Photo, video or both: what a listing actually needs

Photos alone are the honest answer for a straightforward apartment or a small unit. Photo and video together is the package most agents book, and a cinematic listing is for the properties where the vendor is backing a bigger campaign. Our prices start at $650, $1,200 and $2,400, all ex GST.

What does a listing need: photos, video or both?

It depends on the property and the campaign. Here is how the three packages line up.

• Photography, from $650. The full listing gallery, with editing and colour grade included.
• Photo and video, from $1,200. The gallery plus a listing video, shot on one visit by one crew.
• Cinematic listing, from $2,400. The cinematic listing film, the full gallery, drone and twilight coverage.

All ex GST. Every listing is quoted against the property and the brief.

When are photos enough?

When the property is straightforward. For an apartment or a small unit, the photography package is often the honest answer, and we will say so rather than sell you more. Small units, leases and short-stay listings generally get a lighter approach. There is no set package for these. It is usually photos only, and sometimes a basic custom package: a very basic video with a few photos. It is quoted per property.

When is photo and video worth it?

When the property has something a still cannot carry. A view, a floor plan that has to be walked through, a garden. Video lets a buyer move through the place. Photo and video together is the most booked package, which is why it is the middle tier. Both are shot on the same visit by the same crew, so the video is never waiting on a second booking.

When is a cinematic listing worth it?

When the vendor is backing a bigger campaign, on a bigger, nicer or more luxury property. The cinematic listing is more than a basic video. It is a whole campaign built around the property: the agent talks to camera and explains the different parts of it, we show the details, and we show the area around it. It starts from $2,400 and includes drone and twilight coverage. It can include social videos, and a lighter version of the agent-to-camera film can be done in the lower package.

How do I choose between the three?

Ask three questions. What is the property, and does it have a feature a still cannot carry? What is the vendor spending on the campaign? Where will the content be used: the portals only, or your own channels as well? If the answers are a simple property, a modest campaign and portals only, photography is enough. If you are unsure, send us the address and we will tell you what we think the listing needs.

What about video only?

Video only is available on request, from $850 ex GST. It is not a featured package. Most listings are better served by the photo and video package, because the gallery comes with it and the whole job is one visit.

Is drone included?

Drone is included in the cinematic listing. On any other listing it can be added on request. It is quoted per property, because there is no separate drone price on the rate card.

How fast does it come back?

Stills come back the next business morning. Video comes back in three business days. A typical shoot takes 2 to 3 hours on site, drone included.

Who pays for the listing media?

The vendor, in almost every case. Listing media is a line on the marketing schedule alongside the portal listings and the signboard. That is also why our prices are published: you can put a real number in front of a vendor at the appraisal.

Got a listing coming up? Send us the address.

If you are buying video for the first time, it also helps to know how to write a brief.

For the numbers behind each package, see our guide to listing shoot costs.