In-House vs. Outsourced Video Production

Video content has quickly become one of the most trendy and effective ways to capture audiences. From short clips on social media to longer, documentary style videos that tell a great story, a myriad of possibilities exists for video. Content is not the only factor that can vary tremendously in video production though. The style, quality, production time, and cost are all extremely variable as well. In video production, you have many options to choose from. With options comes more difficulty in decision-making, though. By the time you’re finished reading this, you’ll be able to decide when it’s best to use an in-house team and when it’s best to choose outsourced video production.

What resources need to be available?

If you’re reading this blog then you probably have some sort of in-house team to work with. It could be one or two people, or it could be a full team including scriptwriters, producers, animators, etc. If you have a full production team in-house, you simply need to decide if your team has the capacity and ability to produce your video at the quality you desire. To some, a full in-house production team means you have a one stop shop for any and all of your video needs. This is not always the case.

While you might have the personnel to complete the video project, do you have all of the necessary equipment? Outsourcing to a production house to complete videos at commercial quality allows you access to all of their equipment as well – equipment you might not have access to with your in-house team.

If you’re working on small projects, perhaps a video blog or videos for social media, your in-house team is going to be the best team to use. The only piece of the production you might try to outsource is your shooting location. Video blogs are oftentimes best shot in a studio, which many small in-house teams do not have as an available resource. In these cases, renting a studio is beneficial. Your in-house team can likely handle the pre and post production and you’ll find that most decent studios (at least here in Austin) cost under $1,000 a day to simply rent out. And, if you rent a studio from a production house, you’ll even have access to the equipment normally used in that studio. Not a bad price to pay for a consistent setting.

Even if you have a small in-house team, outsourced video production is ideal if you need to produce a video that’s at a higher quality than what you normally produce. Web and broadcast commercials, overview and explainer videos (animated or live action), fully animated demo videos, high quality testimonials, and other marketing campaign videos are all examples of projects that might be too involved for your in-house team. In these cases, it’s best to consider outsourced video production. Which brings us to the next big question to ask yourself when deciding between using your in-house team or outsourcing.

How much can you spend on this video?

Whether you have an in-house team or not, you’ll need some sort of budget for your video project. Generally you’ll find that smaller budgets will be best spent through your in-house team and larger budgets are best used when outsourcing a project. However, this is not always true.

When it comes to budget, there’s one question you should think about. How much is it going to cost if you fail at the video project? For example, if you’re creating a video to increase your conversions of prospects to customers, how many conversions will you miss out on if you don’t have this video? If your company is in desperate need of expanding your customer base, this may not be the best project to try your hand at tackling. Budget friendly alternatives can be great and completely viable options for your company. That being said, understand at which point outsourced video production is worth the extra money and security of knowing you’ll have a premium piece of content in your hands in a timely manner.

It’s easy to be confident when you’re outsourcing to a team who does nothing but projects like the one you’re trying to complete. Think about how much it’ll cost to fail, how confident you’d like to be when you spend your budget, and whether you have the right amount of money to even complete this project (the way it should be done). Being the hero doesn’t always mean running a one man show. Sometimes being the hero is knowing when to ask for help.

How fast do you need the video(s)?

One of the biggest factors to consider is the timeline for your new video project. Do you need the video yesterday, or are you planning pretty far in advance? The more time you have, the more likely it is that you can use your small in-house team of one to two people. Outsourcing to a production house is extremely beneficial if you need a project done quickly (and done well). Of course, the quicker you need the video, the more you might have to spend in order to get it done.

Is this a one-time or ongoing project?

In-house teams are great when it comes to brand consistency. Unless your find a production house that truly understands your brand and company (it happens), an in-house team is going to be your best bet for ongoing projects. One-time projects are best to be outsourced because it doesn’t always require that deep understanding. Of course, any production house will take the time to get to know you and your video goals before starting production (or they should), so they’ll still have some understanding. Sometimes, consistency is your main goal with all of your videos. Whether you use an in-house team or take advantage of outsourced video production, you should be able to work with whichever team you choose for awhile. You could outsource all of your video needs to a production house that serves as an extension of your team. They know your brand, they know how you like things done, and they know how to work with you to make sure you both meet video deadlines and end with a project that satisfies your needs. This usually requires an existing relationship with the production house or commitment to build a long term relationship with them. So, unless you can do this, it’s best to only use outsourced video production for only one-time projects, namely those that are of higher quality than your in-house team can produce.

So, there you have it! Hopefully after taking these things into consideration, you can decide if you should use outsourced video production or try to complete them in-house. If you’re still having trouble deciding, we’d love to help! Let us know in the comments section or reach out to us about a specific project.