What Should You Ask Before Hiring a Video Production Company in Arlington, VA?
Choosing a video production company in Arlington, VA involves much more than comparing price quotes. While budget matters, the most successful video projects come from partnerships—where your video team understands your goals, communicates clearly, and brings creative expertise that aligns with your brand’s message.
At Striking Media we know that whether you’re building a brand campaign, creating internal training content, or launching a product with a video push, asking the right questions before hiring a video production company can make all the difference. In this guide, we break down the must-ask questions, including insights about experience, production process, logistics, and more.
Plus, we’re including a free downloadable checklist – Link to checklist – to bring with you to vendor meetings so you never miss a beat!
Questions About Experience
“Has your video production company worked with businesses in my industry?”
Every industry has its own nuances, compliance standards, and storytelling tone. Whether you’re in tech, healthcare, finance, education, or hospitality, a company that understands your industry can better translate your goals into effective content.
Why this matters:
Industry experience helps reduce time spent explaining the basics, ensures proper messaging, and allows for more strategic storytelling that resonates with your target audience. It also indicates whether the team can handle niche or sensitive content—like HIPAA regulations in healthcare, or product confidentiality in tech.
What to ask:
- Has your video production company produced content for clients in my industry?
- Can you share examples of similar work or case studies?
- How did you approach storytelling for that audience?
- What challenges have you encountered in this industry, and how did you overcome them?
A reliable video production team should provide a portfolio of relevant work and be able to speak clearly about how they adjusted their approach for different industries. Bonus points if they’ve worked on both internal and public-facing video projects.
Pro Tip: Ask for success metrics, like viewer engagement or conversions, from past projects in your space.
Questions About Process
“What’s your approach from concept to delivery?”
One of the most overlooked videography FAQs is about the creative process – every great video starts long before the camera rolls. Understanding how your potential video production company moves from idea to final product will give you insight into how they manage time, communication, and expectations.
Why this matters:
A streamlined and well-communicated production process reduces stress, prevents delays, and keeps you in the loop. A lack of clarity here is often a red flag—indicating that you may encounter surprises later. At Striking Media, we try to avoid surprises!
What to ask:
- What does your video production process look like from discovery to final delivery?
- Who handles creative development—scriptwriting, storyboarding, casting?
- What role will I play in the process, and how often will we meet?
- How do you handle feedback and approvals during editing?
Look for a process that includes:
- Discovery: Goal-setting and content planning
- Creative Development: Scriptwriting, storyboarding, concept design
- Pre-Production: Scheduling, casting, location scouting, logistics
- Production: Filming days, equipment used, crew involved
- Post-Production: Editing, music, animation, voiceovers
- Review & Delivery: Revisions, file handoff, platform-optimized formats
Tip: Ask how they adapt the process for different video types—commercials, explainers, social media reels, or live events.
Questions About Logistics
“What’s your typical turnaround time, and how are revisions handled?”
You’ve discussed the vision—now it’s time to get practical. Logistics include all the fine details like delivery timelines, revisions, ownership rights, and costs that can add up. Clarifying this upfront helps avoid surprises and ensures your needs are met.
Why this matters:
Even the most creative team won’t be the right fit if they can’t meet your deadlines or leave out key deliverables like subtitles or format-optimized exports. If you’re launching a campaign on a specific date, timing is everything.
What to ask:
- What’s your standard turnaround time for a project like mine?
- How many rounds of revisions are included in your quote?
- What happens if I need changes after final delivery?
- Who owns the raw footage and final edited video?
- Is licensing for music, graphics, or voiceover included in the price?
- Will I receive multiple file formats for web, mobile, or social media?
Clarify everything in writing. A solid video partner will include all logistics in the scope of work or proposal.
Download Our Free Video Vendor Meeting Checklist
Take the guesswork out of your next vendor conversation with our video production checklist: Link to checklist
We created a simplified version of this blog and put it into a simple checklist, organized by topic. This printable guide helps ensure you ask the right questions about:
- Industry experience
- Production process
- Timeline and revisions
- Pricing and licensing
It’s perfect to bring to interviews, RFP meetings, or first discovery calls.
Ready to Talk? Schedule a Discovery Call
If you’re looking to hire a video production team that’s creative, experienced, and reliable, we’d love to connect.
Striking Media is a trusted video production company in Arlington, VA, we’ve helped businesses across industries create video content that connects, converts, and communicates their unique value.
During your free call, we’ll:
- Learn more about your goals and audience
- Share relevant past work and testimonials
- Walk you through our creative process
- Answer your videography FAQs—honestly and transparently
No pressure, no jargon—just a real conversation about how video can help your business grow.
Choose a Partner, Not Just a Vendor
When it comes to video, the stakes are high—first impressions, conversions, brand perception. Don’t settle for a team that just shows up with a camera.
Instead, hire a video team that collaborates with you from day one, guides you through every stage, and delivers content that works as hard as you do.
By asking the right questions—about experience, process, and logistics—you’ll find a partner that doesn’t just create videos, but helps you achieve business results through strategic storytelling.
Need help planning your next video project? Let’s make something great together!
