Guide
Questions to ask before hiring a video studio
Before you hire a video studio, ask how the film is planned and approved, what the price includes, how many revisions you get, who owns the finished files, and whether it is made from your real product. Good answers are specific and written down.
Hiring a video studio is a bigger decision than it looks. The film is only part of what you buy. The process, the approvals and the terms decide whether the film arrives on time, looks like your product and is yours to use. These questions cover the points founders most often regret not asking.
How the film is planned
- Do you make a storyboard or plan before production starts, and can I approve it?
- What do I receive at each stage, and when?
- Who on your side writes the script, and do I see it before it is recorded or animated?
A studio that plans first is easier to correct. Changing a storyboard costs much less than changing a finished film. Our storyboard guide explains what a plan should show.
What the price includes
- Which formats are included: a widescreen film, a vertical version, a square version?
- Is voiceover included, and is it a human or a generated voice?
- Are captions or subtitle files included, and are they burned in or separate?
- Does the price cover music, stock footage and any licences needed to use them?
- How many revisions are included, and what does an extra round cost?
Make the studio list every item in writing. A low price with several items left out is often more expensive at the end.
Approvals and changes
- Who has the final say, and how many people will review the film?
- How are changes requested, and in what form?
- What happens when two reviewers ask for different things?
- How long does each review round take on your side and theirs?
A clear approval process protects both sides. Name one person who decides, and agree how many rounds are included before you start.
Your product and your files
- Is the film made from my real product, or from mock-ups and stock footage?
- Will you use screens or features that I have not approved?
- Who owns the finished files, and may I use them in paid ads and on my site?
- How long do you keep my project files, and can I have them back?
If you need the film to show your real product, ask how the studio gets the screens and how it checks them. A film that shows the wrong version of your product creates support work.
What if something goes wrong?
- What happens if the deadline slips, and who is responsible?
- How do you handle a film you think is not good enough?
- What is your refund or cancellation policy, and when does it apply?
These questions are uncomfortable, but the answers show how the studio behaves when things do not go to plan.
How to compare the answers
Put the same questions to each studio, and compare the answers side by side. Use the product video brief template so every studio quotes the same thing. The video cost calculator shows the cost of your own time next to each quote, which often changes the ranking.
Our own answers to these questions are on our brief form, where the storyboard is approved before anything is paid, and the finished film is only sent after payment is confirmed.
Frequently asked questions
Should I ask a studio for a free sample?
Ask to see finished work for products like yours, and ask what the studio made for each one. A sample tells you about the finished film, but the process question matters more: ask how they plan, approve and revise before they start production.
What if a studio will not answer these questions?
Treat that as information. A studio that is clear about its process will answer in writing without fuss. If it avoids the question about ownership, revisions or approval, get those terms in writing before you pay anything.
Do I need a contract for a short video project?
Write the key points down even for a small project: the price, what is included, the number of revisions, the deadline, who owns the files and what happens if you cancel. A short written summary agreed by both sides prevents most disputes.
Keep reading
A product video brief template you can copy
A free product video brief template with the questions a studio needs answered. Fill it in once, then send it to any studio or use it as your own plan.
What is a product video storyboard? (with a template)
A storyboard is a one-page plan of every scene, the words on screen and the voiceover, approved before filming. Here is what goes in it, with a free template.
Product video vs demo video vs explainer
A product video shows what you built, a demo video shows how to use it, an explainer teaches the idea behind it. Here is which one you need and when.
Want it made for you? One Film, $199
A 20 to 30 second film for your homepage, a social post or a single feature. You see the storyboard and a full preview before you pay. You see a storyboard and a private preview first, and pay only once you are happy.
See what's in One Film or get a free storyboard →