Questions to Ask Before Booking an Event Videographer

Before booking an event videographer, ask about similar work, audio, backup plans, what happens if they cannot attend, who owns the footage, how many rounds of changes are included, delivery dates and overtime. The most revealing question is what happens if they get ill. Get the answers in writing before paying a deposit.

Questions about experience

Can I see a full piece of work from an event like mine? Highlight reels hide problems. A complete session or a full recap shows how they handle a whole day.

Did you shoot this yourself? Showreels can include work from bigger teams. You need to know what this person, or this crew, will do.

Have you worked at this venue or with this kind of audience? It is not essential, but it helps. A person who has filmed senior executives will know how to work around them without interrupting.

Who exactly will turn up? With an agency or network, ask to see the portfolio of the person being sent, rather than the company's general showreel.

Questions about audio and kit

How will you record the sound? Listen for specifics, such as lapel microphones for interviews and a feed from the sound desk for stage sessions. A camera microphone alone is not enough in a large room.

Can I hear an example? Ask for an interview recorded somewhere noisy.

What cameras will you use, and how many? You do not need to understand the technical terms. You are looking for a clear answer, and to hear whether one camera will do for a panel.

How do you back up footage on the day? Ask what happens if a card fails. The answer should involve more than one copy.

Will you film vertically for social? If you want vertical clips, say so now, as it affects how shots are framed.

Questions about the day

How early will you arrive, and how long do you need to set up? Compare this with when the doors open.

What do you need from us? Good videographers ask for an agenda, a contact and access details. If they ask for nothing, be cautious.

Will you speak to the venue's AV team? The answer shows whether they have done this before.

What happens if the event overruns? Find out the overtime rate before you find yourself needing it.

What will you wear, and how will you behave around speakers? It may sound minor, but they will be representing you in front of your clients.

Do you have insurance? Venues often ask for proof of liability insurance, so find out whether a certificate is available.

Questions about what could go wrong

What happens if you get ill or have an emergency? This is the most important question on the list, and a good answer names a process or a person. "That has never happened" is not a plan.

What is your cancellation policy? Ask what happens to your deposit, and how much notice you need to give to reschedule.

What if we are not happy with the result? Ask how they deal with it, and who decides what counts as fixing it.

Questions about rights and delivery

Who owns the raw footage, and do we get a copy? Some suppliers keep it, or charge for it.

Can we use the videos in paid advertising? Check whether there are any limits or time periods on use, including the music.

How many rounds of changes are included? And what does an extra round cost?

When will we get the finished work? Get the date in writing. A recap is worth far more while people still remember the event.

How will we get the files? Ask how you will review edits, too. Timecodes in long email threads are easy to get wrong.

Will you sign an NDA? This is essential if you are showing products that have not been released.

Questions about price

What is included in this price? Ask for the number of people, hours, cameras and finished films to be spelled out.

What could add to it? Travel, parking, extra edits, music licences and overtime are the usual ones.

What deposit do you need, and when? Ask for payment terms if your finance team has specific needs. Our cost guide for conference videographers shows how to compare quotes fairly.

How to read the answers

You are not only listening for the right facts. You are listening for how specific and how willing the supplier is.

A strong answer is concrete: it names a microphone, a process or a person. A weak answer is general: "don't worry, we always make it work". Be careful, too, with anyone who becomes defensive about ordinary questions, because you will need to raise harder ones if something goes wrong later.

Notice what they ask you as well. Someone who asks about your goal, your agenda and your speakers is already thinking about the shoot. Someone who only asks for the date and the address may turn up and film whatever happens in front of them.

Finally, compare answers across suppliers in the same document. A lower price often turns out to be a smaller scope, and a higher price may include things you were about to pay for separately. Fix the scope first, then look at the number.

How Fame Crew answers these

It is only fair that we answer them too.

• Who will turn up? A vetted local videographer. You see their portfolio and approve them before anything is confirmed.
• What if they drop out? We replace them from our network. It has happened days before an event, and we filled it.
• Cancellation? Your deposit is fully refundable, and you can reschedule free up to 48 hours before the shoot.
• Rights? You own the raw footage. Once your invoice is settled, your company holds full commercial usage rights to the raw footage and the final edits.
• Revisions? Standard editing packages include two rounds.
• Delivery? We aim to deliver edited assets within 48 hours, and you can review them with comments pinned to the exact second.
• Overtime? It can usually be arranged on site, at an hourly rate.
• Price? Fame Crew's list price for one videographer is $600 or £480 for 2 hours and $1,100 or £880 for a full day. Everything else is on our pricing page.

More detail is on how it works and our event videography page. We have event crews in London and many other cities.

When Fame Crew is not the right choice

If a freelancer gives you strong answers to all of these, and you like their work, book them. You will have a direct relationship with the person filming, which some teams prefer. And if your project depends on a particular creative voice, ask for that person by name, wherever they work.