Thursday, December 6, 2012

Useful Tips for Hiring a Video Production Company


If you don’t have a reliable referral or recommendation, hiring a professional video production company can seem a bit daunting at first. Some suggestions to look into that will help you find reputable video production companies are:

·      Start by asking friends or work colleagues
·      Google search
·      LinkedIn search
·      Video Production Company Websites

Once you have a few prospects give them a call and ask a few questions. If you are not sure what to ask, here are a few tips that will separate the pros from the rest of the pack.

·      What is their core area of their video expertise? (Should be in your area: corporate, entertainment, etc.)
·      How many years have they been in business? (At least two years)
·      Check their rating with the Better Business Bureau.
·      Ask if they are insured and for a proof of insurance.
·      Ask about seeing work they have produced similar to the video you need
·      Ask for references.
·      Do they handle all aspects of the production and post-production process? (Having multiple outsourced parties working on your project could mean delays and problems)
·      Ask about a production contract. Do they write them for each project? (They should present or you present a contract stating their deliverables to you and your deliverables to them including a project timeline and cost).

These few questions should give you a good feel for their ability to professionally produce your video project. Producing a video takes more involvement from you as you may think. Video production is a collaborative process. You will have milestone dates to approve or provide feedback that is critical to the outcome of the video and it being on time, and on budget. The better you state your needs up-front and insure the production company understands them, the better your chance a productive and useful video will be made that serves the needs it was intended for.