Sven Kielhorn, Owner, Creative & Marketing Director at eTown Videos

First off, read through the whole proposal. The entire scope of your project should be outlined, the contact people from your office and the videographer’s office should be identified, and the delivery method of the final video should be mentioned. Did you and the videographer each have a complete understanding of the scope of your project? Did the proposal outline things like the completed run time of the video? How long will the shoot be? All these items will affect the budget for the project.  Make sure all the information is correct.

Not sure what to do next?

What if you changed your mind and want a training video instead of a marketing video? Is the cost what you expected? What if your boss just cut your budget?  Don’t scrap the project.  Call your videographer!

There are always ways to re-define a project. Perhaps the proposal provides for two camera angles instead of one (or three)? Perhaps the proposal outlined two days of shooting footage instead of one (or three)? Maybe the proposal outlines three separate interviews instead of two. Maybe there is a determination that a scriptwriter was needed, when you intended to write a script yourself.

All of these things (and more) affect the price of the project. A shoot that lasts one day with one cameraperson will cost less than a shoot with two camerapersons. Why? One cameraperson creates one day of footage. If you add a second camera, you add a second day of wages, and an entire second day’s worth of footage. This makes double the editing time. More than one location will cost more also. Adding motion graphics or creating animation from scratch are pricey items. These things may be able to be modified to bring your video cost down  – or change the video project scope.

Don’t be afraid to ask about how to change the proposal. Here at eTown Videos, we are happy to provide tailor-made video productions for all Western Mass businesses.

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