The changing role of the videographer

Being a videographer in London 20 years ago was completely different to what videographers do today.  So what lead to such huge shift in role change for a videographer.  In this article we look at demand for video, technology changes and video consumption which are all key aspects of the change video production has faced. 

Video production technology

One key difference between today's videographer and one of 20 years ago is kit and technology.  The kit has improved and had major advancements.  These changes mean that a videographer can not only produce better looking work but they can do it with less resource.  Looking back at what a videographer did 20 years ago, they were pretty much either filming weddings or seminars.  Beyond this, the requirement was a much bigger crew and a huge costly video production.  Especially for corporate video or commercial films, a crew of 5 to 10 was not uncommon.  As a result, companies only invested money into these videos if they really deemed it worthy and could guarantee a return on investment.  Fast forward 20 years and a videographer can now cover jobs on their own or with one assistant that would have been a catered for by a huge crew.  Camera advancements such as autofocus and the creation of the gimbal and drone have helped in this aspect.  With this reduction in crew size, came a reduction in cost.  So the videographer of today can now cover corporate video production, fashion film, documentary filmmaking, aerial video using a drone and even live streams. 

The demand for video production

Something else that has changed with the advancement of technology is how people consume video.  It's not just the camera gear that has changed.  People now have smart phones and typically consume through video.  There has been a realisation that video can reach such a huge global audience and have a huge impact.  This is why it has become one of the top ways to speak to your customer base and audience.  With this huge rise in the demand for video productions there has also ben a rise in the number of videographers.  For example in London there are now hundreds of videographers and filmmakers producing great video content for businesses all over the UK.  The demand for videographers and filmmakers seem to be growing year on year and its a fantastic field to work in.