Hiring a video producer. Have the first half ready before you call. Put the second half to every business you speak to.
Tell them
What the video is forA launch, a training module, an event, an advertisement.
Who will watch it, and whereA phone feed, a website, a big screen at a conference.
How long it should runA rough length is enough to start.
What you already haveA script, footage, a logo, people willing to be filmed.
When you need itThe date it has to be ready to show.
Ask them
01Who will film, edit and manage the project?Each role may sit with a different person, or several with one.
02What happens if someone is unwell on a filming day?Ask how a shoot would be moved or covered.
03What does the price include, and what costs more?Rounds of changes, music, voice over, captions, extra versions.
04How many rounds of changes are included?And how you give feedback on a draft.
05What files arrive at the end?Finished versions, cut downs for social, and whether raw footage is included.
06What will the booking say about who owns the finished video and the footage, and what each of you may do with them?Ask for what you agree to be written into the booking, including where and for how long any music in it may be played.
From videoproducer.com.au, a concept page.
Watching their work
Showreels move quickly. Ask to see two or three finished videos from start to end, ideally ones made for a purpose like yours, and notice how clearly each one tells its story.
Ask what the client asked for in each case. It shows you how well the producer listens.
From brief to first draft
Send the first half before your first call, so the producer can suggest an approach rather than a guess. Then ask each producer the same questions and keep the answers together.
Printed, the brief is one page, with a line under each item for your notes.
Shows whether a business's ABN is active or cancelled, its business type and its GST status, and the Register says the public can use it to check a business before buying.