7 Keys to Booking the Right Film Production Companies in Detroit

The Detroit film production industry is highly competitive and full of professionals that all claim to provide the same (or better) level of experience and expertise to the next. But booking the right film production companies in Detroit is something that you really should carefully consider because film production can be a huge investment for your business.

In the end, it’s important to take your time and carefully research each of the options available to you. This way you can rest assured that you’ve secured the best crew for the job.

At Beverly Boy Productions we provide full-service film production in Detroit and throughout Michigan. Give us a call to learn more about our film production services & the steps we recommend to booking the right film production companies in Detroit. 

1. Research Local Production Crews

Start with a list of the local production companies that are available to work on your project. If you’re not sure who those options may be, consider the following resources:

• Ask local businesses that are using video in their marketing who produces their content.
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• Ask the Detroit Film Commission for a list of local producers.
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• Search Google for Film Production Companies in Detroit.

2. Check Experience & Expertise

Once you’ve made your list of potential film production companies in Detroit, it’s time to make a list of the experience and expertise of each.

You’ll want to check the demo reel as well as the portfolio and most recent past projects of each company to get an idea of what they are potentially capable of.

You should also have an idea in mind of what type of video you intend to create. This way you can be looking at the past work of each production company to determine whether it may be a good fit for what you intend to do.

3. Talk with Past Clients

You may not be able to get a full list of past clients, but you should be able to get some reviews, testimonials, or potential real-time conversations with past clients.

Ask for references from the top film production companies in Detroit on your list and follow-up with them. 

Following up means actually picking up the phone and calling the references that are provided. Make sure you ask if they were satisfied with the project, if they enjoyed working with the production company, and whether or not they would work together again in the future. 

While a negative review is not a definitive red flag, it certainly warrants some further investigation into what happened. 

4. Ask for Quotes

You’ll want to get quotes from several production companies. Aim for at least 3 or 4.

Make sure that you send over requests for proposals that include all of the important project brief details needed for the production companies on your list to provide a true quote.

You’ll want to get quotes from multiple vendors so that you can compare and contrast the options available to you.

While this may take some time, the end result will bring you much closer to booking the right film production companies in Detroit for your actual project.

In fact, with written quotes in hand, you can easily examine the bid against the individual notes you have for each company regarding their experience and expertise.

Know also that bids can and likely will be several thousand dollars different from one to the next. This is very common.

5. Don’t Make a Decision Solely Based on Budget

If you can, try to avoid allowing budget to be the sole driver of your decision making. We realize that budget is important, but it shouldn’t be the only factor driving your decisions.

In this industry, you get what you pay for and a low budget production will almost certainly come across as — a low budget production.

If your finances are really tight, and you absolutely must get a project completed, there are options but, if you want top quality, professional work we recommend saving a little more before moving forward with a project.

Likewise, if budget is not an issue, you may not necessarily get everything you want just because you spend more. You should really do your homework and check references and past work for each production company before deciding.

6. Define Success of the Project

Before hiring the right film production companies in Detroit for your project you’ve got to have a clear plan or idea in mind of what a successful project looks like.

Defining the success of your project will help you to articulate your ideas and plans to the various production companies that you’re considering for the job.

Make sure that you carefully dictate what you expect from the project and how success will be measured so that the production crew will understand.

7. Communicate & Connect

The final step to deciding on the best film production companies in Detroit for your project is to communicate with each company on your list and connect with them.

This is your chance to decide for good whether or not they are someone you can work with.

If you cannot communicate well, or your teams don’t seem to get along well together, it may be a sign that you should keep shopping around for a better company for your needs. 

Make sure that you communicate in person and bring both their team and yours together to make the final decision.