Hiring someone to make a film about your organisation is a bigger decision than it looks. You’re trusting them with your people, your reputation and a fair chunk of budget. This guide walks you through it step by step, with the questions worth asking and a free brief template you can copy.
The most useful thing you can bring to a first conversation is a clear answer to one question: what should change once people have watched this?
Maybe you want more enquiries from a particular kind of client. Maybe you’re hiring and the right candidates aren’t applying. Maybe a funder needs to feel what your charity does before they’ll back it. Each of those leads to a very different film, and a good videographer will shape everything around it: the length, the people on camera, the tone and where it ends up.
Before you contact anyone, jot down three things:
If you only get this far, you’ll already be ahead of most people who go looking for a videographer.
“Videographer” covers several quite different services. Knowing which one you need saves everyone time and makes quotes easier to compare.
They film, you or your team edit. Right for agencies and in-house teams who already have an editor.
Typically from £650 a day in Scotland
Planning, filming, editing, grading, sound, music and subtitles. Right for most businesses and charities.
Most projects £1,400–£5,000
A regular shoot every month, with edits and social clips delivered on a schedule. Right when you need a steady flow of video.
From around £1,450 a month
For a full breakdown of what each option costs, see my video production prices guide for Scotland.
Showreels are designed to impress in ninety seconds, with the best shots from twenty projects cut to music. They tell you someone can make pretty images. They don’t tell you whether that person can make your film work. Here’s what to look at instead.
You don’t need to ask all of these in one go. Most will come up naturally in a good first call. I’ve added what a good answer sounds like, and for some of them, how I answer it myself.
A good answer: they send complete videos, explain the brief behind them, and tell you what they’d do differently for you.
A good answer: a straight name. Some companies sell the project and then subcontract the filming to a freelancer you never meet. That can work, but you deserve to know.
Me. I plan, direct, film and edit my projects myself, and bring in trusted crew when a job needs more hands, such as a multi-camera event or live stream. You’ll know who’s coming before the day.
A good answer: an itemised list. Filming days, editing, colour grading, sound design, music licensing, subtitles, extra versions and travel should all be clear, so there are no surprises on the invoice.
For a finished video, the quote covers planning, filming with cinema kit, editing, colour grading, sound design, licensed music, subtitles and social cutdowns. Sound is treated as seriously as picture: interviews are recorded on wireless Sanken COS-11D lavalier mics and a Schoeps CMIT 5U shotgun, into a 32-bit float field recorder with ultra-low-noise preamps. If anything sits outside that, it’s listed with its price before you agree to anything.
A good answer: a specific number, plus what happens if you need more. “Unlimited revisions” sounds generous but often means nobody has agreed what finished looks like.
Two rounds of changes are included as standard. In practice, a clear brief and a first draft built around it mean most projects need fewer.
A good answer: you can use the final video wherever you like, including paid ads, and they’ll explain any limits up front. Ask whether they want to show it in their portfolio, and whether you can say no.
The finished films are yours to use. I’d like to show them in my portfolio, but if that’s awkward in your sector, we simply leave it out of the agreement.
A good answer: yes, for commercial use and paid advertising. Unlicensed music can get a video muted or taken down, sometimes months after it goes live.
Yes. All music is licensed for commercial and paid use.
A good answer: public liability insurance at the very least, with a certificate available on request. Many venues, offices and events will ask for it before letting a crew in.
Yes, £2m public liability and £0.5m professional indemnity. I can send certificates to you or your venue whenever you need them.
A good answer: everyone on camera signs a consent form that says where the footage will be used, and the forms are stored securely. This matters especially in healthcare, education and charity work.
Everyone who appears on camera signs a clear consent form before we start, covering exactly where the footage will be used. Forms are stored securely, and people can withdraw consent later.
A good answer: a calm explanation of how they put people at ease, and a reminder that nothing goes out unedited. Nobody expects you to be a presenter, and a good filmmaker will plan around the people you have.
Almost everyone feels that way, and the edit is where it disappears. We chat before the cameras roll, you can stop and restart as many times as you like, and only your best moments make the final film. If you’d rather have exact words, we can write a script together and use a teleprompter, so you can read naturally while looking straight into the lens.
A good answer: a short, specific list. People and their availability, locations, any branding, access arrangements and who signs off. A clear plan here makes the shoot day calm and efficient.
A good answer: a date, plus a list of files. Widescreen for your website, vertical and square versions for social media, subtitled versions, and caption files if you need them.
You’ll get a delivery date before we book. Standard deliverables include widescreen masters, vertical and square cutdowns, and subtitles both burned in and as separate SRT files.
A good answer: “Tell me the number, and I’ll tell you honestly what’s possible.” Someone who won’t talk budget until they’ve pitched the dream version is making your decision harder.
Always. Share the figure and what the video needs to achieve, and I’ll tell you honestly what fits inside it, including where to spend and where to save.
A brief is simply a page that tells a videographer what you need. It doesn’t have to be polished. Its real value is that every person quoting works from the same information, so you can compare like with like, and the first call starts at a much better place.
Copy the template below, fill in what you can, and leave blank whatever you’re unsure about. A good videographer will help you with the rest.
Who you are, what you do and who you do it for, in two or three sentences.
One sentence on what should change once people have watched it.
Your audience, and what they care about or worry about.
If viewers take away a single message, what is it?
Website, LinkedIn, Instagram, paid ads, events, proposals, internal use.
Main video length, short versions, vertical clips, photos, subtitles.
Two or three videos you like (from anyone) and what you like about them.
Who could appear on camera, and where filming could happen.
Any fixed dates such as an event or launch, and when you need the final video.
A range is fine. It lets people suggest the best approach for what you can spend.
Who needs to approve the video, and how feedback will be gathered.
Confidential information, NDAs, filming with clients or patients, restricted areas.
This is a made-up example, to show how little you need to write for a brief to be useful.
If filming will happen in your own space, my guide to preparing your space for a shoot is a useful next read.
Two quotes for the same brief can look very different on the surface. Put them side by side and check each line. The cheaper one often turns out to cover less.
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Filming days and hours | Half a day and a full day produce very different amounts of material. |
| Crew | One person or two, and who they are. |
| Deliverables | How many videos, in which lengths and formats, with or without subtitles. |
| Rounds of changes | What’s included, and the cost of anything extra. |
| Music | Licensed for commercial and paid use, or not. |
| Travel and extras | Included, or charged on top. |
| Usage and ownership | Whether you can use the video anywhere, for as long as you like. |
| Delivery date | When you’ll see a first draft and the final files. |
For filming only, day rates in Scotland range from a few hundred pounds to over £1,000; mine start from £650. A finished corporate or promotional video usually costs £1,400 to £5,000, and documentary-style brand films £3,000 to £10,000+.
A freelancer or small studio is usually more flexible and better value, and you work directly with the person making your film. A larger company makes sense for productions that need big crews, studios or several projects running at once. The right choice depends on the job, and the questions on this page work for both.
The goal, the audience, the key message, where the video will be shown, the formats you need, style references, people and locations, dates, a budget range, who signs it off, and anything sensitive. One page is enough.
Usually not for interview-led or documentary-style films, where people speak in their own words and the story is shaped in the edit. Explainer videos and adverts often benefit from a script, and your videographer should help you write it.
That’s completely normal. Interview-style filming lets you stop, restart and try again as often as you need, and only the best moments are used in the edit. If you prefer set wording, a script and a teleprompter let you deliver it naturally without memorising anything.
As early as you can for events with a fixed date. For planned films, give yourself a few weeks so there’s time to agree the story, line up people and locations, and film without a rush.
That depends on the agreement, so ask before you book. Normally the client can use the finished video freely, including for advertising. Check whether raw footage is included and whether the videographer can show the work in their portfolio.
Send me what you have, even if it’s only the goal and a rough budget. I’ll reply personally within 24 hours with honest thoughts on the best approach and a clear quote.
Send your briefOr see my prices first.
