The Man Behind the Camera
On this episode of NS Builders Podcast, I interview the guy behind the camera—my longtime friend and partner in crime, Doug Duvall. Without Doug's digital expertise, there may not be Site Visit with NS Builders or NS Builders Podcast or Revealed. Doug has brought such incredible talent and enthusiasm to the NS Builders team. Therefore, it's time to shine the spotlight on Doug—and dig into his history and how he creates our hugely popular content.
IT ALL STARTED WITH…
Some aspiring filmmakers credit their desire to get into the business by watching an interview or movie by a master like Martin Scorsese—not Doug. His inspiration? MTV's "Jackass." Yup, the novel concept of just picking up a camera and recording anything you wanted was wildly appealing. So Doug began filming and editing skateboarding videos in 7th grade, and his passion for videography has never diminished.
He graduated from Fitchburg State (which is where we met and were roommates) with a degree in Film. But where Doug really learned the craft was working at a small ad agency right out of college. He refers to that experience as "a master's program" because of the real-life experience it taught him about the business. After a few years, Doug was itching to strike out on his own, and that's where our paths intersected again.
FILMING NS BUILDERS
Doug and I had been keeping in touch with Facebook Messaging (don't judge… IG wasn't what it is today, people!). We decided to do our first video (which was never released until this NS Builders Podcast was posted due to everyone begging to see it).
Then my wife and I bought a house; we had always talked about filming our working on a house project. I realized this was the perfect opportunity to film what we're building, showcasing our craft. It was me and a few other guys working, Doug filming all day, interviewing me afterward, and then he'd work his magic with editing. Boom! We had a video. Doug was living in Maine at the time, driving a couple of hours each day we filmed, but he didn't let that hinder him.
After a two-year stint working at a mega corporation doing video, Doug and I started doing shoots together again. One day I saw this construction video on IG, and I thought it was one of mine because I clearly saw Doug's creative genius in it, but it was some other guy he had made the video for. That's when I knew: I have to get Doug onboard, full-time, make it worth it for him—whatever it took to secure his creativity and bring it to NS Builders.
DOUG'S METHOD FOR CREATING CAPTIVATING CONTENT
Anyone can produce content and put it out there—doesn't mean it's good. Doesn't mean it's worth watching. So what's Doug's secret to creating captivating construction-related content that keeps our viewers coming back for more?
First, he doesn't mind immersing himself in the work. "If I didn't like sawdust and coming home every day and having to air blow my camera off… If you don't like that, then you probably can't work in doing video on a construction site."
Second, he knows I'm a talker… so if I'm still going on after 10 seconds about something, he'll insert some piece of B roll to show interesting details to engage visually. And it works! Site Visit is organic and very raw, but Doug knows precisely how to edit so that it's quick, refined where it needs to be, and maintains interest. No unnecessary fluff.
Doug understands the immense power of music—the right music to match the clips. And because many viewers might have the sound off (guilty of watching Revealed while you should be working, anyone???), he makes sure subtitles are added. And he crafts engaging descriptions to lure in viewers.
So, it's a full-time gig between filming, editing, and divvying up the content into smaller pieces for Site Visit, Revealed, NS Builders Podcast, and all the micro content distributed across different platforms. But we're not done yet…
WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON NEXT
Get ready for Crafted—a new series that will be more like a TV show or Netflix documentary, distinctly in-depth as it takes you through a project, the process, the people, and why we do what we do. We've produced five or six episodes thus far, and they've required A LOT of shooting—30 hours for the first episode compared to four hours for Site Visit. So stayed tuned for Crafted! Doug and I know you're gonna love it.
FINALLY, IF YOU DON'T HAVE A DOUG…
Most people don't have a Doug Duvall for video production and taking their social media game to the next level—too bad for you. But you can watch the full episode to hear Doug's advice on cameras, lighting, mics, and much more.
It's time to discover what NS Builders can intentionally craft for you! Contact us today to get started on your custom dream home. Together, we can make it happen.
—Nick Schiffer