When it comes to producing video content, you can either go one of two ways - do it yourself, or hire a professional. Understandably in some circumstances hiring a professional videographer for your video production is a smart move. When it comes time to find the right video production agency or freelancer, it literally pays to do your research and ask questions before signing on the dotted lines. In this post, we’ll go over 5 key questions about their fees you should ask every video production agency before you hire them, so that you have a very clear picture of what you’re paying for and you don’t get surprised by any hidden costs.

First things first. You should always ask for a full breakdown of what’s included in the full production price. You might think this is a given and naturally everyone asks this question, but this isn’t always the case. Knowing how many revisions you’re allowed, lead times to get the final cut of the video, whether the price includes script and storyboard creation are pretty critical.

If you expect video agencies to be transparent with you about their fees, you need to be transparent with them too. Let them know your budget, your timelines, what assets you can provide them to make their job easier. Letting them know as much information as possible about your project will help them gauge how much they should charge for producing your video.

And it’s always worth comparing costs. Always. Everyone charges differently, and you may want a video production agency that looks to do fantastic work, yet they charge 50% more for the exact same video over a smaller agency that has a slightly different style.

How will you manage and communicate to me about my video project?

Every video agency has a different way of managing their workflows. Like any client, you don’t want to be left in the dark when it comes to the status of your video content. So ask how will they communicate to you with questions and status updates? Do they use platforms like monday.com so you can see in real time where the video editing stage is, and send required files to the team? If they can’t be transparent with you about their project management and reviewing process, then perhaps they are not the right fit for producing your video.

Are raw footage files included in the quote?

This is one that for us here at Film & Television Agency really gets under our skin. As a paying client, you should own your video content outright. Some agencies may charge you extra just to simply hand the raw video files to you.

Do you charge extra for voiceover?

If your video is an animation, such as an explainer video, chances are you will require voiceover. This is one of the top fees that agencies will charge you extra for, yet don’t always include in the quote.

It’s been common practice for a while to charge clients a licensing fee for the voiceover. Depending on the fee, you then have the right to use the video for whatever time period you paid for. It’s an easy way for agencies to make an extra buck and passing on the rest to the voiceover talent’s agency. They can even so specific as to dictate that you can’t display your video in certain countries, and will charge extra if you want to use your content outside of a given region.

Nowadays with the digital world being the space that everyone flocks to, it’s almost next to impossible remember when a video has been posted and to control people’s location on where its seen. More to the point, if you’re looking to grow your brand and business, you want as many eyes watching your content as possible.

Agencies do not have to charge licensing fees for voiceover. There are thousands of talented voiceover artists who are happy with a one-time fee for their work, so definitely ask if voiceover is included in your video project fee, and whether there’s a deadline to the licence. Remember, you as the paying client should own your content outright.

Do you charge rush fees?

Things happen, like you want take advantage of an opportunity that’s popped and need your video a week ahead. Or a client wants their video much sooner than expected. The video production company you use could try to surprisingly charge you a rush fee, sometimes as high at 30%. But if you’ve done your due diligence, and you’ve also submitted a well written brief, all assets, scripts and storyboard edits on time or even early, is an exorbitant rush fee really necessary?

When an agency or freelancer videographer tries to charge a surprise rush fee, customer service and retention goes right out the window. It again all comes down to transparency on project management. If your due date is still reasonable and all assets and requirements are clear and submitted on time, a rush fee shouldn’t be necessary.

What happens when I ask for extra footage on the shoot day?

Whether you’re working on your own or have a team with you, come shoot day you may see an opportunity for extra footage that might help elevate your video.

Some videographers and video production crews are happy to take a couple of minutes to shoot the footage. However others, while they may film the extra parts for your video, will try to slip in the extra footage in the final invoice, all because it wasn’t part of the call sheet or plan.

The final video will say a lot about your brand, but also just as much about the team behind the video production process. Extra footage never hurts, in fact it’s always better to have plenty of footage than not enough. Everyone that’s part of the filming process on shoot day should be flexible enough to capture content that not only makes your brand shine, but also indirectly theirs too.

In the end it really is all about transparency. Your video production agency must be transparent with you as a client, but also as a team. Hidden costs are never a good surprise to anyone. So always remember to do your research and ask the right questions to ensure you align yourself with the right video crew for your next video production project.

Got questions or looking for a top notch video team for your video content? Give Film & Television Agency a call. We’re one of Sydney’s leading video production agencies that can help elevate your brand through video strategy development and production.