Make a video yourself or outsource it: when should you choose each?
At a glance
Making videos in-house can suit simple, recurring content when your team has time and basic skills. Outsourcing may help with an important story, difficult shooting conditions or more involved editing. This guide compares effort, quality, repeatability and responsibility. A combined approach is possible: record internally and outsource editing. Suitability depends on the footage and the required finished video.
A short update needs a different approach from a major product launch. Compare the job the video must do, your team’s skills and available time.
Not every video needs an external maker. An employee can record a clear, short update when conditions and skills are sufficient. External support may be more useful for a one-off interview, difficult location or important campaign story.
The decision depends on the goal, available time and consequences if the recording turns out to be unusable.
Compare the options
| Decision factor | Make it yourself | Outsource |
|---|---|---|
| Suitable subject | Simple updates or instructions the team can explain themselves. | A story needing more preparation, guidance or visual development. |
| Your team’s time | Preparation, filming, editing and management happen internally. | Briefing, access, content checks and feedback remain necessary. |
| Images and sound | Depend on internal skills and recording conditions. | Can be organised deliberately; agree the required standard. |
| Repeatability | Quick to repeat with an established process and owner. | Needs agreements about new shoots or versions. |
| One-off events | Riskier when recording cannot be repeated and experience is limited. | Extra guidance may suit moments that cannot be repeated. |
| Comparing costs | Include internal hours, equipment, editing and possible re-recording. | Compare full scope and the internal work still required. |
| Combined approach | Record internally against agreed requirements. | Handle preparation, guidance or editing only, for example. |
When making it yourself is sensible
In-house filming can suit recurring updates, straightforward instructions or quick internal communication. Your team knows the subject and is close to the work. A consistent process lets colleagues keep recording without arranging a production every time.
Someone still needs to own the work: prepare the message, film, check, edit and publish. Having a phone already available does not remove those hours. A realistic repeatable format is more useful than a complicated concept that stops after one video.
When outsourcing adds value
Outsourcing may help when information needs shaping into a clear story, participants need guidance or filming and sound are difficult to organise. A maker can connect preparation, interviews, shot planning and editing.
For a vacancy story, combining actual work with an employee’s account can be useful. The related recruitment videos below illustrate that approach; they are not comparisons with in-house productions.
Outsourcing still needs your team’s involvement: arrange access, make participants available, verify content and collect feedback. An external maker cannot replace that knowledge or make those decisions for you.
A combined approach may fit best
Keep simple, frequent updates in-house and commission a specialist for a main film or editing. Check whether internally recorded files are suitable before starting. Discuss microphone use, framing, pauses between sentences and supporting footage needed for the edit.
Agree who manages the files and updates the video. Missing important scenes can mean another recording session. Editing can only work with information that was captured.
Choose after a small trial
Record one short test under the conditions you intend to use. Assess the message, intelligibility, steadiness and working time. Use that result to choose which tasks stay in-house and which to outsource.
Read the briefing checklist, explore formats by channel or consider options in the calculator. Compare your team’s full workload with the agreed external tasks.
Frequently asked questions
Is a smartphone enough for a short internal update?
Yes, if the images, intelligibility and surroundings suit the purpose. A clear message and a controlled recording may matter more than extra equipment. Test one recording before producing a whole series. Explore formats by channel
Can professional editing rescue every in-house recording?
No. Missing scenes, unclear sound and out-of-focus images cannot always be made usable. Have a test reviewed before recording important interviews or demonstrations yourself. Prepare your footage
Can I film internally and outsource only the editing?
Yes. Agree aspect ratio, sound recording, required scenes and file transfer beforehand. I review the footage before confirming which finished video it can support. Explore the calculator
Examples from my work
More insights
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Animation or live action: which fits your story?
Choose the format around what viewers need to see. An invisible process calls for something different from an employee describing their work.
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Freelance videographer or production company: which fits your brief?
The difference is not just the camera or the price. Check who does the work, how much coordination is needed and who takes responsibility.
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How to brief a video production company
A good briefing is not a thick document. It is an answer to seven questions. Answer them in advance and you get a better proposal, a sharper price and a shorter production.