When we discuss shooting video with local business owners we often hear the question “why should I pay money to hire a professional videographer when I can just shoot the video myself – after all I have an iPhone [or a digital video camera]”.

We thought we’d pose this same question to one of our friends, professional videographer Paul Lin.

So, Paul: “Why would anyone hire a professional videographer when they can always shoot video themselves?”

It’s funny you should ask that question. I was just thinking about that today.

Earlier today I was visiting a cheese shop in my neighborhood after an audio production job. I know the owner because he’s been featured in a video I wrote, shot and edited.

While I was in the shop one of his customers overheard our conversation about shooting a new video for him and said, “Yeah, why don’t you get a twelve year-old to help you out with that. They’ll show you what to do.”

I decided I wasn’t going to change that person’s mind today about the need for professional videographers, especially as I was laden down with cheese and cured meat, but it did start me thinking about this very question.

While a twelve year-old may be adept at using even the newest iPad or iPhone they will be hard-pressed to produce a top quality video up to the standards we are accustomed to seeing on TV. That is what a professional videographer brings you and your business.

It’s not merely about technology and technique. It’s about knowing how to see the best things to shoot and the best way to tell your story. It’s about generating a connection between you and your customers.

Scripting or storyboarding, as well as experienced video editing are big parts of that.  So is high attention to quality audio and music. George Lucas has been often quoted on how sound makes up 50% of the movie experience – so true.

So think about it, if a small business is trying to project quality in its products and services, why would it skimp on its videos?  Why show a video that a twelve-year-old could have shot? What are you telling your customers about how you view yourself and your business?

What a professional videographer can give you is a better way to tell the world what you do and who you are – and why customers should buy from you. These are hardly questions a twelve-year-old director would ask, but they’re the questions you should ask when you are thinking about producing a video.