What Actually Happens When You Hire a Video Production Agency?

Most clients have no idea what happens between "we'd like a video" and the finished film hitting their inbox. Here's the full process — every stage, no mystery.

Ollie sets up the camera

The first thing I'd tell anyone who's never commissioned a video before is this: it takes longer than you think, involves more decisions than you'd expect, and the part you see — the shoot — is the smallest part of the whole thing.

I say that not to put anyone off. I say it because the projects that go best are almost always the ones where the client had a rough sense of what they were walking into.

Informed clients ask better questions, give better feedback, and end up with work they're actually proud of. So here's the whole process, start to finish, from our side of the table. Are you sitting comfortably?

Stage 1 — The Initial Conversation (It's Not a Sales Call)

The first call we have with a new client isn't a pitch. It's an investigation. We're trying to find out a few things: What's the actual problem you're trying to solve? Who's the audience? Where will the video live? And — the one that catches people off guard — what would a successful outcome be worth to you? That last question matters more than clients expect. If the video helps you win one new client a year and that client is worth £50,000 to the business, you've got a sensible frame for what the production budget should look like. If you can't answer it, we'll try to work it out together. It's also worth knowing: we sometimes conclude at this stage that a video isn't the right answer to a client's problem. In that case, we'll say so. Sending someone into a production process that won't actually solve their problem is bad for everyone. If everything lines up — budget, objectives, timeline — this is where we decide whether to work together.

Stage 2 — Setting the Direction

Once we're working together, the first question is: where does this video live? A TV commercial, a social media ad, and a corporate website video are completely different briefs. Same objective — "make us look good" — completely different answers. Platform determines almost everything that follows: the length, the format (16:9, 9:16, 1:1), the pacing, the tone, whether you need a 30-second cut and a 15-second cut and a version with no dialogue. Getting this wrong early is expensive to fix. We settle platform and format before we start thinking about ideas, because ideas live inside those constraints. There's no point falling in love with a concept that doesn't work for where the video will actually be watched.

Stage 3 — The Ideas

This is the stage people assume comes first. It doesn't. Ideas developed without a confirmed budget are just creativity on paper. We develop ideas inside an agreed budget and a confirmed set of parameters — because a concept you can't afford to execute is worse than no concept at all. What we're asking at this stage: What kind of crew do we need? What kit? How many locations? Who's on camera — hired actors, real people from the business, voiceover only? Each of these has cost implications that determine whether an idea is achievable or aspirational. We don't put multiple routes in front of clients as a rule. We develop the one direction we genuinely believe in and present that.

Stage 4 — Script, Framework, or Shot Plan

Depending on the type of video, the written document at this stage takes one of three forms. A scripted video gets a script — and that script needs sign-off from everyone who has a say before we go anywhere near a shoot. Changes to a script on a shoot day cost money. Serious money. Get the script approved properly beforehand. An interview-led video gets a framework. Not a script — because scripted interviews sound scripted — but a set of themes and questions designed to draw out the right content naturally. There's still structure; it's just less visible in the final piece. A live event or corporate documentary gets a shot list. We know what's happening, when, and where — and we plan around capturing it. For TV commercials, this stage also includes a storyboard and visual language references. You need to know what every frame looks like before you book a crew.

Stage 5 — Pre-Production (The Part Nobody Sees)

This is probably the busiest stage of the whole process and the one clients see least of. Pre-production means: visiting every location before the shoot day — usually with a camera, so we come back with a photographic storyboard showing exactly where people will stand and how it'll be lit. It means a detailed lighting plan, a schedule for the shoot day itself, assembling the right crew, and casting if actors are involved. The photographic storyboard is one of the most useful documents we produce. It means the client has seen pictures of what the footage will look like before we've turned on a single light. No surprises on the day. The shoot schedule is equally non-negotiable. A shoot day without a schedule is just expensive improvisation.

Stage 6 — The Shoot

The part everyone pictures when you say "video production." A well-prepared shoot should feel methodical and calm. If there's chaos on a shoot day, it's almost always a pre-production problem. The crew arrives knowing exactly what's needed. The schedule is tight but achievable. There are no major surprises — because we've done the work. Things do move. People are occasionally late. Locations look different in different light at different times of year. But going in prepared means we're adapting from a position of control, not scrambling from behind. Most clients who visit a shoot for the first time say it felt calmer than they expected. That's how it should feel.

Stage 7 — Post-Production

This is where the film actually gets made. Editing starts with a rough cut — assembled footage, no music, no grade, no sound design. Just the building blocks in order. We share this with you and take feedback before going any further. After the rough cut, we agree on music. Music affects the feel of a film more than almost anything else, and the sync licence cost varies significantly depending on what you want to use. We'll put options in front of you with costs attached. If you change your mind about the music after the edit is locked, there's additional cost involved. It's a decision worth getting right. Once the edit is picture-locked — meaning the cut is agreed and no one is changing it — we go into colour grade and sound design. For most productions this happens in-house. For larger commissions, particularly TV commercials, we work with specialist colouring houses in London.

Stage 8 — Delivery

What lands in your inbox isn't just one file. Deliverables are agreed at the start of the project — not the end. If you need a 60-second version, a 30-second cut-down, a 15-second version for Instagram, landscape and square formats — we need to know that going in. Reformats and cut-downs take time and are budgeted separately. If you're producing a TV commercial, there's a final clearance stage before it can go to air. We handle this, but it takes time and can't be rushed. Then it goes — to broadcast, to your media buyer, to your website, to your social channels. Depending on the destination, we'll specify the exact file format, codec, and export settings to make sure it looks right wherever it ends up. That's the whole thing.

The Whole Process at a Glance

Eight stages, from first conversation to finished film.

Stage	What happens
1. Initial conversation	Define the problem, agree objectives and budget. Video might not be the answer — we'll say so if not.
2. Direction setting	Platform, format, length, tone. Everything else flows from this.
3. Ideas	Developed within confirmed budget and parameters — not before.
4. Script / Framework / Shot plan	Depends on the type of video. Must be signed off before we go near a camera.
5. Pre-production	Recce, photographic storyboard, lighting plan, shoot schedule, crew, casting.
6. The shoot	Methodical, prepared. Should feel calm. Usually does.
7. Post-production	Rough cut → feedback → music agreement → picture lock → colour grade and sound design.
8. Delivery	Agreed formats, cut-downs, aspect ratios. TV clearance if needed.

Ready to get started? The next step is writing a brief. We've put together a straightforward guide to what a good brief needs — which will save both of us a lot of time.

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Talk to us about your project