9 Tips for Creating Smartphone Apartment Video Tours
At Resident360, we’ve been getting a lot of questions from properties on how to create decent looking apartment video tours using a smartphone.
Here are a few tips we put together that should help:
#1 – Light It Up
Smartphone cameras love bright light, so turn on all lights in the apartment (that includes opening curtains and blinds).
#2 – Eliminate Shaky Video
Open all interior doors in the unit so you don’t have to open them while filming (which can lead to shaky video).
#3 – Turn It Off
Turn off any ceiling fans or other items that could show up as moving in the video.
#4 – Walk It
Plan your route through the apartment. You want to do a slow walkthrough. When shooting rooms, keep your distance (stay in the doorway or far corner) and slowly pan from one side of the room to the other and back. Then walk out and do the next room. Make sure to keep it slow, especially when panning a room.
#5 – State The Facts
If you’re going to be talking over the video try to keep it minimal just giving the highlights. For example, “Here’s the kitchen with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops.” “Here’s the master bedroom with a walk-in closet.” You just want to state what the person is seeing on the video.
#6 – Vertical vs Landscape
Considering most apartment rooms are on the smaller side, shooting the video in a vertical format vs landscape will allow you to show more of the view from floor to ceiling.
#7 – Clean It
Clean your smartphone lens. Most people forget to do this.
#8 – Rehearse It
Do one or two sample video walkthroughs. Watch it back and make any adjustments you think are needed.
#9 – Upload It
Film your final tour and then upload the video to Youtube or a Wistia video hosting account. Make sure you name the video for the floor plan it’s for. Ex: Estancia Apartments – The Wave – 2 Bedroom/1 Bath. Take the Youtube or Wistia video link and share it with your leasing team and prospects.
Written by Josh Grillo
Josh Grillo is a #1 Best Selling Author, Speaker and Co-Founder of Resident360.
