Top 10 Tips for Vacation Rental Videography

An excellent vacation rental website with video tours of their properties is probably something you've already seen. Without a doubt, property walkthroughs can be an engaging method to highlight your short-term rental and, because they give guests such detailed information on their stay, they can help you increase your booking rates.

However, you might be concerned that you lack the knowledge or tools necessary to film and edit a high-quality video for your listing. And while employing a professional may be affordable for a single property, if you manage numerous properties, the cost will put a major dent in your finances. In this article, we talk about everything you need to know about vacation rental videography and the common pitfalls to avoid.

What types of video formats should hosts produce for their listings?

Walkthroughs and 360-degree scans are the two major kinds of videos hosts can provide for their listings.

Walkthrough Videos

You can quickly record a walkthrough on your smartphone if you have the correct knowledge of critical factors like composition and lighting.

360-Degree Scans

On the other hand, 360 scans require a little more work. As they enable the visitor to "jump from point to point and genuinely feel like they're going across the property," they might be a useful resource. However, you would need to hire a specialist to produce this kind of footage because it requires using specialized, pricey technology (i.e A Matterport camera). In this article, we focus on walkthrough videos.

What kind of tools are you going to need?

The nicest thing about making videos for your vacation rental is that you don't need to invest in expensive camera equipment—all you need is a smartphone to record a visually appealing, useful video walkthrough.

We advise considering the use of a gimbal to lessen the camera shake. Before purchasing a gimbal, try filming without one. You can begin filming if the video appears to be steady and of decent quality. (The price of a good gimbal ranges from $100 to $200).

Top 10 Tips for Vacation Rental Videography

1. Research

Before designing your own vacation rental video, it's a good idea to watch and study videos of others to obtain ideas and inspiration.

2. Route:

Plan a path through your property and think about the many perspectives and angles you want to capture. Some important shots to include are::

• "The Establisher" sets the atmosphere and emphasizes the building's exterior.
• "The Room Establisher" provides an overview of each room.
• To provide a panoramic picture of your rooms, use "The Room Slider."

3. Movement

We advise holding your phone out in front of you rather than holding it close to your chest to lessen shaking. It will be simpler to keep it level and steady if you can see what you're filming.

4. Angles

Don't tilt your phone; doing so can distort the image. Additionally, keep in mind that you will record your asset in many takes (a two-minute video can contain a few dozen different clips).

5. Composition

Focus on showcasing features that will showcase the character of your property when creating your films. Consider luxurious amenities, unique decor, or breathtaking views.

6. Lighting

When it comes to lighting, the same photography advice for vacation rental owners also applies to capturing videos. Record with your blinds and curtains open so you can utilize natural lighting as much as possible when shooting. But you can also leave your inside lights on.

Let's imagine, though, that your interior and outdoor lights are at odds with one another in terms of color temperature. Turn off the weaker lights in this situation so that there is only one source for better, cleaner exposure.

7. Timing

The best time to shoot is when the light outdoors is neither too brilliant nor too dark, (the exterior light should be similar to the exposure inside your house). Depending on how your home is oriented, this can include creating your movie in the morning or the evening or waiting till a cloudy day.

8. Length

No one wants to see a ten-minute tutorial, so let's get to the point. We recommend keeping your clips to a maximum of two minutes; but, if you can keep them shorter, all the better. This improves their effect and the likelihood that potential guests will stay to the very end.

9. Editing:

The advice we have with regards to editing is pretty straightforward. Outsource it. However, you can utilize Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro to put your video together if you have any editing skill and wish to take on this chore. Although you may not have any prior experience in editing, you might still want to try it. iMovie is a built-in video editing program for Macs that is user-friendly for beginners.

10. Music

Keep in mind that any background music you use must be legally licensed; you cannot simply download your favorite song from iTunes. You can search online music libraries like for public domain or royalty-free music.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid:

You may make your films as captivating as possible by avoiding a few typical errors. Some of these errors have already been addressed above, but it's still crucial to keep them in mind when making videos for your vacation rentals:

• Incomplete frames: Avoid cutting awkwardly positioned pieces of furniture or walls out of your frame. Your shots will remain deliberate and complete if you do this.

• Issues with exposure: Poor exposure can be the result of lighting concerns. Run a few test runs to determine the ideal time of day for exposure at your site.

• Losing yourself in the editing: If you've never edited a video before, it could be wiser to outsource this part of the process and spare yourself hours of work.

• Videos that drag on: A video is excessively long if it lasts longer than two minutes. To keep viewers interested, keep your videos brief.

• Weaknesses in the staging and décor: A bland property is unattractive. Before producing your video, pay great attention to your staging and decor.

• Failure to highlight the exterior of your house: Include any exterior spaces — even a front porch — that your property possesses in your video.

To Conclude:

Put yourself in the shoes of your target customers whether you're taking photos for your Airbnb listing or making a video for your direct booking website. Would you want to book after watching your own video if you were looking for a place to stay?

Even if you are not a pro, you can make compelling videos for your properties that are of high quality. Just make sure to do your homework in advance, look at videos for ideas, and record as many videos as you see necessary.

Remember that you can always go back and delete a shot after reviewing it, but you cannot add a shot to the final edit that you wish you had added.

Above all, enjoy yourself! This is your time to showcase your property's unique characteristics and show visitors what a fantastic experience they can expect if they make a reservation with you.