Video Boat Tours. They're not all the same.

[LondonRascal]

When is a Video Boat Review not a Video Boat Review?

 

When you put an action camera on someones head and walk from cabin to cabin in silence.

 

Often remakes of films are not as good as originals along with a remix or cover of a good single - sometimes the original ideas are the best so I'll be sticking to my way of doing things.

 

 

Don't get too dizzy now

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8YIm06YRyw

[BroadScot]

Hi Robin,

 

That should come with a health warning  So TY for your warning instead

 

Iain.

[stumpy]

I'm loving the curved doors and companion ways to make it easy for the crates of l#g#r to be loaded.

[ranworthbreeze]

I'm loving the curved doors and companion ways to make it easy for the crates of l#g#r to be loaded.

 

Shouldn't that be barrels of lager

 

Who ever sanctioned that video needs a career change   

 

Regards

Alan

[grendel]

Come on now, its a worthy attempt, I guess we all had to start somewhere, a few learning points - sure, but at least they tried, we cant all be as good as Robin, that takes a natural skill and practice. much better to give constructive criticism, such as slow panning so that the lesson can be learned for next time, than put someone off giving it a go.

Grendel

[LondonRascal]

I agree Grendal – to a point.

 

It is good to see the interior of boats more than just a photo can show on a website, and it would surely be prohibitive in coast to employ a professional to come along with all the gear and make polished video presentations for each boat (especially when you may have 100 or more in your fleet).

 

So good on Ferry Marina trying something a little different than photos or spinning 360 degree panoramas of cabins.

 

However, the use of an action camera means everything is distorted – it is one thing to have a wide lens to give the illusion of more space, but go too far and things just get curved out of proportion.

 

The fact is it is a company who produced this, a company with a very good social network presence with a lot of followers along with a sleek looking website – indeed their other videos have been produced very professionally.  In the tour video too, they have not ‘cobbled it together’ that much, there is the logo on the video and has on screen captions and it covers the points that need to be seen.

 

I think anyone would agree that these days image and presentation of your services and experience is just as important in the flesh as your online services.  If you have a slick website that has cost a fortune to design and run and looks the dogs you know what’s, then having a video that (I think in time) will feature for each boat in their fleet that is under par makes me cringe a little – but that is just me.

 

Herbert Woods have just changed their website – they are going for the ‘flat look’ that is featuring in the look of operating systems from phones to computers and websites (even the BBC has it in Beta on certain areas)  and there is a risk that you get things to sleek on the design front and your product then fails to live up to expectation – it is not cheap to give away free key rings with LED torches, pens and glossy welcome packs and quality Heron maps for every hirer – it all looks very good, but when you sit down on foam that is very much past its best on a seat I wonder where I might channel such funds.

 

OK so I’ve rabbited on and a little too much (what’s new) but this is a presentation and you’ve got to (in my opinion) get things spot on if your ‘image’ is that of a large company with the resources.  Look at Richardson’s – their website is not particularly flash but it is individual in look and feel and packed with information without being cluttered.  Barnes Brinkcraft have just launched a new look to their website, I think it looks nice for the boats but far too much small print to wade through and a navigation system that is a bit 2005 not 2014.

 

I notice things like this, and if I do others do – maybe they won’t know what it is but will just ‘feel’ that one website and experience is easier or seem somehow better.  End of the day you want to show your boats off the best you can, make their information and pricing easy to get at and above all make someone booking and getting their money to your bank for such easy.

[Dan]

On the plus side they are quick internal run through's that give you a fair impression of the standard etc and I think could be useful in helping a choice, which is probably high up there in the original objective the operator had I would think.

 

The one linked too is a bit jumpy/up/down etc, but a couple of others I watched were less so.

 

It is easy to criticise.  You may be able to do better, few will deny you that this is something you understand, enjoy and make your own and do very well.  Personally I think you're being a bit harsh, standards generally do go up in time on everything as people understand what is out there and the current standard of anything gets looked at and then improved to continually drive growth and business.

 

With this in mind I think it is good that photos are moving to videos but a video walk through of each boat is progress, and I am glad to see it.  I also think that whilst the efforts are being analysed here somewhat negatively I would imagine they have undoubtedly helped their bookings and will continue to do so, so perhaps they are not so poor

 

Dan

[Baitrunner]

Ok so it's not quite john Lewis but it gives a prospective hirer a good idea of what they will get.

Sure it could be a bit more polished, but it wouldn't put me off hiring it. The boat looks pretty nice to me which is what I would be looking for.

Would spending more on a professional shoot improve the bookings?

As I said in your post about the new leccy boat robin, offer to do them a decent video for a free or discounted rental.