Videography vs. Video Production: An Honest Comparison.

Nomadic UK is a video production company. But long before this company was founded, I (Tom Cribbin co-founder) worked as a freelance videographer creating content for different brands and agencies. So I know first hand the difference between videography vs video production and can give you the honest differences between both of them.

This question needs a little thought, and there isn’t a simple yes or no answer. It depends on your unique circumstances. But the good news is that after reading this article, you will better understand what would better fit your company.

Having started my career as a videographer to now when I’m running a video production company, I can show you the services I used to offer compared to what we offer now.

First it’s important to know the factual difference between both before diving into the advantages and disadvantages of both.

Costs – Typically £1200-4500 per project

Videographer: This is a one man band operation and it’s how i used to roll.

A videographer can be defined as one skilled person specialised in operating the camera. This means recording video and typically doing everything required for a small shoot. That includes setting up and operating a camera, recording audio, framing shots, managing small and simple lighting and ensuring the overall quality of the footage. Some videographers can also edit the content you capture too so one person can do everything. Most videographers are self employed and will manage everything from winning projects, managing, shooting and invoicing.

Videographers handle projects like this –

• Weddings
• Small Events
• Interviews
• Short promotional videos
• Social Media Content

Capturing what’s in front of the camera and using their equipment to create visually appealing shots.

Video Production Company: As the name suggests, a video production company typically consists of a team of people working for one company. The roles are split up, so there will be a team of people who specialise in filming, another team that focuses on editing, another team that focuses on winning work and briefing clients, and another team that distributes the content.

Costs – Typically £2000-£80,00 per project

What projects do video production companies handle?

• Medium and large Events
• Interviews
• Small, medium and large promotional videos
• Social Media Content
• TV Adverts
• Larger longer term projects (campaign shoots)

I’m sure you’re interested in the advantages of hiring a videographer. Here are some of them:

1. They typically have a small mirrorless camera setup that can do both photos and video, which is good for discrete filming
2. Cheaper compared to hiring a video production company
3. Large selection of videographers available on the market so options are diverse
4. Some videographers can edit, meaning they can edit your footage as well as filming
5. Cheaper production costs, less crew to feed/put in a hotel

Overall if you have a smaller budget this will be the best option for you.

Disadvantages of a videographer vs a production company

1. Smaller kit, so footage will look less “premium” compared to Netflix.
2. Limited availability as they will be working on different shoots
3. They will need a watertight brief supplied by you outlining exactly what you need and they typically won’t handle the distribution of the video. So you may need another agency to advertise your content.
4. Availability might be patchy so you might have to find other options
5. Require more management
6. Typically slower edit turnaround – As they don’t have a dedicated edit team you typically have to wait longer for your edit to come back. Some videographers don’t edit so you may need to hire a separate editor. Not a good option if you need a quck turnaround.
7. Costs may be higher overall if you have to work with other agencies and freelancers for each aspect of the production.

Advantages of working with a production company vs working with a videographer

1. Can bring along a bigger team, and create a higher quality output.
2. Can manage actors, tallent or your staff to make everyone happy and comfortable on camera.
3. You are working with more specialists than generalists. There will be teams to manage each aspect of the production, meaning you will work with a diverse team of creative, organised and technical.
4. Less management needed overall
5. Quicker turnaround of the edits. The dedicated edit team and QC process means less revisions and needed so you get a video live quicker.
6. Can be more flexible with dates, the larger team will have a “house style” of creating content.
7. Can work on larger shoots to fulfil a bigger vision with greater impact.
8. More chance of success as the team have worked on more projects.

Overall if you need bigger results, this will be the better option for you.

Disadvantages of working with a production company vs working with a videographer

1. Costs will be higher than working with a videographer as you are hiring a team, not one person.
2. Finding a production company that can help you can be challenging as it’s a greater investment.
3. More time will be spent on calls digging into the needs of the business, and more significant commitment for a result required
4. You will need to have a solid brief too, if you need help writing a brief, download our free template here (coming soon)

So as starting from working as a freelance videographer and switching to running a video production company I know first hand the differences. And I honestly thing both have their place for different clients. When I was a freelance videographer from 2013 to 2017, I was filming 3-5 days a week, and I didn’t have enough time to get clients their edits quickly and professionally.

In fact, and I’m ashamed to say this, but sometimes things got missed. Such as like fonts or the right title, resulting in more amends than necessary. This, for me, came as maturity; I won 100% of my projects, then did 100% of the planning, filmed 100% of the work, and then edited 100% of everything. And there wasn’t enough of me to go around.

In 2017, when I set up Nomadic UK (it used to be called Nomadic Creatives back then), I transitioned to a video production company to offer a better service for my clients. I hired a team around me to specialise in their deparements. The result is the quality of work went up and our clients got better work in less time. In general we are 400% quicker than when I was working alone. We can even offer a same day editing service for those projects that have an urgent need to go live asap.

Note – this is my personal take and I know different companies have different needs.

In conclusion, while videography and video production share common ground in the world of visual storytelling, understanding their differences is essential when embarking on a video project. Hiring a videographer is great as a starting point, and many companies start working with a videographer. Then when they need bigger results and a more comprehensive approach, they will contact a Video Production Company.

If you are after a video production company to help you on your video marketing journey and think we might be a good fit, give us a call or get in touch below.

Call producer Amy on 07806306802 or email us on hello@nomadic.uk Check out our latest Instagram post to see what we are working on this week.

See you later alligators! Love from The Nomads x