4 Questions to Ask before Choosing a Video Production Agency

Whatever your video needs are, you will likely need to work with professionals to produce the highest quality possible. At the end of the day, the video's quality says a lot about your branding. If it is good, your audience will see you as a reliable business. On the other hand, if the quality is questionable, they might think twice about working with you.

That being said, if you are hunting for a video production agency to work with, here are some questions you need to ask:

1. What is my budget?

You should ask yourself what your budget is to understand what limitations you face. You can make videos on any budget, but the budget size will determine the final result’s scope and quality. The smaller the budget, the more limited you will be in terms of video length, shooting locations, crew size, and so on. Set a budget first, then talk to the video production agency about how you can work with it. 

2. Who is the producer? 

It is vital to ask who the producer is because they will be your main point of contact throughout the project. They will handle your vision and objectives. As such, knowing who you are going to collaborate with will allow you to familiarize yourself with their process. Experience and examples of their previous work are useful factors if you are deciding between multiple producers.

3. What must I provide?

You will have access to most of the things that the video production company will need to create your video—but that goes both ways. For instance, they will likely need access to your graphic assets (logos, fonts, colour schemes, and so on), and they may need your branding guideline to tailor the video to fit your company. The branding guidelines can also help to create a video that matches your businesses tone and style. Regardless, they should let you know know what they need from you. If you give them the right tools, the better, the final result will be.

4. What's the timeline & how is the video is delivered?

If you have a hard deadline establish it during the first few calls with the agency to make sure they can deliver on-time. Every agency will have a different capacity and availability based on their talent and current workload.
For delivery, many video production agencies will give you a link to download the video once it's completed, usually from a website like Vimeo.com. The benefit of using a site like Vimeo is that you can download the video as soon as it's ready, and you have the option to download lower resolution versions if needed. You may also want the video sent to you on a USB stick or hard drive. Whatever medium you want the video to be in, you should speak to the production company to confirm your delivery format and date.

Ask lots of questions

Apart from these questions, there are plenty more that you may want to ask. For example, you may want to ask for a sample of their videos. You may want to know who is writing the script. Whatever concerns you have in mind, ask away! The more you ask the video production company, the better the answers you get. It will help you determine whether the video production agency is the right fit for your needs or you are better off with another agency.

After all, it is only important that you feel at ease with the agency you choose. The right professionals should be more than willing to handle whatever considerations and worries you might have. More importantly, the right agency should answer these questions honestly, whether the answers make you happy or not. If they are comprised of professionals, they will never promise what they cannot deliver.

Mustard Productions is a full-service video agency in Calgary producing highly effective videos for commercial use. Reach out to us today and get the videos you deserve!