Choosing a video production company isn’t easy. This is why most clients tend to stick with a good production company once they’ve found one.
To find a selection of video production companies you can look on search engines such as Google, check Yellow Pages listings, or ask colleagues/ agencies you already work with.
So how do you sort out the good from the bad? The following 8 tips will help you find the right video production company and avoid making any expensive mistakes:
1. Find A Specialist
Video production companies come in lots of different shapes and sizes. In many cases they specialise in a particular type of video or sector e.g. corporate video production. As a general rule of thumb, the more experience a video production company has in your market, the easier it will be for you to get your intentions across to them. An experienced video production company will also be better equipped to communicate your message to your target market. From this point of view, taking the time to find a specialist video production company is time well spent.
2. Ask For Samples & References
Track record counts for a lot. Video Production Companies with an impressive portfolio and client list and portfolio are usually a safer bet. The more happy clients a video production company has the better. Ask the production company to show you the last 3-5 productions they’ve done within the quoted budget, then call those clients to find out what they think of the video production company and their new video.
3. Submit A Brief
A video production brief is simply an outline of what you want in terms of a video, it is a set of guidelines for a video production company to work from. A comprehensive one page summary is usually more than enough to get started. Without this brief, video production companies will find it very difficult to give you an accurate quote.
4. Get A Detailed Quote
Video production companies should always be prepared to give you a detailed quote for free; it’s that simple. You should make sure that everything is included in this quote. At the very least, you should watch out for and be wary of any extras in the small print.
5. Confirm The Production Team
If you like a particular video, you should request/ or insist that the production company can use the same creative and production team on your video too. The experience and expertise of the production team will have a huge impact on the creativity and production values of your video.
6. Agree Re-Writes And Re-Edits
Unless you have agreed otherwise, the right to re-draft the script and re-edit the video should be standard practice till its right. These are vital opportunities to feedback and evolve your video in the way you want. The onus will be on you to provide any necessary feedback within the agreed time frame or you will delay your own project.
7. Request Copyright Ownership
The copyright of your video is valuable. Where possible you should own it. Owning the copyright of your video will enable you to distribute the multiple channels without further costs incurred by the video production company and their production team.
8. Set A Deadline
If you want your video to be produced on time, ask for a guaranteed completion date in writing that includes penalties for unreasonable delays that weren’t caused by you. Ensure that your contract also guarantees that your project isn’t overlooked because of a bigger project undertaken by the company.
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