You’re at the point where you’ve done a few videos via your webcam and have even taught yourself some basic editing skillz [check you out!!!] but now you feel like your video content needs a little bit more of a professional polish and are looking to hire a videographer for the first time.
Here are some tips to help you prepare and get the most out of the experience:
What kind of video do you want?
Do you know if you just want to create a video blog series? Or is it a promo video for a new product or service? Is it video content to be included in a product? Is it a show reel? Will it be broadcast or just shown online? Have an idea of what you want and where/how it will be used, as this will help your videographer plan and price accordingly
Book a Consultation
This just makes sense. You need to figure out if they share your vision, have any creative ideas to add and if you gel with them. This last point may not seem relevant but if you are not keen on the personality of your videographer, it’s unlikely they’ll produce something you absolutely love. So book a consult and see whether or not they are a right fit for your project.
Shoot only?
You may already have an editor in mind, so ask your videographer if they would be happy to shoot the video for you but have someone else edit it. More often than not this will be absolutely fine. This is more or less how it works anyway, so don’t be afraid to ask.
Rates and Negotiation
- Consultation fee: as mentioned above, it is always wise to book a consultation first, to go over your ideas and make sure the videographer shares your vision or at least says they know how to and are able to translate your vision on screen. Some charge and some don’t for this consultation. It will most likely be a set rate and non-negotiable. Remember, you are getting time and expertise from the videographer, so it should be charged for. I offer to deduct the consultation fee from the final invoice if someone books a full day shoot + edit time with McTofu Media.
- Kit Hire: Some videographers will have their own kit, some will hire it in. They will factor this into the fee they charge for the shoot. Always ask what percentage of the fee is for kit hire [if any] and if you feel it’s too much, ask if they are able to use a less expensive kit. I don’t have an issue with breaking down the costs and letting my clients know if kit hire is included or extra. To be sure there are no hidden kit charges, just ask your videographer
- Processing the footage: Your videographer may shoot on a tape based camera or a tapeless camera, either way, there is always a process involved to get it from the recorded device [tape or card] into the edit. This is called process/ingest/digitising. This will be charged relevant to the amount of media that has to be processed and whether or not it needs to be converted into a suitable file type to edit with. Again discuss this with your videographer, as it may be negotiable.
- Edit: This is when your videographer takes all the footage shot and puts your video together[She may even hire another editor to do this] This is almost always charged by the hour. In broadcasting, the ratio of hours edited to minutes of programme time is 4:1 [for every 1 minute of programme on air, it generally needs 4hrs of edit time dedicated to it] – these rules more or less apply to any edit, broadcast or not. So if you want a 3min promo reel, factor in about 12hrs of edit time. This is unlikely to happen concurrently, so allow your videographer to set the amount of days it will take to get the first approval cut back to you. ALWAYS discuss your own personal deadline for getting the finished video back, so your videographer can let you know if that’s feasible. I charge a 4hr minimum on all my edit time regardless of finished video time, other videographers may vary.
- Delivery: If you do not live close to your videographer, chances are delivery will be via a video sharing service via the internet like dropbox or yousendit. However this is only suitable for smaller files as large files are not suitable for sending via the internet. If they are large files, chances are they will be saved as data files on a DVD or small USB/pen drive. This will no doubt be an additional cost if it needs to be posted. Ask your videographer about this at consultation stage
- Rushes: These are the recorded files, the raw footage before it is edited. If you are paying a videographer to produce a video for you, these rushes should always be included in the price. The only extra cost may be for saving them to a drive and posting them to you. If they are recorded on tape, then postage for these are also likely to be extra. It is really important to retain your rushes because if you ever want to have the footage re-edited or if you want to make up a show reel of all your work, it is always advisable to go back to the raw footage to edit from. Make sure you ALWAYS request these back.
Ask. Ask. Ask.
Most videographers want to do a good job and want to make sure you fully understand the time and cost involved, that is why I’d always recommend a consultation first, so you can ask all your questions, get a feel for the creativity of the videographer and get a handle on the costs.
This is not the cheapest way to produce video but it does take a hell of a lot of hassle out of your hands and you get the skills and expertise of a professional, who will make your video content look amazing.
Do you have a question?
If you have a question, leave one in the comments or I’m always about on Twitter, Facebook or email me , I’d be happy to help.
Or go one better and book a consultation! A full 45minutes with me to ask all the questions you have about creating videos of your own.
Go one EVEN BETTER than that and join the Sassy Minx Society where I share more [on a fairly regular, like once a week basis] about being fully self expressed, getting yourself in front of the camera and putting yourself out there & sharing your genius with the world. Plus I always include some cool videos too. Join today, the world NEEDS more minxes!
You can join by filling out the form on the top right of the front page of this site.
