Hiring a production company can be one of the most important decisions a filmmaker can have. It takes a lot of searching and questioning to get the right production company for the needs of the project at hand. There are many different production companies to choose from, and not every one is as worthy of the investment as the rest. Getting the best deal doesn’t always mean getting the best price. Just as with any other type of service, it has to be said that “you get what you pay for.” Shopping around for the biggest bargain is a good way to get poor quality in the final result. Just going out and looking for a good price won’t cut it when putting a project in production companies hands to make it the best it can be. Trying to go out and hire a big name production company for the film may not be plausible, but finding a middle ground has to be explored. Always remember that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
So how can a filmmaker find out what production company is right for them? References from the Internet and from network friends are a great place to start. Someone who has worked with the production company being researched is a great place to find out how well the company will work with filmmakers. Does the crew show up on time, and are they generally a happy group? No one really wants to work with a company that has staff that is not on time and doesn’t seem at least somewhat happy. Also, it allows the chance to see how willing the company is to bend themselves to the needs of the film maker, as opposed to the filmmaker being at the mercy of the production company. In addition to references, a portfolio of films that the production company has been involved in should be available to anyone looking to hire the company. This is good to research since it allows a chance to decide whether the post-production quality equals what the current project calls for.
Nothing can prove the effectiveness of a production company to deliver quality quite like seeing the finished projects they have already completed. When asking for referrals and portfolios, if the production company is unwilling to come up with referrals, or seems to have a very small collection of finished works, this could be a bad sign. Most production companies are more than willing to show off what they’ve been able to accomplish, unless they do not have anything worthy of showing. Some production companies are willing to do almost anything to make money when it comes down to it, including luring filmmakers in with promises they simply can’t keep. If a production company isn’t willing to give definitive answers to basic questions about experience, staffing, and equipment it can be another bad sign. If the production company is sold on merit alone and does not give definitive answers when questions are asked, a filmmaker may end up with a product that they didn’t plan on.
The production company could use low-budget staff and equipment while still charging a premium rate. Overall, it comes down to using common sense while making many of the above decisions. A good production company will never pressure the filmmaker into a decision they are not full on board with. But it should be mentioned that the production company does have the advantage of experience and their suggestions may just give the film that extra something that make it a winner.
Recent Comments