Welcome

You want someone to make an awesome video, I want to make an awesome video. Let's team up!

I have been making films for the past few years, from weddings films, to commercials, to passion projects that push my creative and story-telling abilities. I am passionate about filmmaking in every aspect. Everyday I am pushing myself to develop my abilities in lighting, sound, music, camera techniques, and most of all story-telling. 

This is where you come in. You have a story, weather you're a couple who's entering into marriage, or a company ready to step up your marketing game. I have spent the past 5 years working with professionals in a variety of fields from higher education, to dentistry, to athletics, to consumer services to industrial manufacturing. I have learned what it takes to tell a story through creating an intriguing video.

Things to Consider When Looking For a Video Production Company in San Luis Obispo CA

Marketers nowadays have access to video marketing platforms that are sophisticated and enable them to manage and store their video content, capture the leads and measure advanced ROL and analytics. The superior video production organizations that produce their content in-house are not necessarily clear because the timing and the capacity may cause them to seek help from other agencies or companies for the video content. However here are several tips on how to find the best video production companies.

a. Find Out If The Production Company Can Handle The Campaign Volume.

The video campaign usually consists of a series that has related videos and is distributed over the predetermined timeframe. The number of videos depends on the type of video you will use, your timeline and your goals. If for instance your campaign is testimonial driven, you will probably need just five testimonials in each week.
If a person, however, wants to create a short profile video for his products, nothing should hinder him. Nowadays there are video companies that can produce more numbers of videos in a short time so while choosing a video production company, ensure that it can handle the volume you wish to produce.

b. Check If The Video Production Company Provides A Platform That Manages Scale.

There are many moving parts in high production that should be managed. There could be filming to screening and ordering to script writing. You should, therefore, get a video partner that will give you a scalable video production platform that has tools that will enhance your monitoring, tracking and managing other tasks.

c. Find Out If The Production Company Is Limited Geographically

Video production is usually local therefore you can find an agency, mortar or brick company that will provide for your needs at a local area because dealing with the multi country, multi-city or multi- region could be more expensive. However, if your video campaign will span across different cities, you should ensure that your provider has or is capable of accessing a managed workforce of the video professionals. This will help in cutting off the unnecessary expenses. 

d. Find Out Who Are The Main Experts Of The Company.

Find out the type of videos produced by the company. Some companies may have awesome testimonials, but if they have built their portfolios on producing animated movies or covering events and you want branded ads or a series of product videos, they probably may not be the best choice.

e. Find Out How Quick They Deliver.

You can put down a deposit and end up waiting for quite some time before the delivery is done. You should always push to the limit and ensure that the content of your video is timed. Find a provider who is capable of delivering your video content in just two weeks.

f. Find Out If The Providers Guarantee Satisfaction To Their Clients With Quality.

Some of the video providers will not guarantee satisfaction to their customers.in today’s market, it could be difficult to control freelance videographer’s quality. If they guarantee, you should read to see what the fine print includes. It could cover all the video cost or jus the referral fee.

g. Find Out If The Company Will Give Video Revision Over Time.

Great marketers will agree that if a video content is not doing very well, there will have to be optimization of the content by making necessary testing and editing, analyzing the data or pinpointing areas which need improvements. This will help in enhancing your video.

By dividing your video into three parts (the introduction, body, and the conclusion) it will be easier to edit the video. You should then analyze the drop off rates for each section. You should prioritize finding a video provider that will understand the need of analytics and is prepared to work with you until you get excellent content.

How To Choose The Right Video Production Company

Every project is a partnership between the production company and the client. There are several things to consider, both the tangible and the intangible, and they are both essential. Your choice is paramount since not all companies are equal. What you should consider before making any contact with the video production company.

a. Establish clear goals. The more you define your goals, the better the final product you get.

b. Determine your budget limit. Mostly the budget will determine the finished product you have. You will save more resources and time by just knowing what budget you have. It is important therefore to share that information with the production company even if it is just the range.

c. Know your audience. You should be aware if the video will be used in selling a product, training workers, inspiring or motivating the employees, educating the clients, informing the shareholders or just for entertainment.

d. Make quantifiable measures of success. Have in mind what you want the audience to think, feel or do after they have seen the video.

e. Do thorough research. You may use books or the web to find more information about the production companies that may have caught your eye.

f. Ask business colleagues. To narrow your choices, you should ask for advice from friends or business colleagues that may have done business with those companies.

g. Check on social media. You can ask your contacts on LinkedIn about their experience or their advice about a video production company that they may have worked with.

h. Identify internal expectation. Get to know the kind of results that and persuade your management that the video has become a success. 

i. Get to know if there will be any travel during production. There could be a dramatic increase in cost if the crew has to shoot in multiple counties or cities. In several cases, getting experts on camera and customers could strengthen the message, but the cost should also be balanced. 

j. Consider your preferred delivery option. Have in mind if you want to stream your program online, of you will use the DVDs if you will present the video in a tradeshow or it will be broadcasted on a cable or network.

k. Limit the number of bids. You should inquire bids from at least three production companies. It might become hard if you take a lot of companies at a go.

l. Find if there are any opinions about the direction you should take. If the clients know the kind of approach they want to take before they even start, they should communicate this to their bidders.

At The Meeting

When meeting with the company, there are several things you should take into consideration. The first impression is very important and is a major deciding factor. Here are other things that look for in during the meeting.

• How is their pitch? In case the firm sells themselves in a manner that show that they understand what it takes to provide essential information that is crucial for its prospective clients, know you have a better chance of getting the best services with them.

• Have they conducted any research? The video production firm should at least have some background information about your company and the activities that you are engaged in. In case they have never heard of your firm or do not have any idea, it should raise some concerns. Even if you are just a small start-up, in the current technological world, they should have a small idea.

• Is there any chemistry? You will be spending loads of time with these individuals. For everything to proceed smoothly, you should at least be able to befriend and even like them. Do you have a feeling that you will have a good working relationship with them? Do you feel confident in their skills and experience?

• Do they pay attention to you? During the meeting, do they stop what they are doing and listen to you or they go about without really digging into the main aim of the program and the possible challenges that you might encounter ahead? If they fail to listen to your concerns, that is a very big red flag.

• Do they ask you relevant and good questions? Intelligent curiosity is essential to a good proposal and also a successful program script, shoot, program edit, and a finished product.

• Check at reels. In case you have no detected any of their production online, ensure that you check their work when you meet and ask any questions that you might have. In case you fail to see examples which demonstrate the level of quality that you are after, you will probably never get the level of quality that you desire.

• Take a short tour. In case the firm has an editing facility, you should ask to see it. To find out whether the company is perfect for you, you do not need to have a lot of information on the editing equipment. You just need to know if the tech is still new and up-to-date. In case the equipment is twelve years old, you might experience several problems during the editing.

• Consider awards. You should never make a decision on the number of awards that they have received. Having several awards can be an indication of firm’s excellence in the industry or its proficiency in filling out award competition submissions.

• Be reliable. In case you are receiving bids from different production firms, ensure that all the companies receive similar parameters, budget and background information.

• Get to know about the firm’s staff. Do they have any producers, directors, videographers, editors, in-house writers or use freelancers? What is the experience of the staff?

• Who will have exclusive rights to the footage? In a majority of agreements, the production firm will have exclusive rights to the footage and the client will own the finished product. You should avoid any surprises and find out about ownership rights on time.

The Proposal – Does The Production Get It?

• Do they present the proposal in a professional manner? A produced that is well-produced shows that the firm pays close attention to detail, and this skill will be very important during the project production.

• Is the process straightforward? A video production is a logical process. Is their workflow structured? Is there a distinctly defined and easy to understand the timeline for all the activities? Is your role as a client clearly defined?

• Does the concept that they have come up with appropriate for your target audience? Did the firm put your input into consideration when coming up with the concept? What is your gut telling you? Will this work?

• Is the concept attuned to your preference? Can you sell the concept that they have provided to your management? In case you cannot, how can it be revised so that it works out?

• Is the production firm willing to use your creative input? This will give you a better illustration of your future working relationship with them. In case they are already rolling their eyes, they might not be the firm that you are looking for.

• Is there any expert from the creative group present? Account managers can serve a worthwhile purpose, however at times, you will to directly talk to the director, producer, and writer to get certain essential questions answered.

• Is your budget plainly presented? Did the firm pay close attention to your budget range? Is your payment timetable clear and tied to the deliverables? Does any contingency budget exist with guidelines as to when and how those funds can be spent?

• What is the number of creative treatments in the proposal? An excellent proposal limits the sum of creative treatments. By limiting the number of creative instruments, the firm shows confidence in their proposed approach. A bid that has four or more treatments will tell that you that the firm’s creative team is not sure of what you actually need or what will work with your target audience.

The Decision

• Check references. This might seem to be unnecessary but just check them anyway. You should assume that the production firm is giving you some of its happiest customers and a few of its most successful stories.

• Location. How important is the location of the production company? To some people, this matters a lot.

• Trust what your gut tells you. At times, decisions can be difficult to make, and you may find yourself torn between more than two companies who seem to offer what you need. In situations like this, just trust your gut.