5 Questions to Ask Video Production Houses in New York City Before Hiring

Hiring a production house can be a challenging task that becomes downright overwhelming if you go into the process unprepared. As a small business owner in New York City, you’re probably already overwhelmed with day-to-day operations and the various responsibilities of running a professional business. In order to ensure you hire a team that’s going to provide exactly what you need, we’ve put together a list of 5 questions to ask video production houses in New York City before hiring.

Beverly Boy Productions is one of several video production houses in New York City that might be a good fit for your brand, but before you decide we think it’s important that you know what questions to ask that will streamline your process of finding, and choosing between the various video production houses prior to signing a production agreement.

1. Do You Have a Team or Do You Hire Freelancers?

First and foremost, this is an important question to ask because it will help you to establish a foundational understanding of who you’re dealing with. A production company that has their own team of cinematographers, directors, producers, editors and other staff dedicated to your project will likely have a streamlined, and effective, workflow.

Whereas, a production company that has to hire a freelance team first, and then establish the project workflow for your production, may see some hiccups and potential bottlenecks in the process which will be reflected in your project. If you’re hiring a production house, a full-crew that is on-payroll is important.

2. Will Your Team Produce the Creative Concept for My Video?

Unless you have your own concept in mind, you’re probably going to want to hire a production house that has the background and storytelling skills required to develop your creative concept from start to finish.

This is IMPORTANT! The ability to see a creative concept through, from initial idea and concept development, to visualization and the overall vision of the film, is NOT something that just anyone is capable of!

This requires a professional that has a strong background in marketing, storytelling, and film direction. A great production company won’t have any question about this, but it’s still important for you to ask!

It’s also a good idea at this point, to ask for samples from past projects. Ask for past scripts that were written by the company as well as for past examples of other creative treatment that the production house was responsible for. Remember, there’s nothing wrong with reviewing past work!

3. Who Manages My Project & Who Will be My Point of Contact?

Video production houses in New York City all operate different from one another and have different structures for client management as well as for project management. There’s no shame in you wanting to know how your project will be managed as well as how communication will take place between you and the production house.

Knowing who will manage your project is important because this is also who will be in charge of making sure that your project remains on budget and that it is completed within the appropriate timeline.

Make sure that the answer you get is that a project manager or producer is going to manage your project and that you will have direct contact with either one. This is important.

4. Who Owns the Video? Will I Own All Rights to the Video?

You might be thinking, “why would I have to ask if I will own the video that I pay to create?” But, there are times when ownership of certain assets within the video can make this a tricky subject and it’s important for you to know upfront whether or not this will be a situation that you face.

It’s important for you to know, once the project is complete, that you will own the video AND any creative assets that were included in the production of the video (such as characters created for an animated video or music produced for your video specifically).

Retain Ownership of Your Video

You should retain ownership of the video and the creative assets included in the video. Make sure that this is the case, especially if you intend to create an animation that will include characters produced specifically for your business. Otherwise you could find yourself in a struggle later on if you want to produce future videos with the same characters.

5. What is the Estimated Budget or Price for Production?

Finally, if all goes well with your conversation up to this point, and you’re considering the idea of hiring one of the video production houses in New York City that’s on your list, you need to ask about the cost of production to make sure that you can afford their services.

One of the most important considerations you’ll make when hiring a production crew is based on whether or not you can afford their services – if the price is right, and you feel good about how the company answered your other questions, you’re one step closer to choosing who to work with.

Still looking for video production houses in New York City that can assist you? Give Beverly Boy Productions a call!