Fundamentals of a Video Production Quotation
A video production quote is a document informing a prospective client about estimated pricing to complete an upcoming project. Whether you’re creating a short video or a full-fledged movie, a video quote template is essential to communicate your value and expertise quickly and professionally.
The quotation includes an extensive list of project-related information, things like project deliverables and fee details, to name a few. It covers everything—from pre-production planning to post-production execution.
So, let’s look at the fundamentals of a video production quote and ensure yours is perfect for every prospect.
Note: Sign up to Bonsai free and access this template to help you provide comprehensive quotations for your video services.
Personal information
Every quote for video production starts with yours and your client’s personal information, you need to include:
- Names
- Emails
- Contact information
- Business addresses
- VAT numbers if applicable
Alongside this information, write the date you’re sending the quote. All this info is essential for identifying the parties involved, and how to reach them if necessary. Plus, it lets your client know they’re getting a personal proposal from the first page.
Introduction
The video quote template should also include a short overview of your services for the project on the cards. Summarize the client’s needs and talk about the specifics of your video production services before jumping into more details about the quotation.
It’s a good idea to include your video productions company mission and vision—especially if it aligns with your client’s.
Project information
After the introduction comes the most substantial part of your video production quote—the project scope. This section covers exactly what you’re planning to do for the client and how.
Start by mapping out your production process and laying out the scope of work for the project. Explain your plan for execution and include important aspects of the project, like on-site recording hours, style and length of the video(s), and any other similar details.
List down all these details and the video production services you can offer in the project information part of your video production quote, including:
- Deliverables: jot down the number of videos required for the project, whether it’s a single video of ten minutes or two videos of five minutes.
- Pre-production phase requirements: let the client know about the video strategy, storyboarding, scripting, location scouting, crew selection and training, and your equipment needs.
- Production phase requirements: detail inclusions like sound, light, and video setup, voiceover recordings, creating b-roll, and more.
- Post-production phase requirements: include audio selection or editing, sound mixing, video editing, rendering, reviews and approval, and final delivery.
Since your readers might not be well-versed with the technicalities of video production, limit the use of jargon and create a breakdown of every task to effectively convey your services. This section aims to present the details of the project, and what steps are required to make it a reality.
Timelines and production stages
After drafting the plan of action and the list of services that you’ll offer, cover the timelines for different production stages of the project.
Creating realistic timelines for project completion requires a lot of planning, but it’s essential for helping you remain accountable and enabling the client to track your progress. In the long-run, you will actually save time by doing this.
The video production work involves three stages: pre-production, production, and post-production. So, estimate the maximum time and effort you have to invest into completing each stage.
While drafting these timelines, factor in the two main elements that decide the video production timeline:
- Video type: is it an animation video or a green screen production? You’ll have discussed this with the client, so they should be aware of the production time.
- Video length: how long will it take to shoot, edit, and render the video? Consider the video’s length and how that affects your chosen deadline.
Invest time to plan the best approach to every stage and detail the expected timelines in your video quotation template.
Pricing and billing
When you’re preparing a video production quote, your clients are always interested in this–the total cost. They’re interested in your services and believe in your value, but they have to ensure they’ve got the budget to contract you for this new project. That’s why they’ve requested a quote, after all.
With so much riding on this section, billing and payment terms become a challenging part to cover. Transparency here is essential–neither party wants to waste their time or be dissatisfied at the end of the project.
A good place to start your pricing plan is to determine how you want to charge and be paid.
Different stages will vary in costs. You also have to consider total costs for hiring resources, buying equipment, gear rentals, and finding locations.
Prepare a breakdown of what you’ll be charging so the client has a clear view of what they get with your production company. This includes billable hours, additional personnel pay, and any other project-related cost.
It’s also essential to cover the possible changes to the initial quote as project requirements evolve. Whilst you hope to avoid incurring additional costs, it’s essential to inform the client of the possibility that more costs may arise.
Bonsai top tip: Use a videography quote template to simplify this rather lengthy and tedious process.
Terms and conditions
By the time you reach the terms and conditions part of your video quotation, you’re done with 90% of the document. This final section answers some crucial questions, like who will have the copyright ownership of the final product and what are the terms of confidentiality for this project.
So, use this concluding section of your video production quote to highlight any important terms that you’d prefer the client acknowledge before the project commences. These could include:
- Change in pricing
- Possible discounts
- Untimely payments
- Lack of communication
- Issues like delay in approvals
Closing statement
After you’re done drafting the quotation, end it on a convincing note for the client to proceed with the sales process. A strong closing statement should include a clear call to action and briefly summarize the next steps.
Bonsai top tip: Formalize everything in one place with a video production contract.
Creating Video Production Quotes is Simple with Bonsai
It’s not easy to hit the right spot with your video production quote every time. That’s why Bonsai’s comprehensive videography quote templates are a game-changer for you and your business.
You can rest easy knowing their carefully crafted videography quote templates cover all the important sections for detailing your services and fees. Here’s how you can start:
- Sign up for free to Bonsai
- Choose the quote template you need
- Customize it as per the video project details
Bonsai’s contract templates are clear and concise—all you’ve got to do is add the final touches to make it personal. Then, send it off to clients to receive written confirmation and signatures without ever even leaving the platform.
Find thousands of templates for proposals, contracts, quotations, and invoices and join the 250,000+ freelancers and SMBs already making the most of Bonsai’s all-in-one business solution.
Video Production Quote Template FAQs
What are the benefits of using a video production quote template?
A video production quote template allows you to convey the complete pricing terms for your services to prospective clients. You can explain your plan of action for different stages and provide the estimates for completing the client’s requirements.
A template makes life easier by cutting down the hassle of drafting a quote from scratch and customizing it to your potential clients’ needs. Try one of Bonsai’s templates by signing up to the platform for free.
When do I draft and send the video production quote template?
You can customize a video quotation template when starting with a new videography project. Sending a detailed quote to a potential client builds transparency and clarifies all the services you can offer along with the billing terms.
