Property video production for The Agents Club
When The Agents Club approached me to produce the latest episode of their property vlog, the brief called for something deliberately different from a conventional corporate film.
The aim was to create a longer-form, documentary-style piece that felt natural and spontaneous, following the team and their guests as they visited three property developments at very different stages — one completed, one under construction and another yet to break ground.
Alongside the main 30-minute vlog, we also needed to capture aerial footage at each development and produce a separate sales video, giving the client a substantial bank of content from a single production.
Planning a multi-camera production
Although we wanted the finished vlog to feel organic, there was quite a lot of planning behind the scenes to make that possible.
For this shoot I put together a three-person crew: myself, a second camera operator who also handled the drone filming, and a camera assistant.
Much of the vlog involved following conversations as the presenters and property developers walked around the sites. We would regularly move between interiors and exteriors, through working areas and across uneven ground, so the camera setup needed to give us freedom to follow what was happening without constantly stopping or recreating moments.
Rather than trying to control everything too tightly, the priority was to build enough coverage into the filming that we could let conversations develop naturally.
Keeping spontaneous filming covered
For the walk-and-talk sections, the second camera operator and I worked to a simple but effective plan.
He concentrated on maintaining a dependable wider shot, generally working from the opposite side of the action, while I could move in closer for tighter shots with more depth and detail.
That gave us two complementary perspectives without either camera having to chase every moment.
It was a physically demanding way of shooting at times — particularly when moving backwards while following contributors around active locations — but having clearly defined roles between the two operators meant we could concentrate on our individual shots while knowing the other angle was covered.
The result was the documentary feel The Agents Club wanted, without sacrificing the coverage needed in the edit.
Using drone footage as part of the story
Drone filming was an important part of the production at all three developments.
The aerial footage obviously allowed us to show the scale and location of each site in a way that isn't possible from the ground, particularly when comparing developments at completely different stages.
But it also had a practical storytelling purpose.
With a vlog built around unscripted conversations and constant movement, there will inevitably be moments where a camera is repositioning or where the best visual doesn't perfectly match the dialogue. Having strong aerial and location footage gave us valuable B-roll to bridge those moments and keep the finished programme moving.
So the drone wasn't simply there to provide a few impressive establishing shots. It was planned as an integral part of the coverage.
Getting more from the production day
In addition to the vlog, The Agents Club needed a separate sales video filmed indoors.
This was where having a three-person crew really paid off.
We scheduled a dedicated window of around two hours in which the second camera operator could concentrate on capturing extensive drone coverage across the sites. At the same time, my camera assistant and I set up the indoor filming as a three-camera production.
That meant different parts of the brief could happen simultaneously rather than one holding up the other.
We also brought in an additional lightweight camera specifically for the moving gimbal work. This gave us the mobility needed for the vlog while still having enough cameras available for the more controlled multi-camera setup later in the day.
It was a good example of why the production planning happens long before anybody presses record. Even collecting the additional equipment was built into the schedule the previous day, particularly given the travel involved between London and Derby.
One shoot, a month of content
By the end of the production, we'd captured considerably more than a single video.
The main deliverable was a roughly 30-minute property vlog following the three developments, alongside a fast-paced trailer, a separate sales video and extensive drone and supporting footage.
For The Agents Club, that meant one carefully planned shoot generated enough material to support around a month's worth of content.
And despite all the planning happening behind the camera, the finished films retained the rougher, more organic documentary style we'd agreed at the beginning.
The client's response was that the finished result went beyond what they'd imagined — and we're already planning to work together again on the next episode.
Planning a video production?
Whether it's a corporate film, branded content, a documentary-style project or a larger multi-camera production, I can build the crew and filming approach around what the project actually needs.
I'm a London-based videographer working with companies, agencies and organisations on productions in London and across the UK.
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