How to choose a production company for your video product

The tools for creating a video product are so inexpensive today that anyone can be a producer and broadcaster. If you’re serious about producing videos to generate additional revenue streams for your Internet business, or if you’re planning to launch an Internet site dedicated to the sale of video products, you need to learn how to do as much of the work as you can. Video production can be very rewarding and enjoyable work. On the other hand, if you have decided to outsource the development and production of your video product, there are many production companies online and in your area with talented and experienced personnel.

I have successfully completed several video products with production companies. Working with industry professionals has been a wonderful learning experience for me, and I have found that people who work on your projects are happy to teach you what they know. To quote a price for your video product, the production company will need to know the following:

* What is the target audience?
* Do you need to use on-camera actors or will you record voice overs?
* Will you write your own script, or will you outsource it to the production company?
* How many locations will you have?
* What is the length of the video?
* Do you need animations or graphics added to your video product?

The production company will provide the crew for your video. The crew for a simple video will include a producer, camera operator, and a sound technician. For small projects the producer will double as director, and for the simplest projects a one-man company can take care of all the aspects of creating and producing your video product. If you plan to create a more sophisticated video with on-camera talent, you will need a production assistant, lighting directors, make-up artists, and possibly other technicians.

Make sure that the production company can complete the entire production project; your video will cost more if you hire one company to produce it and another company to edit it. As with any outsourced project, you will want to get quotes from several different companies. It’s important to do the planning before you talk to the production company-they can’t give you a quote without a clear idea of the scope of the project.

Here are the questions you should ask production companies:

* What type of productions do you specialize in?
* Do you have experience in the type of product I’m planning to create?
* What will I need to contribute to the project?

The production company may need to schedule and coordinate different phases of the project with you or someone else from your company. Share your vision with the production company when you talk to them the first time. Good producers are experts in the technical aspects of production, but great producers are also passionate about the projects they work on. When you find a production company that can get excited about the vision for your video project, you need look no further.