Before you accept a video production quote, make sure you understand what is included, who will deliver the work and how the team will handle changes or problems. A strong portfolio is a useful starting point, but it doesn’t answer every practical question.
If you are still comparing creative fit, experience and budget, start with our guide to choosing a video production company. Use this checklist once you have a shortlist and are ready to discuss the booking.
Track Record
Ask for completed projects that are relevant to your brief, rather than relying only on a showreel. Read testimonials and ask how the team handled a comparable project.
Where useful, ask whether a previous client would be willing to speak with you. Focus on practical questions: was communication clear, were deadlines realistic, and how were changes managed? Experience with a similar location or approval process can be as important as the visual style.
Insurance and Compliance
Check your organisation’s supplier requirements and the filming location’s conditions before confirming the shoot. Ask the production company for current evidence of the insurance relevant to the work, including public liability cover where required. Have your procurement or insurance adviser check that the cover meets your requirements.
Discuss site access, inductions, permissions and how filming risks will be managed. Agree who is responsible for arranging each item. A shoot in an operating factory or clinical setting needs different preparation from an interview in an office.
For electrical equipment, ask about inspection, maintenance and testing appropriate to the equipment and its use. A test tag alone does not establish that equipment is currently safe. WorkSafe Victoria’s electrical safety guidance explains these checks for non-construction workplaces; confirm the requirements for your particular site with its safety contact.
Backup and Archiving
Ask how footage is copied and checked after filming, where backup copies are held and how the team would recover files if a drive failed. A second copy stored separately can help protect against loss, but you still need to understand the actual backup process.
Also clarify what happens after the final video is delivered:
- How long will the raw footage and project files be retained?
- Can you request a copy, in what format, and at what cost?
- Who can access the material, and how are confidential files shared?
- Will you be notified before stored material is deleted?
Don’t assume that paying for a finished video includes indefinite storage or delivery of every source file. Record the agreed arrangements in writing.
Changes and additional work
Check that the quote sets out the filming time, locations, deliverables, formats, schedule and revision rounds. Clarify whether captions, additional versions or other requirements are included.
Ask what counts as a revision and what would be additional work, such as a new script after filming, a reshoot or an extra edit version. Agree how additional costs and timing changes will be approved before that work starts.
Choose one person on your side to consolidate feedback and confirm final approval. This helps avoid conflicting instructions and makes the review process easier to manage.
Know who you will be dealing with
Ask who will be your main contact, who will film and edit the video, and who is responsible for the final delivery. Confirm how you can raise an issue and what happens if a key team member becomes unavailable.
A production company may use freelance crew or specialist subcontractors. Their involvement is not, by itself, a reason to rule the company out. What matters is that roles are clear, the people are suited to the work, and you know who is accountable for quality, communication and delivery.
Before booking, make sure the proposal and your correspondence reflect the agreed scope, responsibilities and review process. If an answer is unclear, resolve it before the shoot rather than relying on an assumption.
If you are planning a project, learn more about our corporate video production in Melbourne.
Once production is underway, it also helps to recognise problems early. See the warning signs that you may be working with the wrong production company.
Ryan Spanger is the founder and managing director of Dream Engine, a Melbourne video production company established in 2002. Over the past two decades, he’s produced hundreds of videos for businesses, government departments, universities and healthcare organisations across Australia. Ryan specialises in helping organisations explain complex ideas through clear, engaging video content, with particular experience in corporate communications, training and education.
