Should a dealership hire a videographer or use VanillaSky?
Book a videographer when you need real recorded footage, engine sound or a person on camera. VanillaSky makes videos from listing photos for $5 per car and background, including up to five versions, with portrait or landscape output and delivery time depending on the style and queue.
Side by side
| Videographer | VanillaSky | |
|---|---|---|
| Input | The car on the lot, on shoot day | The listing link, or the photos and one line of details |
| Turnaround | Days | Depends on queue and concept |
| Cost | Per day or per shoot, plus editing | $5 per car and background, paid after you review your car; up to five versions |
| Can show | Walkaround, engine, interior in motion, people | The listing photos in motion, the numbers in type |
| Cannot show | Cars that were not there on shoot day | Verified footage of actions that were not recorded, such as the engine running |
| Branding | Whatever you brief | Your logo, accent colour, headline font, dealer card |
| Formats | What you ask for | Portrait 9:16 or landscape 16:9; duration varies by style |
| Re-cuts | New edit, new invoice | Up to five versions on the paid background, including the first |
| Scales with inventory | Only with more shoot days | Yes; each listing is its own input |
Failed attempts do not count toward the five versions. A different background costs another $5 and includes its own allowance. Review every generated video for visual errors before publishing.
When to book the videographer
- A flagship car where a buyer wants to hear it start.
- A showroom or brand film.
- Anything with a person on camera.
When to use VanillaSky
- Every car that gets listed, the day it is listed.
- Cars that sell before a shoot day would come round.
- Ads where the price and the mileage are the message.
Questions
Can VanillaSky replace a videographer entirely?
For per-listing social ads, yes. For brand films, showroom tours and anything with people in it, no; those need a camera.
Does the videographer's footage look better?
A good videographer's footage looks better on the cars they shoot. The question is what the other cars get. VanillaSky's videos look like the listing photos in motion, because that is what they are.