Whether imploding a 300-foot-tall cooling tower or tearing down a dilapidated two-story duplex, the spectacle of a demolition job often generates public interest. Thousands of people gather to witness the demolition of high-profile structures, such as when the obsolete Kingdome in Seattle was imploded in 2000, or the Riviera Casino in Las Vegas was razed in 2016.
And smart construction firms don’t let this opportunity go to waste — they capture it on video using construction cameras.
A video or live-stream of a demolition helps you document the quality of work and provide visual content to fuel marketing and advertising activities for your firm. Maintaining visual records of buildings that are being demolished or renovated can assist with preservation efforts involving historic or potentially historic structures. And, having cameras onsite can help keep the public safe. Let’s take a look at each of these benefits in detail.
A Powerful Marketing Tool
Posting a video of an implosion or any demolition event online not only satisfies the public’s desire to witness the demolition, but provides the demolition firm with a powerful marketing tool. Capturing jobsite video can also help display the professionalism and high quality of work performed by the demolition team.
A video of the demolition can increase brand awareness for a firm, and can easily be adapted for a variety of marketing efforts. For example, the videos can be used as backdrop for new videos, content for social media, e-newsletters and other online platforms. Still images can also be extracted from videos and used for numerous applications.
According to Inc., visuals are an increasingly important element of online content because they help people process, understand and retain information more quickly. And HubSpot reports that 54% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support.
Capture Detailed Historical Information
In addition to the marketing benefits of using jobsite cameras to video a demolition, capturing a video of a structure prior to starting work can document the structure’s historical style. Keeping a record of potentially historic aspects of a structure can become valuable when working on either a rehabilitation or full demolition.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation recommends taking videos or photographs prior to commencing work, and notes that it’s important to document what you see before the structure begins to change. Once the structure changes, it changes for good. Also, years after the work is completed, an archived video can provide detailed historical documentation about the structure, if needed.
While plans can provide precise engineering information and measurements, a video provides a comprehensive vision of the look and feel of a structure — far beyond what plans can reveal.
No Trespassing — Your Life Depends On It!
During an interview about implosion-style demolitions with NOVA, Stacey Loizeaux, daughter of the president of renowned implosion specialists Controlled Demolition, Inc. commented about the strong public interest in high-profile implosions and the challenge her family’s company faced maintaining safety for both employees and bystanders during the events.
“We’ve pulled people out of manholes that were 15 feet from the building, pulled people out trees right next to the building, and people will make great efforts to camouflage themselves,” she said. “We’ve had guys dress up as bushes. It’s unbelievable!”
Installing construction cameras to monitor the jobsite prior to the demolition can help ensure teams implement necessary safety measures, while adding an extra layer of security. They can also help reduce trespassing and theft for jobs with intense public interest, as well as for more commonplace demolitions.
Company Documentation & Training
Loizeaux also discusses in her interview how so much of the demolition profession comes from on-the-job learning and hand-on experience. She notes that their “historic database” is contained in the brains of the company founders.
Being able to go back through the steps of a job and analyze the outcome can be an invaluable tool. Watching how each part of the building comes down, based on when and where explosives were set can serve not just as a powerful training tool but also as historical documentation for the company.
Don’t Blow It! Video Your Demolition Job
There are many advantages to recording demolitions with construction cameras, and choosing the right camera is an essential first step. TrueLook’s high-definition cameras are ideal for any jobsite or demolition, with advanced features and capabilities that will make using your demolition footage easy.
To learn more about the value that TrueLook construction cameras offer, as well as their extensive feature set and capabilities, download the TrueLook buyers guide.
