If you’ve never had to hire a videographer before, the process can be confusing or overwhelming. The good news is, you can get through the process with ease by knowing what to as your videographer before starting a project. Here’s a list of some of the questions we recommend you ask:
What is your experience in videography?
Generally, most clients are looking to hire someone experienced. This means they’ve been producing content for years and often. Experience usually goes hand-in-hand with their pricing and their ability to produce a clean product. Talk to your videographer, learn who they are, and get a feel if they’re right for your project and budget.
Can I see some of your work?
It’s industry standard for creative people such as videographers to have a demo reel or samples of some recent projects. You should be able to find these without having to ask. This is where you really get to see what kind of images they produce. If they don’t have a reel, proceed with caution!
What kind of gear do you use?
A list of gear your videographer has at their disposal can be a good indicator of how busy and capable they are. However, this is not always the case and some videographers keep a small list of gear and rent everything else. If your videographer doesn’t have a particular item, that’s okay, just ask if they can rent it.
How much will my project cost?
This question is short, but rather loaded. How much is a car? Obviously, there are a ton of variables that go into pricing a video project. Make sure that you describe your project in detail so your videographer knows exactly what they need in terms of gear, time, crew, media, and supplies to get the job done to your specifications.
Check out our more detailed blog post about pricing video projects here.
Do you have any ideas for my project?
After detailing to your videographer want you want your video to look, sound, and feel… we recommend always asking them what they think. Of course, an experienced videographer will always have helpful insight and can help make your video even better. Asking this question tells your videographer that you trust them and strengthens the relationship.
What is your onboarding process?
Every videographer has some sort of process to get a new client set up for a project. This may be a series of calls or email communication, signing contracts, accepting a quote, or approving a scope of work. Always ask what the next steps are so you know what’s coming up next and can anticipate the process.
What is the best way to communicate with you?
As a small business, we’re often on the road or tied up on projects. For that reason, we prefer that our clients email and text us. That way, we can reply as soon as we’re free and there’s always “notes” we can refer to later. Of course, a phone call always works too if that is what the client wants. Ask and find out what works best for your videographer.
Do you work with contracts?
Videographers should absolutely work with under contract no matter how big or small the job. Contracts not only protects them, but the client as well. Some videographers choose not to have clients sign contracts. Ask your videographer if they require one and what kind of information do they include in one.
What is the turnaround time?
Some videographers are busier than others. Some edit their projects themselves or pass them to an editor. Neither is right or wrong. But, you should ask how long will it take to get your project edited. If you have a deadline, make sure you let them know very early in the process.
How many revisions do I get?
Most videographers will allow at least one round of revisions, just as long as they’re within the original scope of work. Some videographers do more. It’s always important to ask how many revisions do you get and what kind of revisions are considered apart of the original scope of work. This should also be in your contract!
When you have a video project in the works, you want to make sure that it goes smoothly. Sometimes you don’t know what to ask and that can leave you feeling uneasy. With these questions above, you should have a good grasp on your videographer and if they’re a good fit for you. As you see, there are a lot more considerations than pricing alone!
If you have any additional questions, we can help. Just contact us today and learn about how we can make your next video project into a reality!