Hiring a Production House What to Look Out For



Visual content is an excellent way for brands to widen their reach. While we’re reluctant to put a downer on things, it’s worth saying straight away that the wrong kind of video content can damage brand reputation.

 

If you’re looking to widen your reach, boost brand awareness, and your bottom line, video and visual content can go a long way to making that happen. And while some people think anyone can make a film with their amazing smartphone, we beg to differ. 

 

Not all brands enjoy the luxury of having their own in-house production team. Instead, they’ll reach out to production houses to help them with their campaigns. However, entrusting your brand into a creative yet safe pair of hands isn’t always easy. If you’ve decided to hire a production house London based or elsewhere, read on for a few tips on what to look for. 


Know Yourself

 

Before inviting agencies through your doors, be clear about what you want and why. Set out short and long-term objectives, key messages and information about your brand. You also need to set your budget for your project. It’s important that expectations and reality are one and the same. 

 

While agencies will naturally want to do their own research, clarity about the project from the start will go a long way to ensuring you get value for your money and time. 


Someone Who Gets You

 

There’s no point in inviting people through your door who have little or no understanding of your brand. The right production house will understand your brand, what you hope to achieve, and your target audience. 

 

If you’re starting from scratch, don’t be shy. Ask around. Google is excellent, but word-of-mouth recommendations from trusted marketers and industry insiders will save you a lot of time. If you already have a shortlist of agencies, you think you want to see, check out who they’ve worked with and examples of their work. That way, you get a better sense of who the people behind the lens really are. 

 

High Stakes Films has a broad and exciting client list. Here are just a few examples of what we can do. 


Look Past the Content

 

You’re likely to be presented with well-produced great looking visual content at the pitch meeting. But what about its impact? Ask to see the evidence. Your shortlisted candidates have to be able to show you how much traffic their content has generated, from where, to whom and whether or not that’s boosted brand awareness and conversions. 


Ask Questions

 

Before hiring anyone, you’re going to need answers. Here’s what High Stakes expects to be asked at that all-important first meeting:

 

How will you manage the project?

Will there be a primary point of contact?

Are edits and revisions included in the overall costs?

What’s included in the costs, for example, scriptwriting, voiceovers and so on?

Will you outsource any of the work?

What is your understanding of our brand and target audience?

 

Any professional production house will be able to answer these questions and in detail. We love detail. 

 

High Stakes produces high-quality visual content from concept to editing, either in the studio or on location. We like to think that our work speaks for itself. Have a look at our latest stills and AV work for Barbour Beacon for starters. 


The Timeline

 

Working with a new production house doesn’t have to be stressful. This is especially the case if you’re working on a crucial campaign launch deadline. Establishing the work timeline with your chosen agency should include a bit of wiggle room if there are last-minute edits.

 

High Stakes loves a deadline. We also always build in time, so our clients know from the outset when they can sit down and view the end result.  One example is our work for Puma. Take a look at the stills and AV, plus details of pre-production, shoot and post-production. It’s all there. 

 

Final Cut

 

The right production house won’t just produce content for content sake. High Stakes Films believes AV and stills have to serve a purpose. Otherwise it’s just more stuff that 

clutters up the internet. 

 

Find out what we can do for you. Get in touch and say hello. 


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