MAKING AN EFFECTIVE PRODUCTION SPEC SHEET or MAKING AN RFP FOR YOUR VIDEO

 

To ensure you are making an apples to apples comparison of each company’s proposal bidding on your project, create a spec sheet outlining what you envision needing for your production. RFP’s can be an elaborate document incorporating a vast amount of information about your company and the project you want to create, or they can be a simple spread sheet with a handful of facts.

START WITH THE END

A simple description of what you want to produce is essential to begin the RFP. Begin with the final product.

Q) What do you want? Two five-minute videos, five two-minute videos, ten video clips?

Q) When do you need the project delivered (build in two weeks of wiggle room).

Q) In what format do you want the final clips – MOV, AVI or WMV?

Q) How do you want the videos delivered? On a DVD, by email?

Q) Frame and file sizes of the deliverables?

PROCESS

Do you have a budget? You may or may not want to disclose the rough budget for your video project. Sometimes it helps to let a production company know what you are thinking because it helps them scale the project and decide whether or not it’s an appropriate project for them.

DEADLINES AND DATES

Proposals due by ________.

Production Company Finalists will be chosen week of _________.

Interviews with Production Company finalists on following days:

Selection of Production company by ________.

Telephone Pre-Pre-Production Meeting on __________.

Final Pre-Production Meeting on __________.

Rough Cuts due by _________.

Second Cuts due by __________.

Final videos due by _________.

EXAMPLES

Our CEO loves this video (give the web link address). This is the primary reason we are undertaking this project… we need higher quality customers who understand how an investment in our product (more expensive than the competitors) can result in fewer product defects and higher productivity and profits.

PRODUCTION DETAILS

There are four phases of production. Share what you know and want in each phase of the process. Each one has its own unique requirements and equipment. To make sure you get it all on the table specify what you want in each phase of the production.

PRE-PRODUCTION

2 trips to client (Atlanta, GA) for pre-production meeting and location scouting.

Our Head of Marketing is EXTREMELY BUSY so we will have to accomodate his schedule for a meeting.

3 days of Producer research and scripting in Atlanta and Detroit.

PRODUCTION

2 Videographers for 2 days on location in Atlanta (interviews only – video shot with two cameras from two different angles). We will be filming on a working assembly line for a half day from multiple angles. We CANNOT interfere with it or cause any dispruptions that might hinder worker productivity. It’s also very noisy in that area.

One videographer for remaining two days. All 3 locations are situated within a half hour drive from client’s corporate HQ in Atlanta.

Producer and Production Assistant for all days of shooting.

Teleprompter for 1 of the two days of field shooting only.

Hair and Makeup Artist for all four days.

Client caters food on site for crew.

POST PRODUCTION

Editor and Producer complete Post Production. Please send web links to editors’ work.

Deliver to client Rough cut at least two weeks before final cut deadline (Feb. 24, 2014)

Royalty Free Music Only – cost included in production

1 Voice Over Performer (non-union)

DELIVERABLES / DISTRIBUTION

Project will be edited on Final Cut Platform.

A full Copy of the final project will be delivered to client on a suitable hard drive.

Digital Copies of all films will be delivered to client electronically.

You may also want to distribute the video using a public video network such as YouTube or Vimeo, or a private service such as Brightcove. There are pros and cons for using each one. The depth of the understanding you will receive on who is watching your video, and how they are watching it varies with each service.

OTHER RFP ISSUES TO CONSIDER

So what else do you want from production companies? What’s important to you?

• Background and references
• Insurance Requirements – Minimum of $500k coverage.
• Four examples of company’s best work which applies to this project.
• What makes your company the right company to create your project?
• Budget Details for each phase of production.
• Additional hourly rate for Post Production?
• Payment Terms
• A Production Schedule building in all key dates including rough cut delivery, second cut and final cut.
• Amount of time to review project at each edit phase?
• Ask the Production company to define what makes a good client and what issues are the most problematic?

 

Please call us if you need help creating an RFP for your project or if we can bid on your project. We offer consulting services (billed hourly or daily) to help you formulate your RFP and naturally we would love to learn more about your production.

Shoot me (Paul Dewey) an email or give us a call if you would like more information or clarification on how any part of this process works. My email is Paul@deweymedia.com and my telephone number is (978) 451-4100. Good Luck.