To film job site videos for contractor Facebook ads, shoot vertical on a phone, hold it steady and close, and grab three 10-second clips on every job: the before, the reveal of the hidden problem, and the after from the same spot. Robert Reign of Roving Revenue gives his contractor clients this exact shot list and turns their clips into Meta ads tracked to booked jobs.
The first time I asked a crew for footage, I got forty-one videos.
Eleven were the inside of a pocket. Six were the truck dashboard on the drive over. One was four minutes of a guy named Dave explaining a fantasy football trade, with a sump pit somewhere in the background.
Not one showed the moment the homeowner actually cared about.
That was my fault, not the crew's. I'd said "film some stuff." That's like telling a new hire "go build something." You get exactly what you asked for.
So here's what I tell clients now. You don't need to make videos. You need a 10-second habit at three moments on every job. That's the whole post.
Set up the phone once (2 minutes)
Whatever phone is in your crew lead's pocket is good enough. Camera quality is the last thing that decides whether an ad books. Do this once and forget it:
- Vertical, always. Facebook and Instagram are watched with the phone upright. A sideways clip shows up as a small strip in the middle of the screen.
- Wipe the lens. Job sites are dusty and the lens lives in a pocket. A smudge makes every clip look foggy. Do it before every shot.
- Turn on the grid. It's in the camera settings. Keeps walls straight and the subject in the middle.
- Leave the zoom alone. Walk closer instead. Zoom turns a phone into a shaky, grainy mess.
The three clips to grab on every job
Think of it like a wedding photographer. They don't film the whole day. They know the three moments that matter - the walk down the aisle, the kiss, the first dance - and they're standing in the right spot when they happen.
Your job has three moments too.
If you only remember one thing: the reveal is the money clip. Before and after shows you finished the job. The reveal shows the homeowner something they're afraid is happening in their own house right now. That's what makes them call.
Every trade has its own reveal. For waterproofers it's water where it shouldn't be - the waterproofing ads post breaks down which ones book inspections. For foam it's the thermal camera, because nobody can see insulation once the drywall is up - more in the spray foam ads post.
Bonus clips when you have a minute
Sound, light and the first two seconds
Most people watch ads with the sound off, so the picture has to carry it. But when someone taps for sound, they should hear a person, not a saw.
- Kill the radio before you talk. Cut the compressor if you can.
- Face the light. Window or work light behind the phone, not behind the thing you're filming. A dark basement needs a work light pointed at the problem.
- Start on the problem. No walking in from the truck, no "hey guys." Something recognizable in the first two seconds or the thumb keeps moving.
- Hold still for a beat at the end. Gives whoever edits it room to cut cleanly.
Before you hit record: ask
It's their house. Ask the homeowner before you film, and tell them it may be used in ads. Most say yes - people like seeing their project shown off.
Keep house numbers, license plates, family photos and kids out of the frame. If you're not sure, don't film it. One awkward clip isn't worth a customer who feels used.
Getting clips from the crew to the ads
The best footage in the world dies in somebody's camera roll. Make the handoff boring and automatic: one shared album or folder, one per job, clips dropped in the same day. Name it by street or job number, not "videos 3."
Then somebody has to decide which clip runs, what the first line says and what happens when the lead comes in. That's the part I do for clients. The words come from market research on what their customers actually say. Every ad is tracked to booked estimates and booked jobs on one dashboard, so a clip that gets views but no jobs gets turned off. I wrote about why this beats a video crew in Your phone beats a video crew.
So tomorrow morning, before anyone touches anything: wipe the lens, phone upright, 10 seconds from the doorway. That's clip one.
Want me to tell you which of your clips I'd run first? Drop them in a folder and book a call, or email head@roving-revenue.com. See how the rest of the machine works on services.
FAQ
How do you film job site videos for contractor Facebook ads?
What should a contractor film for Facebook ads?
Should contractor videos be vertical or horizontal?
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More on ad creative in Your phone beats a video crew