Choosing a Video Production Company in Abilene: What to Look for Before You Hire

How to choose a video production company really boils down to four things. You want to see finished work that looks like the project you have in mind, and you want to know who's going to be on set and who's doing the edit. Get everything in writing. Then pay attention to whether they ask about your goals before they bring up price. If a company clears all four, you're probably in good hands. If they skip them, it's a coin flip, and a slick highlight reel doesn't change that.

 

Maybe you'll end up hiring us for video production services in Abilene, and maybe you won't. Either way, here's how to check each of those, along with the questions we'd ask on a first call if we were in your shoes.

Key Takeaways

• Watch full-length videos that are similar to yours. The 60-second sizzle reel won't tell you much.
• Get the names of the people who'll direct, shoot and edit.
• A solid quote lists shoot days, deliverables, formats, revision rounds, music licensing, and who owns the footage.
• It's a good sign when they want to know what the video is supposed to accomplish before they talk budget.
• Hiring locally can save on travel, and a local crew already knows the area.

 

Already have a project in mind? Skip to the end of this post to tell us about it.

Start With the Portfolio, but Look for the Right Things

Every production company puts its best minute up front. That reel shows you they can get pretty shots, but it doesn't show you whether they can make the video you need.

 

So skip past it and watch some complete pieces:

 

• Find work like yours. If you're after a recruiting video, look for interviews with real employees. If it's a commercial, you want to see finished ads, not just nice b-roll.
• Listen, don't just watch. Good audio is harder to pull off than good visuals. If the sound is rough in their own showcase, expect the same in yours.
• Watch for story. When it's over, did it make you feel or understand something? Or was it just a lot of good-looking footage with music under it?

 

You can see how we handle this in our commercial video portfolio.

Ask Who Actually Does the Work

Some shops sell you the project and then pass it to whoever happens to be free that week. Others keep one person on it from the first meeting through the final cut. Either way can work fine. You just ought to know which one you're getting.

 

Ask them straight out:

 

• Who will be directing the shoot?
• Who's editing, and will I get to talk to that person during revisions?
• If you bring in freelancers, who are they, and have you worked with them before?

 

Plenty of good companies bring in freelancers they trust for bigger shoots. What you want is one accountable person who stays with your project start to finish.

Notice Whether They Ask About the Story First

You can learn a lot from the first phone call. The good ones start asking questions right away. Who's this for? Where's it going to run? What should somebody do after they watch it? They want to understand your business before they quote you anything.

 

If they open with a package price, chances are you're being sold something off the shelf instead of a video that's built around what makes your business different.

Get the Scope in Writing

Two quotes for "a two-minute video" can describe completely different jobs. Before comparing prices, make sure each one spells out:

 

• Pre-production. Is somebody writing the script, prepping interviews, scouting locations and building a shot list, or is that on you?
• Shoot days and locations. How many days, and where?
• Crew. How many people show up, and what does each one do?
• Deliverables. Besides the main video, are short cuts, vertical versions or b-roll included?
• Revision rounds. How many come with the price, and what happens to the bill after that?
• Music and licensing. Is the soundtrack licensed for the way you actually plan to use the video?
• Ownership. Who owns the final video and the raw footage, and do you get the raw files?
• Timeline. How long from kickoff to the final file?

 

Once two quotes answer the same questions, you can actually compare them. We also wrote a whole post on corporate video cost in Abilene if you want to dig into what moves the price.

Local Crew or Out-of-Town Crew?

Plenty of big-city production companies do great work. But if you're in Abilene and you bring a crew in from Dallas or Austin, you'll usually be paying for their drive time and hotel rooms on top of the job, and you'll be working around their calendar.

 

A local crew already knows how the light hits your building, which venues around town work for filming, and who you're trying to reach. That doesn't automatically make local the better choice. It's just worth asking yourself whether you're paying for a production sized for a much bigger market than yours.

Red Flags Worth Walking Away From

• They give you a firm price before asking a single question about the project
• All they can show you is a highlight reel, with no full-length samples
• Revisions are vague ("we'll keep going until you're happy") and nothing about limits is in writing
• Nobody can tell you who'll own the footage
• There are no reviews or references from businesses like yours

How to Choose a Video Production Company: A Quick Checklist

Take these to your first call with any company you're considering:

 

1. Can you show me two or three full videos that are close to what I need?
2. Who's directing, shooting and editing mine?
3. What do you need from me before we film?
4. What's in the quote, and what isn't?
5. How many rounds of revisions do I get?
6. Who ends up owning the final video and the raw footage?
7. Is there a past client I could call?

 

Wondering how we'd answer them? Everything about who we are and how we work is on our about ReelView Productions page.