The Growth of in-House Video
In-house production has become more common, mainly because businesses are making many more videos these days, partly for social media and training. So there’s some that have either set up their own internal production department or it might just be part of their design department, where they have, you know, a graphic designer or a web designer who’s developed some camera skills or it might be sort of a fully fledged film-maker who’s in there, and it’s not an either-or. Companies that have in-house production departments and still work with external production companies on the right projects can be really effective, especially when the two collaborate and combine that mix.
The Risk of In-House Production
Many businesses might just have one person in charge of video production, combining videography and editing, so they’re putting a lot of reliance on that one person. What happens if they leave? What happens if they’re sick? What happens if they have too much work and can’t meet their deadlines? And so that’s where it’s good to have a production company there as well, who can work alongside them, whom they can bring in when you have a lot of work to do, but also can bring in specialist skills that you might not have in-house. So often, for in-house production, you’ll have someone who is a competent generalist, but they might not have very specific skills to make particular types of videos, whether it’s animation, motion graphics, documentary, or something that’s a little bit more sophisticated or something that requires you to know more high-end camera work. That’s where having a relationship with a production company can work really well.
Case Study
We’re doing a video for a client at the moment, where they’ve recorded a whole lot of case study videos, shot in-house by their in-house team. One of the things I like about these videos is that they’re not too slick and professional. They’re short messages by the staff to the camera, all about what it’s like working there, and I think because you know it was done in quite a casual way, there’s some, you know, really fun sort of footage that’s in there that might have actually been a little bit more challenging for a production company to do. And I think when they realised the amount of editing that was involved, that it was actually more effective for their team to work on other things and to be able to bring in a production company to do the editing. And so we were able to work together, and they gave us time codes for the content they wanted to use, so our team would put the video together and send it to them. They will give feedback, and it turned out to be a really smooth process.
Collaboration
In some cases, combining the resources of an in-house video production department with the specialised skills of an external production company can offer the best of both worlds.
Ryan Spanger is the founder and managing director of Dream Engine, a Melbourne-based video production company established in 2002. With more than two decades of experience, Ryan has helped leading Australian businesses, government departments, and non-profits communicate their message with clarity and impact through video. He’s known for his strategic approach, reliable process, and commitment to producing videos that deliver measurable results.
