Almost every guide on this repeats the same four tips: look at the portfolio, check references, compare prices, trust your gut. All true, and none of them says what to look at exactly or how to check it. This is a real checklist, with the questions to ask on the first call.
Short answer
Before you sign, check at least these four things:
- —They are clear about who owns the finished material.
- —They explain their process step by step, without hesitating.
- —The quote is broken down by phase, not handed over as one closed figure.
- —They ask where the work will be used before they talk about price.
If they fail two or more, keep looking. The full ten points, and the exact questions for that first call, are below.
The ten things that actually matter
- —1. A portfolio relevant to your project: don't look for “beautiful”, look for “close to what I need”, the same kind of product, service or format as yours.
- —2. A process they can explain in two minutes: briefing, pre-production, production, delivery. If they cannot say what happens after the shoot, that is improvisation.
- —3. A real crew behind it: direction, sound and editing covered, even if one person coordinates it all. Ask who handles each part.
- —4. An itemised quote: it should say what each line covers. A single figure with no breakdown is impossible to compare honestly.
- —5. Explicit deadlines: “in a few days” is not a deadline. You need a date, or a number of working days from the shoot.
- —6. Experience with your kind of client: they need not have worked for your competitor, but they should know your kind of business, every sector has its own visual codes.
- —7. Communication during the project: ask who your contact will be and how often there will be reviews. Plenty of companies disappear right after signing.
- —8. Clear usage rights: who owns the finished material? Does the licence cover unlimited use, or one specific use?
- —9. Their own studio, or a rented one: owning a studio is not compulsory, but it affects date availability and how consistent the quality stays.
- —10. Price and quality that add up: neither the cheapest nor the most expensive option guarantees anything, a price with a clear explanation behind it does (see point 4).
Good signs vs. warning signs
| Good sign | Warning sign |
|---|---|
| They ask about your goals before talking price | They give a closed price without knowing the project |
| Their portfolio includes work close to yours | The portfolio is generic and never says which sectors they work in |
| They explain the process step by step without hesitating | They cannot say what happens after the shoot |
| The quote is broken down by phase or by service | Everything arrives as one figure with no detail |
| They ask where the finished work will be used | They never ask where the material is going (site, social, TV) |
Questions for the first call
- —“Have you worked on projects in my sector, or of my kind?”
- —“What is your process from signing to me receiving the material?”
- —“What happens if I need changes after delivery?”
- —“Who keeps the rights to the raw footage?”
- —“Do you have your own studio, or do you rent space and kit?”
This changes if you are an artist, a brand or an agency
- —Brands and companies: put visual consistency across pieces first, and experience in your specific sector.
- —Artists: put a real portfolio of music videos or portrait sessions first, not only corporate work.
- —Agencies: put it first that they understand they work for you, not alongside you competing for the end client.
How we do it
At MIDMEDIA PICTURES we have been explaining our process the same way to every client since 2017, briefing, pre-production, production, delivery, precisely because it is the first thing you should be able to ask of any production company.
Common mistakes
- —Choosing on the lowest price without comparing what each quote includes.
- —Judging only whether the portfolio is beautiful, without checking whether it is relevant to your kind of project.
- —Not asking about usage rights before signing.
- —Assuming that “owning a good camera” is the same as “knowing how to tell your story”.
In short
Choosing well is not about finding the cheapest option or the most awarded one. It is about checking these ten points with concrete questions before you sign. A company that answers confidently on the first call is a more reliable signal than any portfolio.