Rough House: 10 tips for choosing a video producer

Shelle Luscombe is a vocalist, freelance presenter, event host and voiceover artist, who recently updated her website and added a new video.

She worked with two different production companies, before the second produced a video she was happy with. We are delighted that she has written this guest post with her top tips for choosing a video producer.

I needed to update my online profile and wanted a new ‘in action’ video to promote me as a vocalist and entertainer for use on my website and other promotional resources.

But I went about it all wrong, spent a lot of money, shed a few tears and didn’t really get what I wanted so when Ann asked me to write this blog, I jumped at the chance in the hope that I save just one person the same anguish!

Here are my top ten tips for choosing a video producer:

1. It will cost you more than you think so be realistic about your budget. If you try and do it on a shoestring budget, you won’t be happy with the end result.

2. First and foremost, think about what you want the video to achieve as that will dictate who you work with and the brief you give them.

3. What do you really need? Yes, you need someone who can operate a camera and knows how to edit footage but what about the stage management aspects of the event or project you’re filming? Do you know what will look good on film or do you need someone to ‘direct’ you and the other people involved? Do you need them to inject some creativity into the project and make suggestions or do you want them just to do what you tell them?

4. If they use lingo you don’t understand then don’t be afraid to ask what they mean.

5. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this but get a few quotes so you can compare. And don’t necessarily just go for the cheapest.

6. Meet with the team you think you want to work with and gauge your reaction to them. You absolutely have to get on with and feel confident in the people you choose as you need to be able to trust them to help you represent your brand in the best way possible.

7. Go through everything with them in detail – give them a proper brief, make sure they understand your expectations in terms of lighting, sound quality, staging and ‘scenery’ the style of the film, the pace of the edit, whether you see it as having all wide shots or whether you want to get right up close and personal with the subject being filmed, etc… There are so many options so make sure you’ve researched and discussed them thoroughly.

8. Look for examples of other people’s videos that you like and know why you like them, then talk these through with your chosen production company.

9. Ask the video producer to feed back to you how they see the end result shaping up so you can ensure they’ve interpreted your brief in the way you want them to. It can be quite hard to describe something that is visual using only words.

10. Ultimately, I always say that anything in life will be a success if you communicate with each other and manage people’s expectations. It’s your responsibility to be clear about your brief and air any concerns as soon as they arise. The rest is down to the video producer.

Good luck!

Here’s Shelle’s finished video:

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