Making Spaces More Accessible: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a Virtual Video Tour Project
Filming a Virtual Tour for Maine Veterans’ Homes: Behind the Scenes
When Maine Veterans’ Homes reached out to me about creating a virtual tour for their Augusta location, I knew this would be a fun challenge. This particular home is their most popular, with 138 private rooms and a bunch of great amenities—think movie theater, coffee shop, chapel, barber shop, a full rehabilitation center, and more. With so many features, they wanted a way to showcase everything to potential residents and their families without requiring an in-person visit.
The Challenge: Capturing the Feeling of Home
A place like this isn’t just about listing amenities—it’s about the warmth, the atmosphere, and the sense of community. This is where video really has the potential to shine, if done right. The goal was to create a video that wasn’t just informative but also inviting. Something that helped viewers really get a feel for the space without stepping foot inside.
Filming Day: Shooting a Tour Without a Tour Guide
Since this was a virtual tour, we needed smooth, steady shots that felt natural—like you were walking through the space yourself. I used a gimbal and wide angle lens to capture those fluid movements, and we focused on natural lighting as much as possible to showcase the space authentically.
One of the biggest considerations was how to make the video engaging while keeping it concise. There’s a lot to see in this building, but I didn’t want it to feel like a never-ending walkthrough. We carefully planned the route, highlighting key areas while maintaining a natural flow.
Although there wasn’t a tour guide on camera, we paired the visuals with a voiceover from Jake Anderson—an administrator at Maine Veterans’ Homes Augusta—who regularly gives in-person tours to prospective residents. His narration followed the same style and key information he typically shares during a walkthrough, making the virtual experience feel just as informative and personal.
To record the voiceover, we set up in a quiet conference room, where I captured his narration using both a condenser mic and a shotgun mic, all routed through my portable Zoom recorder. This setup ensured we had multiple audio options to work with in post-production. I also directed Jake throughout the session, offering performance notes in real time to make sure the final recording felt natural and engaging.
The Outcome: A More Accessible Way to Explore
After editing everything together, the final video now lives on their website and YouTube channel. It’s also something they can send directly to families considering a move. Now, potential residents can get a real feel for the space on their own time, and staff spend less time giving tours until families are further along in the decision-making process.
If you’d like to view the full video tour, you can also find it here!
This was a great project to work on, and I love how video can make places like this more accessible. If you’re thinking about how video could help your business or organization, let’s chat—I’d love to bring your vision to life.
