The Team
When you hire creative and production professionals, experience is important, of course. This will be evident not only in a resume or work samples, but in the types of questions you are asked during the bidding process.
Questions such as: “Who is the target audience?” and “What’s the total length?” are important and a great place to start, but the real pros will want to hear about the ultimate goal of your communication, and what kinds of results you hope to achieve. Remember – communications is never one size fits all, so even though you have selected video, there are many different options in terms of format and delivery that need to be considered at this point.
Talk about what format will be used and why. There are different looks that can be achieved, different costs as a result of the types of camera, lenses, etc., and different delivery methods also need to be considered. For example, is this communication going to be a broadcast commercial, displayed on a monitor at a tradeshow, or posted on a company intranet or external website? Answering the question about where and how the video will be viewed will help an experienced video professional advise you on format.
The right team will want to take time to discuss all of the above with you.
The Numbers
If you have a number in mind, share it! Sharing your budget upfront allows for a realistic approach and appropriate solutions.
When reviewing a bid for a particular job, take note of the scope of work as well as the line item budget. This is an itemized list of exactly what you are buying and how much it costs. If the budget you are given only shows the bottom line, or does not come with an associated scope of work, ask for more detail. This will help you better compare with other bids.
PART THREE will discuss making sure your message is captured through the creative and production process.