Give a realtor a camera, this is what happens

[Duane Adam]

Sharing a new property tour shot by the realtor (me). I'm sure there are numerous pros here who can out shoot and out color correct me, but from a realtors perspective, this is the type of information and reaction I prefer in my videos, especially for important properties like this one.

915 W San Martin Avenue-Official Site

[Don Bloom]

Duane, very nice work. As for the home, I'd consider it but with only 2 kitchens and just a 10 car garage my wife and I might be a bit cramped so I think I'll have to pass on this one.

Are You Kidding Me? WOW! Great Place. If I could afford the electric bill I'd be doing well!

The video really showed the place off. If that realty thing doesn't work out well you've got a future! ;-)

[Chris Barcellos]

Jeeze.... to think I went to San Martin Elementary in the 1950's. Things sure have changed. Sure never had anything like that in those days.

[Robert Benda]

Blech, I wouldn't pay a penny over $7.8 million...

nice work.

[Chuck Spaulding]

You seem to be one of the few realtors who understand the value of good production values for marketing your property.

Some of the VO seemed to be a bit rushed, the visuals of that home are so good that a little breathing room in the VO would have worked.

Very well done, one of the best property videos by anyone, pro or otherwise.

Congratulations and good luck with the sale.

[Duane Adam]

Originally Posted by Chuck Spaulding

You seem to be one of the few realtors who understand the value of good production values for marketing your property.

Some of the VO seemed to be a bit rushed, the visuals of that home are so good that a little breathing room in the VO would have worked.

Very well done, one of the best property videos by anyone, pro or otherwise.

Congratulations and good luck with the sale.

Good catch about the VO Chuck. Seemed to be a combination of rushed VO with rushed video. Have removed some clips to help it "breath".

Wasn't going to use my crane until I watched your videos. Helps to see how the pros are doing things.

[Garrett Low]

Hi Duane,

Beautiful property. Nice shots that really showed the details that went into it.

A few observations. The switch in the narrators was strange especially since I felt the female was much better than the males voice. I actually found the "Realtor Reactions" a distraction and it made it feel too much like a sales pitch. Just having them say words like "wow" and "spectacular" doesn't fit with the refinement of the estate. I would think having a very authoritative person, perhaps a historian, or architect, discuss some of the features have more impact.

Some of the shots are bit short too and cut away too quickly. I would have really liked to have seen more night shots too. I bet the exterior is really impressive at night with the lights shining through the windows. Some dusk and dawn magic hour shots could be really beautiful too.

As a thought, do you think it would work to actually have someone on camera walking the viewer through the house? I'm thinking something documentary like as if doing a guided tour of a castle or famous persons home. You could have two people in it, one the guide and the other the person seeing the home. That way you could get the reactions and present the details of various features. It would take a bit more to produce but it could work really well. Not sure if that would be a better way to sell such a spectacular property.

Nice work overall and good luck with the sale. At about $8M it actually seem very reasonable, at least compared with the home prices around me in Marin County.

[Duane Adam]

Originally Posted by Garrett Low

You could have two people in it, one the guide and the other the person seeing the home. That way you could get the reactions and present the details of various features.

That's a great idea. I'll try it on the next project.

[Oren Arieli]

This is my dream home with a nightmare price. I'll just move into the home theater. A few observations, with a property like this, some cinematic camera moves (dolly, slider, glidecam) would really add some pizzaz. I would also bring a pop-up 42" scrim and boom stand for the interviews. You'll get more flattering outdoor shots, especially around high noon.
Nicely done.

[James Manford]

Need to purchase myself a euromillions lotto ticket asap!

Stunning property and fantastic shots in your video.

If I had the money, I would be very interested.

[Bob Hart]

If only I had the wherewithal, the motivation and a green card. More a matter of the will or lack thereof to make it happen than winning a lottery.


For what it is worth, here is a modest effort from over here this side of the ditch ( Pacific Ocean ).

ROLEYSTONE REAL ESTATE TEST ASSEMBLY. - YouTube

This was a test edit in my preferred documentary style rather than the final delivery which was by another editor. There are shots in this version which have flaws which were not corrected for this test assembly. The "real" editor was also to use effects techniques to meld catalogue images into the actual vision of the properties.

I think I would side with another comment here about your future audio-visual work for such properties becoming more of a documentary style and the testimonials being a little less "commercial" or "punchy", more subtle, almost involuntary disclosures even. A property like the one you are vending has some ability to sell itself if you allow it to express its own potential. Your high quality still images provide nice detail and do the job for me.

I think I might have wanted to see more motion footage interposed with the animated still images and perhaps some humans in the shots to give the place life. A comparative quality of motion images to you to make at the time you shot it might have worked against you. Your camera would need to be something like a RED Scarlet or Epic to realise a comparable detail in the motion images. As a personal preference, I might have included an extreme close up on a small piece of the work to display the craftsmanship quality in detail, tight joinery, perfect plasterwork.

Subject to the confidentiality requirements of previous owners and the original person who commissioned the construction, I would be tempted to give the property a little more personality by including previous owner anecdotes. However there are occasions when previous owner histories might be counterproductive and best avoided.

Such properties to a certain extent are like a Stradivarius violin or other rare instrument, a "privelidge" to own less than a "right".

People who buy and use them are as much stewards of their good keeping for the future, "guest owners" if you will. Heritage instruments and such carefully crafted properties, conserved with care, will outlast their owners.

Your objective of course was to promote the property. Ours was to promote the realtor.


Please heed the observations and comments of others more qualified than me to comment. I am a mug at this game.

[David Barnett]

Very nice job. That house is epic!! Were some of those house shots stills, using a Ken Burns effect? Or was it all video. Either way very good shots.

I've done a couple of these, one was a very nice place, selling for little over a mil. It was amusing though, the realtor left me alone in the place, while he did other things. In walking around & checking it out, the place was a total McMansion. Just shoddy work, thrown up drywall, it's Roman looking columns were hollow, and the stone gate around the pool was basically styrofoam. I couldn't believe how turned off I was to that suburban palace after I left.

Another time I was asked by a realtor if I'd shoot photographs for her. I said I'm not a photographer per se, but she said 'That's ok' she'd rather I try than her with a point & click. She was a friend of a friend as well. Anyway I asked her if she'd ever consider a video tour of a property, to which she revealed to me probably not. Those costs & hosting fees come out of pocket to them, and I think the websites like Realtor.com or whatever probably charge an additional listing fee, tho I'm not positive. Anyway, she said the expenses & time on selling a home are hard enough for less expensive properties, and eating another couple hundred or so wouldn't be worthwhile. I can understand, needless to say I haven't pushed that niche much since. And I don't know anyone working on selling $8 million dollar homes, though I should check around:)


Again nice job, btw.

[Duane Adam]

Originally Posted by David Barnett

Were some of those house shots stills, using a Ken Burns effect? Or was it all video. Either way very good shots.

Again nice job, btw.

Most interior shots were stills. This home had four types of lighting so it was easier to shoot in raw and correct for lighting later. Only had a week to throw this together. I don't have a video camera capable of shooting equivalent quality so in this project I sacrificed the motion. I have a BMPC 4k on order, hopefully it will be suitable for shooting interiors in high quality.