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As video becomes more and more a part of our everyday lives the services of a talented and reliable videographer are in greater demand than ever! You might want to hire a videographer to capture the precious moments at a wedding, your 50th birthday party or to record a child’s christening; or you may need a videographer for a corporate event, a team building weekend, to promote your business or even to help sell your house.
No matter why you need the services of a videographer you can always find an experienced and professional freelancer to work with but it can be tricky to navigate the growing industry to find one that is a good fit for you.
How Do You Find A Videographer?
Searching for a videographer can be a little daunting but with the help of the internet, social media and your own network of friends and contacts you can usually find a freelancer who is available to work with you pretty fast!
- Referrals and Word of Mouth. One of the best ways to hire a videographer is to ask your own personal network if they’ve recently worked with a videographer that they could recommend to you. If your friend has recently had a wedding and used a videographer then you can ask for them for their contact details if you’re planning a wedding or a similar type of event. Equally, if you’re in business, and want to create some promotional material ask around with your contacts and see if they can pass on a referral for someone they’ve used in the past. As well as being a quick and easy way to find a videographer you can also get an assurance that they are good to work with and can deliver the quality of work that you need.
- Online Groups. Social media platforms are an incredible resource that you can use to hunt down a fantastic videographer. You can post an advert to a group or forum on sites like Facebook or Linkedin and you’re likely to get some replies with a matter of hours! Remember to state where you are based and try to give as many details about the project to narrow down the potential respondents.
- Online Job Boards. Websites like Fiverr and Upwork have a huge amount of professional freelancers who are currently available and looking for work. You can check out their profiles and see the feedback and reviews they have had from previous clients and browse their portfolios. Once you have found one or two that seem good you can contact them and start coming to an agreement. These websites are especially useful if you’re looking for business related content but you can find a freelance videographer in any field that you require.
- Talent recruiter or agency. If you want to let someone else take care of the process of finding you a videographer then you can go through an agency or recruiter. This will take all the pressure of finding a freelancer off your shoulders but you will have to pay for the service. Agencies and recruiters will try to use videographers that they have worked with before so they can vouch for their skills and they will usually arrange everything including insurance and all the details of the shoot and the video production.
All of the above options can yield you with pretty reliable results but there’s no need to work exclusively through only one route. Spread your efforts more widely to quickly find a freelance videographer to work with to deliver the footage you need for your project.
What Do You Need The Videographer To Do?
When you are taking on the services of a videographer you need to be as clear as possible about exactly what you want them to produce. This will save future disappointments and ensure that your working relationship with them is good because confusion and misunderstandings can lead to big problems down the road!
If you can it’s always useful to spend some time discussing your expectations with the freelancer as well as potentially going through their portfolio and highlighting work that you would like to be reproduced in your project.
For instance, if you were hiring a wedding videographer then taking a look at their past work is an effective way to see what you like. This will avoid confusion – because it’s hard to explain a style of footage over an email or text – and help the videographer understand what you’re looking for. Brainstorming and pre production consultations are always worth the time you spend; and generally, this applies to any project you might be undertaking!
What is Your Budget, Time Frame And Expected Delivery Date?
Before you even approach a freelancer you need to have a good idea of what your budget is. To a large extent this will determine who you can work with and what level of services you can expect. You also need to know the date by which you want the completed footage for and how long you’ll need their services for on the day of the shoot.
If you’re working with a tight budget then you might not get a highly qualified and seasoned pro but you can help a new videographer in the early parts of their career.
What Level of Experience Are You Looking From The Videographer?
Are you looking for an entry level individual or someone with a vast array of experience? Checking out the portfolio and past work of any videographer before you take on their services is crucial to developing a productive and good working relationship. Not only will their past work give you confidence in their skills and expertise but it gives you a point of reference to describe what you want them to produce for you.
If you can you should also try to find any social proof of their previous work. Do they have good reviews? Have they ever worked on the type of project that you require them to do?
Do You Get a Good Feeling From the Videographer?
It’s not only their professional background and experience that you need to evaluate because you should also try to establish if you’ll enjoy working with them – particularly if you are planning a series of projects in the long term.
You can establish quite a lot from phone calls or email exchanges but at a certain point you’ll also have to go with your gut feelings! If you get a bad feeling or have a hard time trusting that they’ll deliver what they say then don’t feel bad about moving on to find another option.
Privacy and Rights.
When working with a videographer you need to know whether they will retain the rights to the footage, what it can be used for in the future and if your privacy will be protected. If you are working on a business project then you may want the videographer to sign a non disclosure agreement and allow you to retain all rights to the footage. You can make agreements with them so that they can use parts of it in their own portfolio as promotional material but you need to have all this worked out before you start the project.
In terms of privacy you may want the footage to remain in your ownership after the shoot. If you’re hiring a videographer you may want to protect family information or details of your address, to name just a few things. You can draw up a privacy agreement with the freelancer before you start out but always ensure that you have straightened out these types of legal details in advance to avoid disagreements after the event.
You should also find out what type of insurance the videographer has just to be on the safe side in case of accidents, damaged equipment or injury. This can potentially save both of you huge headaches in the future if something were to go wrong.
Hiring a Videography – The Start of a Journey.
Video media plays an enormous role in the lives of people in the modern world and if you can utilize this growing trend you can supercharge your business, on and off line. It doesn’t end there though and if you are an individual who wants to capture the precious moments of life in a video format then you’ll need a good videographer to help you do so.
Working with a highly skilled videographer is a great experience and you’ll be left with something you can treasure, use on social media or help to market your products. This means that making a good choice is vital to the fruition of your hopes and so being careful in your decision making process is vital. Remember to ask the right questions and know in advance what you need so that you can work with your videographer to bring your projects to life in a unique and captivating way.
Have you used the services of a freelance videographer?
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