Real estate video production - The complete guide for beginners

If your photography team recently jumped into shooting property videos, you know it’s a completely different form of art. Real estate video production requires approaches and techniques that most photographers don't get right from the get-go. However, just with a couple of months of shooting, many are capable of amazing footage. They have a secret!

This blog unveils the secret and helps you save tons of time in shooting. Here is the ultimate checklist you will ever need to nail, especially when are new to the club. Let’s find out how professionals shoot real estate videos.

Real estate video equipment

1. DSLR or Mirrorless Camera capable of shooting 1080p. 

2. Wide-angle lenses range from 16mm to 24mm (on Full-frame) with F/2.8 to F/4 aperture.

3. Gimbal & Stabilizer. Depending on the weight of your camera and lenses, choose the right model. Here are a few name suggestions: 

• DJI Ronin: M, S, SC

• Zhiyun Crane 2, Weebill S

• FeiyuTech

4. Tripod and slider are optional but we highly recommend for detail shots and insert shots.

Camera setup

With all the equipment, now what are the best camera settings?

How do professionals shoot real estate videos? - Esoft tutorials

• Shoot in the highest framerate possible in 1080p (50p, 60p would be best for slow motion)

• Set your shutter speed at least 2x the framerate (1/50 or 1/100 to prevent flickering)

• Set white balance 3000K - 5600K, don’t use auto white balance as it will make it super-duper hard when it comes to editing your videos. 

• Shoot at eye level whenever possible, that will make your house tour video better to watch/

• Choose a flat image profile with low contrast (if possible). Shooting with a flat profile of LOG will require more skills than a standard profile, here are some tips:

• When shooting with LOG or flat profile: Expose to the right (should be 1 - 2 stops over). 

• Keep your ISO as low as possible

• Clip the highlight not the shadow

• Pay attention to the sharpness of your image

Shot List

To make a professional real estate video, like the one shown above, you will need a list of clips. Here’s what and how professionals shoot real estate videos:

1. Outdoor shots

• The house’s facade: try shooting from different angles if possible

• Walk from street to door

• Opening door

• Backyard, walk around the garden, view of the house from the backyard

Backyard and garden shouldn't be left out in your shot list

2. Indoor shots

• Enter the house > Living room > Kitchen

• Balcony

• Bathroom, Bedroom...

• Detail shots: medium shots or close-up shots of selling features (beautiful design, structures, interesting details) in the house

Home selling features make a real estate video more welcoming

It might take up several takes, depending on the size of the house but you can always consider using a different focal length.

Output requirement

For a usual web listing real estate video (from around 2 minutes long), follow the standard requirements here: 

• On average, aim for 25 - 30 input clips to achieve a 2-minute walkthrough video. Respectively, 12 - 15 input clips for a 1- 2 minutes video. Try to shoot them in the same order they would be shown in the final video.

• Each clip should be 10 - 30s in duration

• The total file size should not exceed 5GB

• Video format: MOV/MP4

Featured service: Real estate video editing

Tips for videos with voice-over

If you are shooting a house tour video that has a voice-over of the agent describing the property (not agents talking directly to the camera), there are a couple of things to get right.

• Use a good microphone when you record audio, a lavalier mic that attaches to your agent/realtor is the most ideal. The on-camera mic is only usable when it's close to the object.

• Include a simple timestamp with relevant scripts from the audio track

An example of audio track scripting

If you don't have a timestamp table, give editors a heads-up of what the main focus of the talk (audio track) is. Do expect the editing process to take longer without a script table.

Some pro tips for smoother real estate video production

• When you move between 2 rooms with different lighting conditions, don’t cover them both in one take. It’s better to adjust the camera setup and shoot rooms separately

• Lens flare is debatable but we recommend avoiding it as it helps create a consistent color display easier later on when you edit.

• Always check and clean your lens before every take to prevent any dirt/dust

• If you take the detail shot with your slider, make sure the rail is clean and smooth

• Don’t go too fast, take it slow as the latter is better manipulated in editing.