is pretty popular video time span, especially if you don't narrate.  With a tour of this length you'll be able to spend more time on the highlights and get into some detail with close-ups.  You can also do a pretty good walk-through tour of the home and the viewer will feel more immersed in the experience than in the 1 to 2-minute teaser.  For a home of more than 1,500 sf you might find it a little restrictive if you want to show and say most of you'd show a buyer on a real tour.  It's a little of both extremes and has the advantage of lower production time and smaller file size while exploiting the advantages of the media.

The Documentary 5 to 10-Minute Tour...  At this length you have time to go into some detail.  If you use a walk-through format you can just about cover every room pausing to take in the highlights and still have time for a summary at the end.  This length might be a little too long if you don't narrate the video, but if you do, it might take this long to do a good job.  Ever notice how fast the people talk in the 30-second ads?  That's because it takes time to get the words out.  Luckily, most video editing software programs make this fairly easy to accomplish.  Many will let you adjust the audio length so you can squeeze it into the right place.

There is a school of thought among marketing and advertising folks that shorter is better. The idea is to present your message as flashy and impressive as you can in as short a time as possible.  Generally speaking, this approach certainly has merit.  When someone is flipping through the pages of a magazine or newspaper, visually flashy ads get their attention.  There is the "Hey You!" component, then there is a "call to action" part and then there is a way to contact the advertiser or buy the product they are selling.  Effective ads of this type are a precise mix of science and art.  And it takes a real expert, or a very attractive product to do it effectively.

The well-worn term "just make the phone ring" we real estate salespeople have heard, (and said,) for so long is a another way of saying "shorter is better."  It's based on the theory that if you can get the buyer to call you, you have a shot at selling them something, anything, just let me at them!  If I can get them to call me before anyone else, I will have accomplished my objective.  There are experts in real estate advertising that say you should never run an ad that answers every question the buyer might have.  Make 'em call! For print ads, they're probably right.

But for selling real estate on the Internet a more comprehensive approach might be worth considering.  Maybe a "Hey You" component followed with a documentary tour has it's place in selling real estate.  I find that people will watch a video for a long time if they're interested and motivated.  It's sure a lot easier than driving around to open houses only to be disappointed that the home you came to see isn't what you had envisioned it to be. I've had several of my listings sell to buyers that made offers sight-unseen except for the video tour.

I think the buyer that depends heavily on the Internet is looking for more than just a "Hey You!, Call Me!" ad.  I think they want information.  And I don't think there's a media better suited to deliver that information than an effective video tour.

That being said, there's still plenty of buyers out there that are shopping for a Realtor to help them.  In the case of branding and self-promotion ads, there's plenty of room for all styles.  I think a combination of "Hey You" videos followed by longer, more substantive ones of what you can offer, would be very effective.

BTW... Virtual tours, those funny little spinning photos, are a good example of the "Hey You" approach followed by a pretty week attempt at providing information to the buyer.  Here's one of their "videos."

But no matter how you look at  it, the future of on-line real estate marketing is VIDEO!

        

I did a little research this morning on our local MLS system.  I was curious about how much video tours help sell homes in our market.

The Mat-Su Valley has population of roughly 65,000 people.  I chose to use a price range of $100,000 to $300,000 for existing, (not new,) single-family homes.  That segment is pretty active in our market.

As of this morning we had a total of 442 single-family existing homes in the "Active" status.  Of those, 429 had between one and ten photographs posted with the listing.  There were 203 with 10 or more photographs.

One hundred of the active listings had virtual tours. Only six had video tours available.

Then I looked at listings in the "Pended" category.  Pended means that the seller has accepted an offer but it hasn't closed yet.  We had 155 of those.  Of the pendings, 128 had one to ten photographs, 60 had more than 10 and 23 had virtual tours.  Four of the pended homes had video tours. 

• When we look at percentages, here's the breakout:
• One to ten photographs... Active listings 97%, pending 82.5%
• More than ten photographs... Active listings 46%, pending 39%
• Virtual tours... Active listings 23%, pended listings 15%
• Video Tours... Active listings 1.4%, pended listings 2.5%

The only group with a higher percentage in the pending category are the homes that have video tours!

Most real estate professionals feel that having lots of pictures is very desirable.  I think that's the case too.  The reason that the data here show that there are fewer in the pending category is probably because some of the homes sold before the agents had time to get the pictures in.

But... it usually takes longer to get a video tour up and running than to put a batch of pictures in the MLS system.  I think it's apparent that videos sell houses!

        

I haven't run this by the video hosting services yet, to see if it meets their guidelines, but I think it's a good idea.

I normally take down or inactivate my video tours when I sell or withdraw a listing.  But there are some sites that might have the link up for a while after the listing is no longer active.  I also have a site that has many of my sold listings, (without links,) that I have "sold" banners on.  On Wellcomemat, if you replace the old video with a new one, the old link still works. So... I put a short video together, (on the right,) showing a blurred-out generic home in the background with my sign in front and then put an animated "SOLD!" sign on it.  I'm planning on linking it to my sold listings. In the narration, explain that the listing the viewer is looking for has been sold.  I suggest that they contact their Realtor or me to suggest homes that are still on the market that are similar to the one they were looking for. That way I, (or their Realtor,) have a chance to maintain contact and perhaps find an alternative home for them!   Whaddya think?

        

I uploaded the stabilizer comparison to YouTube and WellcomeMat.  Here's the WellcomeMat video:

Camcorder Stabilizers

        

I thought I would post a short article illustrating the difference between using a hand-held camcorder with and without the benefit of a mechanical stabilzer.  The footage below shows the same camera used for the same scene with and without the use of a stabilizer. 

I also added a anti-shake filter to the footage taken without the mechanical stabilizer to show the effect of editing tools to smooth out video.  In this case I used Video Studio Editor by Ulead (now owned by Corel) to edit the video and a Steadicam JR as the mechanical stabilizer.

        

Modern camcorders are getting better, and smaller, all the time. Today you can buy a high-definition camcorder capable of creating cinema-quality video for less than $1,000. The Canon HV-20 HDV with a street price of $750 is a good example. It will give you breathtaking video in brilliant color and 1080/24P format. If all it took was good technical video quality any of us could make videos like the pros do. But, there’s more to making a professional-looking video than picture quality.

One of the indicators of an amateur video is the absence of the smooth and steady motion you’re accustomed to seeing on TV and in the movie theater. It often seems that the person holding the camcorder has a bad case of the DTs or maybe had one too many cups of coffee before shooting. It just doesn’t look professional.  About the only place you don’t mind watching shaky video footage on is on “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”

The fact that camcorders are getting lighter and smaller isn’t helping. The smaller and lighter the camcorder the more movement you’ll get and the shakier your video will be. It’s similar to trying to look through a pair of small high-powered binoculars while standing and holding them un-aided. The magnified image seems to jump around unless until you brace yourself on something steady. Even then, it’s not nearly as steady as those big heavy binoculars mounted on a pipe that you put a coin in to use.

The new smaller and lighter camcorders have the same problem. So if you don’t want your video tour to give your prospective viewer/buyer a whiplash injury trying to follow you through a tour, you need to do something about it. You need a stable platform from which to shoot your video tour.

There are two basic approaches to the equipment to do the job, stationary and hand-held. The most common, is a tripod. They’ve been around for years and are used for both still photography and video.  We’ll cover them in a later article. Today we’ll talk about hand-held solutions.

Hand-held stabilizing devices fall into two basic types that use different approaches to provide a stable platform. One type, the brace stabilizer, achieves stability by making the platform longer, wider, heavier with more handles and places to rest it against your body and in your hands.  The other category uses a balancing method, typically, with counterweights, we’ll call them balance stabilizers.

Here are two examples of devices designed to make the camcorder/stabilizer unit wider and therefore easier to keep on a level plane. These brace-type stabilizers come in the form of a bar with handles, like the Levelcam and Quad Pod. Another brace-type design, the Manfrotto Fig Rig, looks like an automobile steering wheel.

 

A third sub-group in the brace-type stabilizers uses a combination of the wide-plane approach with a monopod attached. This allows the user to rest the rig on the ground when not shooting moving video. An example is the Plume Handi-Pod. It looks sort of like a robotic octopus in operation.

Balance stabilizers range from the diminutive Steadicam Merlin to the more robust, and somewhat larger & heavier Glidecam and Varizoom models. 

The least expensive true balancing stabilizer is the Glidecam 2000 Pro at a list price of $299.95. At 2.2 lb plus the camcorder and the counterweights it may be a little on the heavy side for some of us. The total package could easily be 5+ lbs. That may not sound like much until you hold it out in front of your body for 15 or twenty minutes. No problem if you’re a 300-lb ex-linebacker in good shape but it could be challenging for the not-so-fit couch potato. 

The Varizoom is similar to the Glidecam in design. The Varizoom VZ sells for $399. For $499 you can get the FlowPod model with a monopod which can be used for stationary shots. 

The Steadicam Merlin is the smallest of the balance-type of stabilizers. It weighs in at just 12.8 oz without the counterweights. It also folds up into a nice compact package and fits into the included carrying case. The list price of $799 is a little off-putting if you’re just launching into the video thing but it’s a good product.

The important thing is to obtain quality video footage from the beginning. Thanks to the excellent low-light performance of most camcorders available today, getting the exposure and color balance right is fairly easy. A wide field of view is a snap with a $150 wide-angle lens adapter. Composition and flow will come with experience. And having a steady smooth video is just as important as all of the above. Remember…ya just gotta be stable in this business....


Here are some stabilizer demo videos:

The Steadicam Merlin

The GlideCam

The Levelcam

The VariZoom

Homemade Stabilizers

        

After you've created your video, you'll want to find a way to let the world, and hopefully a Buyer, see it.

For this blog entry, I created a short video called "Crabby" and uploaded it to four different free video hosting sites:

• WellcomeMat - A great video hosting site that is dedicated to Real Estate Video.  It's probably the best video hosting site available today for our industry.  The quality is excellent, the interface is intuitive and they have a nifty navigation tool for the viewer that is perfect for the typical Buyer.  You can just visualize Mr. Buyer calling Mrs. Buyer over to the computer and showing her the great kitchen in the home he's viewing.
• YouTube - Everyone knows about this site.  The wired generation lives with it. It's free and it's crowded but it has some advantages.  It offers good performance and it's a stable platform and, because it's so popular, many applications and sites make it easy to embed YouTube players easily.
• Google Video - Part of the Google Mega-Empire, (BTW so is YouTube), they offer easy uploads, good quality and a stable platform.  They are easy to embed and link as well.
• Yahoo Video - A relative newcomer in popular video hosting Yahoo Video is the least intuitive to use but has good quality, speed and reliability.
• Compare - All the sites above.  They're embedded in the bottom of this entry

Before uploading and using any of these hosting providers you'll have to sign up.  Just go to the site and mouse your way through the process,  for the most part it's pretty easy.  YouTube lets you upload immediately, you may have to wait a couple of minutes for the others.

Here's a couple of things you need to keep in mind.

• Your Internet connection - Video files are large files.  I recommend that you have a 500 kbps line (about 10 times the speed of dial-up modems) or better.  You'll need it for uploading and for viewing.  Luckily, ISP bandwith is getting cheaper with time and 500 kbps is common nowadays.
• File size - The larger the file the linger it will take to upload.  A typical file for one of my video tours in 640X480 WMV file format is from 20 to 40 MB.  That gives you a tour of around 4-8 minutes duration.  Many of the hosting services have an individual file limit, often 100MB per file.  Some have a total limit, (none of the above site do.)
• File Type - Most of the hosting services will take multiple formats.  WMV, MPEG, MPEG4, MOV, AVI and SWF are some popular ones.  Technology is always changing but the newer MPG4 and the old WMV formats are pretty efficient.  For Mac users MOV or MPG4 is probably the default choice.
• Don't Be Intimidated - Just go in and try it! If it doesn't work try something else.  You can't break anything and no one will get mad at you for making a mistake.

After your masterpiece is uploaded you need to make it available to your prospective buyers.  You can:

• Link to it - You can place a link in your web page(s) so people can click on it and go to the hosting site to see you video.  You can also email the link to someone.  When they click on the link it will open their browser and open the video. To get the link go to your video on the host's site and look for "link to this video" or "email to a friend" or "embed this video" and follow the instructions.  If you're lost at this point we'll cover links and embedding in a later blog entry.  The trend in hosting sites is to have a "channel" for a poster (you) or genre, etc. So you can also link to your channel which would have all of your videos.
• Embed it - You can embed your video on your web site or in an email (depends on the email program) so that you video plays on your site or email.  You may also be able to embed it in other applications like you MLS system.  Most MLS systems offer a link for Virtual Tours and Videos.  Some allow you to embed the Video right in the MLS page.  FlexMLS uses both methods as well as branded and un-branded options for Virtual Tours and Videos.

Here is the video "Crabby" embedded in this page from all four sites we've talked about so far:

Crabby?

That's probably enough to get you started.  Let us know about your uploading and hosting adventures!

        

You'll see two basic types of full-motion video tours today.  The most common so far is the footage shot from a tripod with a pan head on it so you can smoothly pan across a scene.  The second contains video taken while the person holding the camera walks through the home, these are often referred to as a "walk-through" tour.  Here are some pros & cons of each approach:

Stationary Pan Technique Advantages   Easier to learn & master   Opportunity to take time to compose the scene   Easier to manage lighting & exposure   Less costly for entry-level equipment Disadvantages  More Formal  Less like an in-person tour

Walk-Through Technique Advantages   More like an in-person tour  Good indication of the "feel" of the home  Lends itself to natural narration Disadvantages  More difficult to learn & master  More costly for entry-level equipment

Walk-Through Example

Videos are multi-sensory, so why not take advantage of that fact and add sound?  You'll need to decide if you want to use background music and/or narration for the tour.  Background music sets the mood nicely but I think it's over-used today in many tours, especially slide shows.  Audio is the latest thing to hit the virtual tour and slide-show market with mood-setting music and voice-overs. Narration is good but it normally takes another step to add it after the shoot.  I think it's worth the trouble.  I suggest you try and do the narration in your own voice.  After all, who knows the property better than you? It is also possible to do the narration as you do the video, but I find it very difficult to do a quality narration while trying to concentrate on the video shoot. The best scenario is to mix both voice narration with background music.  That way you convey your message visually while audibly pointing out  features and benefits, very much like an on-site personal tour.

Stationary Pan Example

A soft background of appropriate music can help set the mood nicely.  Choose something you would want playing on the home audio system if you were showing the home in person. You can also mix both hand-held and tripod-mounted video footage. It can be very difficult to get good footage with a SteadiCam for outside shots when the wind is blowing. So a tripod comes in handy.  A tripod is also better for zooms.  Zooms are also easier with a remote control for your camcorder.  It eliminates the camera shake you get when you touch the zoom button on the camcorder. There are other methods and techniques that come in handy for creative video.  Camera booms can give you tripod-like stability with moving shots that seem to "fly" at unusual angles.  Like getting a shot of a foyer from above or "flying" above a kitchen layout.  I've used a helmet cam on a pole for these shots with some interesting results as well.

Another decision you'll want to address is whether or not you want to stand in front of the camera and give the tour.  The major disadvantage with this approach is that you can't do it alone.  You'll need a videographer behind he camera.

In the end, you're the judge as to the type of tour that works best for you.  Just keep your objective in mind.  If it's your listing the objective is to sell the property, not win an Academy Award for artistic merit!