In this page we’re going to cover the main facets of video production which are;

PRE-PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION
POST-PRODUCTION

and we’ll cover their individual components that you should consider when sitting down to write your video production request-for-proposal (RFP).

We’re here to help you write an RFP but we’re actually here to help you save time. The time you’ll spend answering hundreds of questions from the people you’ve requested a proposal from. The entire goal is to get as much necessary information across to the video production company. The more detailed information about the project, idea, product whatever it may be, the better. This will rapidly increase the chances of receiving more (and better quality) responses from your selected vendors of service.

In addition, these companies should be mindful of their evaluation process and overall production process that will be needed to carry out the request for proposal. It comes down to the production equipment, workflow, project management, etc. This will help provide you with a better idea of the vendors capabilities for executing the RFP.

In my job with Defcon Media, I wear a few hats. One hat being the production

manager. Overseeing the day-to-day logistics and finances of project currently in production. The second hat, I have sales responsibilities that require me to generate more production-related business for the company. In this sales role I respond to RFP’s for video production services, I research and write bids and estimates, and respond to incoming

production-related calls and e-mails.

During my time working with Defcon fulfilling these tasks, I’ve been able to soak up a decent amount of information about the Request for Proposal process and how to make it more effective and efficient. I’ve noticed that more RFP’s are coming from government agencies, non-profits, and other organizations outside of the general B2B & B2C world.

The demand and need for video content in the world of public relations has grown immensly in the past decade and it’s only continuing to grow. New initiatives are requiring video to be their vehicle that drives information and creates exposure upon their vision. Although many times when inquiring about new video projects, more specifically Request for Proposals, tend to leave out a lot of information that could help those of tring to fulfill video production requests.

While asking for more information may be self-serving it is also in the best interest of the author of the RFP. We miss answers to the questions you have because we don’t know the extent of what you’re looking to produce. Certain questions provide a greater depth of insight into the creative direction, production, and overall workflow between the different entities responding the the RFP. Other questions could arise with information that helps decisions makers come to a conclusion based on more than just bottom line comparisons. It’ll institute metrics that are unique to your video production needs and help make judgements with a better scorecard.

How do you know if you’re providing the vendors with the right information about your project to be able to receive the best possible outcome for your vision? How do you know that you’re asking them the right questions?

When you sit down to write your RFP, put yourself into the role of the executive producer at your company. This person handles all facets of the production as a business. You should too. They take into account the same general business concerns that a business leader would have. Things like operations, marketing/sales, product quality, and budgeting.

They focus on the three main stages of film production; pre-production, production and post-production. These three stages mirror business elements that a typical CEO should consider when crafting their RFP and evaluate responses.

Let’s break things down into a few categories for you to focus on.

The Basics

What will it take to get this project started? That’s the ultimate question of pre-production.

Now that’s a vague question for such a large initiative but it helps if we start to break things down into elements such as operations, personnel and budgeting. Start to ask yourself questions that will reveal the concerns you have regarding the project. Start with small things like location, where will the project need to be filmed? This alone will help dictate costs and other requirements needed. \

The Content

Content is what will be the vehicle used to drive your messaging.

Ask yourself what you envision the project looking like from all aspects of creativity. Things from colorways to lighting to composition. What does the on-screen visual energy provide your storyline? How do we match audible tones of what the subject is speaking upon with the visual attributes of the camera shot? How many angles are being used in certain interview subjects? Do we want a wide angle to establish the scene and a close-up for emotion? These are the things are need to take into account during the pre-production process.

The Eyes on Budget

How many chefs are in the kitchen?

This is an extremely crucial aspect of production. The approvers and the budget. How many people or organizations have a say in the final cut of the production? Specific questions such as “How will management be involved in the creative” also caters to the role stakeholder have with the approval of the project. Just like business, you need to ask yourself about the budget in terms of profit, loss and return of investment. Things like, “How much am I willing to invest to prove to managers that this video will outlast the cost to produce it?”

So help save some more time, we’ve crafted an RFP Questionnaire Guide for you.

we’re not trying to get your email, this is 100% free :)*

Let’s break things down to the basics…

Every concept needs to start with pre-production to be able to have a game plan to make the idea come to life. The first phase of the production consists of concepting, scripting, approvals, hiring crew + talent, other logistics.

From there we lock-in a date for production and sharpen the tools in our shed. With every project being custom curated to the preference of the client, we can’t have a definitive process for every film shoot but we can have a strategy that we use each time to properly execute the film shoot. Having years of production experience under our belts, this helps us streamline the production process and save our clients from excess budget needs.

Finally, once we’ve wrapped on our film shoot and captured the necessary content we will need to produce your idea we’ll move things into the post-production studio. During this part of the production process, we break down all of the footage from set and begin to craft the vision we set out to create. From media management to building the sequences of film to doing sound design and color grading. We make sure we touch on every single aspect of the film before we deliver it to the clients and more importantly… the digital world.

Now let’s move onto an even more important aspect of this… choosing the right storyteller for create your vision.

Alright, now that we’ve broken down video production into a business and gained a better understanding of what to expect on your next video production RFP. Let’s take a deeper look into the evaluating process of the Request for Proposal responders job.

What’s special about the industry of video production is that the business of the job is to focus on telling stories. When it comes to the people that you are looking to work on your vision, it’s typically the best point of entry to start talking with the producer of the production company you are looking to work with. They’ll be the ones that are keeping the guard rails on your project to ensure it gets to the finish line on time and within your budget. Think of them as the master of story, focused on the big picture and making sure the story is being told in its best light. This is a major part of what to look for when evaluating production companies and how to distinguish them apart from each other, outside of just the work they create.

In video production, everything is used to tell story. The camera lens, lighting, angles, height, movement, to the figurative voice of the story — The narrator, on-camera script readers, interviewees and interview composition. Everything matters. Sound effects and music create the audible atmosphere of your story bringing things to life through sound and tone. Producers are here to make sure all of this stays on the rails to reach the finish line. So, when you evaluate responses to your RFP, think about how the responder is proposing to tell your story. How well do they articulate their choice of production elements and equipment being used? Is the decision based soley on pricing and cost? How well do they justify the line items in the proposal for being needed to carry out the story successfully? How do they adjust to your environment for filming? How will they planning to organize, edit and touch up your storys footage to make it what you had set out for? Are their decisions and recommendations part of a process that will benefit how your story is being told? Are these signs that these decisions will provide more impact or support the mission? Is storytelling at the forefront of the production companies workflow choice or are these considerations being made solely due to cost?

When it comes to something like visual art and storytelling, using video production as the vehicle to get your point across will be one of the strongest tools in your toolbox.

Almost everything that we’ve touched on is related to the creative content and development of the production process to reach your end goal. Most of the time potential clients wan to leave the creative concepting of the product up to the company that is being hired. Leaving creative control in the hands of the production company is amazing and there is nothing we love more. However, it makes the questions surrounding the budget all that more important.

We all know budget is a tricky subject. The last thing you want to do is reveal that you have $80K and have five proposals come in magically shy of the number, but here is why it’s important to disclose your budget for your own good. If you’re looking to create a 60 second advertising spot and you have $10-15K to spend, we are going to propose something much different that if we know you’re looking to spend $60-80K. Things like different creative approaches, strategies, camera packages, number of film days, different casts, talent… everything. The budget is definitely an important factor and influence of the ways your story could be told.

We make these recommendations not because a bigger budget requires more expensive equipment and personnel, but rather a larger budget allows for more options for the client. If we have to make a guess about the budget, it’ll be much harder to determine the best value from the proposals you receive. The budget estimates that you receive will likely be all over the place, which will ultimately make it harder for you to determine true value.

Good video production companies can come up with a variety of ways to tackle your challenge and get your vision to the finish line at a wide variety of budget levels. Don’t reject a great production company or good idea and approach because they give you a budget of $100K when you’ve only got $30K to spend.

Eliminate the waste of time budget-guessing and be upfront with a range that you an afford. Thus getting better quality and more on-budget RFP responses from your production company vendors. Think ‘Apples to Apples’ when embarking on your next RFP endeavor.

A producer must think about all of the nuances that video production brings with its creative fun. Simple things like the size of a room being used to shoot, amount of sunlight that comes into the room, amount of background noise to cover, does the interviewee need a teleprompter or do they have the script memorized? Sometimes these types of things can’t be considered until after the winner of the proposal has been awarded the contract, but by including more information in the RFP you’ll have the chance to see how different production companies will tackle your challenge.

When crafting your RFP, keep these things in mind. Let the responders know as much information as possible to help them best respond to your initiative. These things can affect how your story is told, and how to budget for equipment that will support the storytelling methods.

Great RFPs ask a question and have an answer. Plain & simple. Provide enough time to gather a solid group of options to work with and move from there. Asking for samples of work is always a great way to determine whether a vendor is capable of working within the field your trying to touch on.

Anyone setting out to create and RFP has a goal of clearly and effectively communicating to potential vendors the projects guidelines and what that organization wishes to see if a candidate. While you want to provide guidelines and structure, remember to allow the production companies to have the freedom of creativity to propose certain ideas, concepts and strategies that you may not have thought about originally. You never know what great ideas will arise.

Finally, give vendors as much information as possible upfront in the RFP. This saves everyone time, money and most importantly provides and level playing field for competitive RFP responses.

Keep crafting.

Taylor Jackson
Executive Producer
Defcon Media, Inc.

Have an RFP ready to go? Send it our way and we’ll get crafting.