Trusting a video production company with your business projects can be a daunting thing, but gathering the right information about the company can help to ease your nerves. To help your decision, we’ve collated a short list of questions that are worth asking if you’re apprehensive about entering an agreement with a video production company.
QUESTIONS TO ASK
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WHAT KINDS OF VIDEOS DO YOU PRODUCE AND DO YOU SPECIALISE IN ANY SPECIFIC TYPE?
Does this video production company produce the kinds of videos that you are looking for? Better yet, do they specialise in that kind of video? It can be helpful to find out the strengths of video companies and see if their skills align with your own goals.
Ultimately, you want to find a company that specialises and has experience in the type of video you are creating, for example, a demo video. If a company specialises in event filming and has little experience in shooting demo videos then maybe they aren’t the right choice for this particular project.
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CAN YOU SHARE ANY CASE STUDIES, REVIEWS FROM PREVIOUS CLIENTS OR EXAMPLES OF WORK WITH US?
Once you are informed about the types of videos that this company produces, you may want to request some examples. This can help you to examine if they produce the kind of content that you are aiming for and can demonstrate their resources and skills. If the style and quality of the examples meet your expectations then you’re onto a winner!
You may also want to see feedback from other customers to see their overall opinion of the company. These reviews are a reliable method of research as they are from first-hand experiences with the company. Most companies will have review pages such as Trustpilot so make sure to have a look.
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WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU USE?
Ensure that you ask about the video production company’s equipment as this will inform you whether you need to dedicate a portion of your budget to renting equipment for the project.
Many studios will already have all the equipment you would need, but you may require a particular type of equipment that the company has not got. This is worth knowing ahead of time so that arrangements can be made to get everything that you need to bring your vision to life.
As well, if you are looking for a company that provides all equipment, this will eliminate any companies that don’t have what you are looking for.
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WHAT IS YOUR GENERAL PRODUCTION PROCESS LIKE?
This is another helpful way of knowing if you will work well with this company. Working in similar working conditions as you are used to will help to make you as productive as possible and will coincide with your expectations. This will make you more comfortable.
Furthermore, being more informed of how the project will run will make you feel more prepared.
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WHO WILL BE INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT?
Some video production companies are fully staffed whereas others require businesses to hire extra employees to help complete the project. This is important to know as you may need to invest in more than just the production company.
Likewise, it is good to know if you will get along with the people working on the project with you. This will help the project to run more smoothly and will prevent any unnecessary conflicts that will hinder the success of the project.
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DO YOU OFFER EDITING SERVICES AS WELL AS FILMING?
Some businesses may require more than just the filming of the project so it may be useful to see if the video production company offers editing services as well. Some companies may offer packages with all filming and editing included which means that you do not have to search for various different companies which can save you time and money.
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WHAT IS YOUR ESTIMATED TIMELINE TO GET THE PROJECT FINISHED?
You may have a deadline to meet and it is essential that the video production company you choose to collaborate with can deliver finished results for that deadline. Make sure to discuss the length of time it will take to complete your project so you don’t run into any problems.
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WHAT DIFFERENCE WILL UTILISING YOUR COMPANY BRING TO MY VIDEOS?
This question is where you can dig deep and discover if they care about the quality of your video or just the cheque that comes from it. You can find out how much thought and care the video production company will put into your project from this question and that may just solidify your decision.
Moreover, you want to invest in a company that brings added value to your project and will hopefully exceed your expectations. Knowing what that company will bring to your project can reassure you that they care as much as you do.
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ARE YOU AWARE OF THE DIFFERENT STYLES OF VIDEO USED IN VIDEO MARKETING?
A lot of the time, video projects are looking to be delivered to a specific audience so it is important to keep that audience engaged and interested throughout. Achieving this starts in the production process; capturing engaging content, professional equipment and effects and experienced editors can all make a difference in how your audience reacts to your video.
As an example, if your audience is mostly active on Instagram, the videos you publish are most likely to be reels that are short, snappy and utilise trending sounds. Contrastingly, if your audience are corporate clients who are more active on LinkedIn and Facebook, then an reel-style video is not going captivate them and achieve your end goal. Therefore, you should make sure that the video production company are aware of the different video styles and can create the content that is suitable to your business.
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HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE VIDEO PRODUCTION INDUSTRY?
Experience is a helpful tool in the video production industry. Whilst some newer companies can also be extremely successful collaborators, you may be looking for a company that has experience in how to produce effective content.
Again, if you are apprehensive about the amount of experience that a company has, request to see some of their previous work as this will show you their skillset first-hand.
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WHAT KINDS OF COMPANIES HAVE YOU WORKED WITH PREVIOUSLY?
Similar to the question above, this will provide you with knowledge about the company’s experience. As well, you can look at the company’s previous work with businesses similar to yours and evaluate whether you like it or not.
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HOW MUCH WILL THE PROJECT COST?
You will most likely have an idea of how much you are comfortable spending on this project so it is ideal to ensure that your potential collaborators charge within this budget.
This question will have an easier answer if you know roughly what you want from the project. For example, how many days of filming, if you would like editing services and if it would be shot on location or in a studio. All these factors will affect the quote you are given and it is important that you get a price that is close enough to the final price.
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IS THIS THE RIGHT COMPANY TO HIRE FOR MY PROJECT?
The all-important question. Taking into account all of the questions above, do you feel like this video production company is the right choice to make your vision come to life? Hopefully, the answer is yes…
Now that we’ve given you some questions to ask, you’re welcome to give us a call and see if you like our answers to them.