Getting Started: What Questions to Ask

At the very beginning of each project, I like to connect with prospective clients (preferably through a video call) and ask a lot of questions. I’ve had so many of these calls over the years that I don’t really use a “script” any longer, but early in my career I found that having a pre-set list of questions for these meetings was invaluable.

While I try not to overwhelm people with questions (I’ve had to work at this), the more information I can get about what a client expects the quicker I can develop a production plan. One of the benefits of asking a lot of questions upfront is that it can help identify things the client hasn’t thought about yet, as well as areas in which they can be flexible. The questions below are the first questions I typically ask.

·?????Describe your organization and the video you want to make.

·?????What is your goal for making this video? Which of your goals are the highest priority?

·?????Describe your audience for the video. What is most important to them?

·?????What do you want your audience to take away from this video? Is there something specific you want them to do after watching it?

·?????Do you have a creative approach in mind?

·?????Do you know how long a video you need/want?

·?????How large is the team that will be involved in reviews? How many days will your team need to review each milestone?

·?????How do you plan to distribute the video?

·?????Do you have a set budget or budget range in mind for this project?

·?????Do you have a set deadline for the video?

·?????What other background information might be good for us to know? For example:

• Is there a crucial person or event around which we need to plan??
• Do you want to emulate the style of any existing videos??
• Is a member of the review team overseas and therefore on a time delay?

Some questions can lead to a host of other questions. “Do you have a creative approach in mind?” can take you in a number of directions. If a client wants to shoot interviews, are all the interview subjects local? Would it be possible to schedule multiple interviews on the same day? If a client wants to include footage of an event in their video, when and where is the event? What is the nature of the event??How much of the event will require video coverage? ?If the client wants to use actors, how many characters are they expecting? If they’re imagining a lot of animation or graphics in their video, do they have an established style, or will we need to develop one?

Many of my questions are designed to help me figure out things like how big my crew will need to be, how many days of filming will be needed, where we’ll need to film, and how many actors I’ll need to cast. All of that information helps me arrive at a production budget. Questions that pertain to the timeline, how long the video(s) will be and graphics/animation help me determine the time needed for post production as well as what workflow should be followed. I use all of the information I gather to create a proposal for a client that includes a detailed scope of work, a timeline for the project and a budget. The client and I can then work together to shape the scope of the project further.

Sometimes clients won’t have answers to all of these questions, and that’s completely normal. They might know what they want the video to look like (interviews and infographic animation, for instance) but not how long a video they need.?Sometimes they’ll have a strict budget and run time, but they’ll be very flexible regarding the creative approach. This gives me the opportunity to pitch creative ways to meet their goals.

These questions could be equally helpful to consider if you’ve been tasked with creating an RFP for a video project or developing a creative brief to use when discussing a project with potential video vendors. Answering as many of these questions as you can in your solicitation will help cut down on the volume of questions you receive. It will also help ensure that you’re comparing “apples to apples” when you receive proposals from potential vendors.

Sue O’Hora is a writer, producer and director with over 20 years of experience. She founded Rising Night Productions to streamline the video production process for busy communications professionals. She brings her extensive network of video experts and her skills in production, project management and digital marketing to each project. Her goal is to make video projects easier for organizations of all sizes.