5 Signs you're not ready to hire a video production company
5 signs you're not ready to hire a video production company, helping businesses avoid wasted budget and plan video content at the right stage.
Most video projects that go wrong don't fail during production. They fail before the video production company is ever briefed — because the basics weren't in place.
Budget uncertainty. Unclear deliverables. Internal chaos masquerading as "we'll figure it out as we go." These problems don't get solved by hiring a good video production company. They get exposed by one. These are the signs. Not a permanent verdict — just not right now.
1. Your budget isn't approved before hiring a video production company
"What would this cost?" is a research question. "Here's our budget, can you work within it?" is a buying conversation. The gap matters more than most people realise.
A £3,000 budget gets a different approach than a £10,000 budget for the same brief - different crew size, different shooting days, different edit complexity. Production companies aren't being awkward when they ask what you have available before quoting. They're trying to avoid spending an hour building a proposal that collapses the moment it goes upstairs for approval.
The version of this we see most often in London: a marketing team has been told to "explore video production," comes to us for quotes, we build something detailed and realistic, then it goes to finance and comes back as "too expensive." The project either dies or restarts from scratch with half the budget and a third of the scope. Nobody got what they needed.
Get budget approved before requesting quotes. Even a rough range - 'somewhere between £4,000 and £6,000' - gives everyone something real to work with. 'We need to see proposals first' just means the production company builds something your finance team will reject.
A £3,000 budget gets a different approach than a £10,000 budget for the same brief - different crew size, different shooting days, different edit complexity. Production companies aren't being awkward when they ask what you have available before quoting. They're trying to avoid spending an hour building a proposal that collapses the moment it goes upstairs for approval.
The version of this we see most often in London: a marketing team has been told to "explore video production," comes to us for quotes, we build something detailed and realistic, then it goes to finance and comes back as "too expensive." The project either dies or restarts from scratch with half the budget and a third of the scope. Nobody got what they needed.
Get budget approved before requesting quotes. Even a rough range - 'somewhere between £4,000 and £6,000' - gives everyone something real to work with. 'We need to see proposals first' just means the production company builds something your finance team will reject.
2. You don't have a proper video production brief
We want a video about our company” isn't a video brief. It's the beginning of an internal conversation that should happen before you contact anyone externally.
Before approaching a video production company, you need a rough sense of what you're trying to achieve and who for. Not a finished script. Not a precise runtime. But enough that when someone asks "what does success look like for this?" you have an answer that isn't "a good video."
We've had enquiries where the brief is genuinely just that - “make us a good video.” What does a proper brief actually need? At minimum: what you're trying to achieve, who it's for, and what success looks like. Everything else - format, length, style - follows from those three.
If you're unsure how those decisions shape the outcome, this guide breaks it down clearly:
https://westream.uk/choose-right-video-style
Before approaching a video production company, you need a rough sense of what you're trying to achieve and who for. Not a finished script. Not a precise runtime. But enough that when someone asks "what does success look like for this?" you have an answer that isn't "a good video."
We've had enquiries where the brief is genuinely just that - “make us a good video.” What does a proper brief actually need? At minimum: what you're trying to achieve, who it's for, and what success looks like. Everything else - format, length, style - follows from those three.
If you're unsure how those decisions shape the outcome, this guide breaks it down clearly:
https://westream.uk/choose-right-video-style
A recent example: a company approached us wanting a video for their website. After twenty minutes of questions, it turned out the real goal was reducing inbound calls by answering common client questions before the first meeting. That's a completely different film to a brand awareness piece - shorter, more specific, scripted differently. Neither of us would have known that without the conversation. But that conversation should have happened internally first.
3. No one has video production approval authority
Video production moves in stages. Shot list. Filming day. First edit. Revision notes. Final sign-off. Each stage needs a real decision before the next begins - and "we'll get back to you" isn't a decision.
Production companies build schedules assuming 24–48 hour feedback cycles. If your internal reality is a week per approval round - because the CEO is travelling, or four stakeholders need to align, because the review process has never actually been defined - the timeline either collapses or the costs increase as crew and edit slots shift around it.
We've had projects where the footage was delivered within 24 hours of filming and the final approved video took six weeks to sign off. That's not a production problem. That's an internal process problem that the client eventually paid for in reshoot costs when the CEO finally watched it and wanted changes that required going back on location.
Production companies build schedules assuming 24–48 hour feedback cycles. If your internal reality is a week per approval round - because the CEO is travelling, or four stakeholders need to align, because the review process has never actually been defined - the timeline either collapses or the costs increase as crew and edit slots shift around it.
We've had projects where the footage was delivered within 24 hours of filming and the final approved video took six weeks to sign off. That's not a production problem. That's an internal process problem that the client eventually paid for in reshoot costs when the CEO finally watched it and wanted changes that required going back on location.
There's a fix. Almost nobody does it: one person with authority to approve, named before production starts. Not 'we'll loop in whoever.' One person. Named. Confirmed.
4. Your video production timeline doesn't match the brief
"We need this in two weeks" works for some projects. A straightforward interview, already scheduled, standard format, minimal editing - two weeks is fine. A brand or corporate video requiring location scouting, multiple filming days, talent coordination, and stakeholder approvals is a different conversation entirely.
We've seen this pattern enough times to recognise it immediately: a company insists on an impossible timeline, gets quoted rush rates, then pushes back on the cost. But the timeline created the cost. You can't have complex work, fast delivery, and low price - pick two. Asking a production company to absorb that tension doesn't make it disappear. It just means something gets cut, usually quality or thoroughness, and the client is disappointed with a result they partly caused.
We've seen this pattern enough times to recognise it immediately: a company insists on an impossible timeline, gets quoted rush rates, then pushes back on the cost. But the timeline created the cost. You can't have complex work, fast delivery, and low price - pick two. Asking a production company to absorb that tension doesn't make it disappear. It just means something gets cut, usually quality or thoroughness, and the client is disappointed with a result they partly caused.
In practice, rush delivery on a same-day or 48-hour basis typically adds £1,500–£2,000 to a project. That's not a penalty - it's the real cost of rearranging editing schedules, holding crew availability, and compressing a process that normally has breathing room built in. The companies that handle this well are the ones who decided speed was a priority before the shoot, not after.
The clients who handle timelines well are almost always the ones who had that conversation before the shoot, not during it. Before you state a deadline, ask what a realistic timeline looks like for a project of this scope. If you genuinely need speed, plan the budget for it from the start.
The clients who handle timelines well are almost always the ones who had that conversation before the shoot, not during it. Before you state a deadline, ask what a realistic timeline looks like for a project of this scope. If you genuinely need speed, plan the budget for it from the start.
5. Stakeholders aren't aligned on what the video actually Is
Marketing thinks it's brand awareness. Sales thinks it's lead generation. The CEO thinks it's for investors. Communications thinks it's internal culture content.
Those are four different videos. Different tone, different length, different structure, different distribution. If that alignment doesn't exist before production starts, it surfaces during the edit - when everyone watches the first cut and realises they were each imagining something different.
"Can we make it work for all audiences?" is usually the moment a clear video becomes a compromised one. It starts accumulating additions - a segment for this stakeholder, a message for that one - until the whole thing loses its shape and doesn't land anywhere particularly well. We've watched genuinely strong footage get buried under that process.
We've seen a 90-second video become four minutes under this process. Not because anyone wanted a four-minute video - but because no one had the authority to say no to any single addition.
Get stakeholders aligned before briefing anyone externally. Pick one primary purpose. Secondary audiences can exist - equal audiences can't. It's a harder internal conversation than briefing a production company, but it's the one that actually determines whether the video works.
Those are four different videos. Different tone, different length, different structure, different distribution. If that alignment doesn't exist before production starts, it surfaces during the edit - when everyone watches the first cut and realises they were each imagining something different.
"Can we make it work for all audiences?" is usually the moment a clear video becomes a compromised one. It starts accumulating additions - a segment for this stakeholder, a message for that one - until the whole thing loses its shape and doesn't land anywhere particularly well. We've watched genuinely strong footage get buried under that process.
We've seen a 90-second video become four minutes under this process. Not because anyone wanted a four-minute video - but because no one had the authority to say no to any single addition.
Get stakeholders aligned before briefing anyone externally. Pick one primary purpose. Secondary audiences can exist - equal audiences can't. It's a harder internal conversation than briefing a production company, but it's the one that actually determines whether the video works.
The pattern
Budget approval. Clear requirements. Decision-making authority. Realistic timelines. Stakeholder alignment. Every single one of these is an internal issue - and a video production company can't fix any of them.
Great filming doesn't solve unclear objectives. Fast editing doesn't fix slow approvals. The video is rarely the problem. The process behind it usually is. These problems surface during production and often get attributed to the production company. But they existed before filming started. Commissioning the work just forced them into the open.
Great filming doesn't solve unclear objectives. Fast editing doesn't fix slow approvals. The video is rarely the problem. The process behind it usually is. These problems surface during production and often get attributed to the production company. But they existed before filming started. Commissioning the work just forced them into the open.
FAQ
What should be in place before hiring a video production company?
Roughly five things: confirmed budget with a rough range, a clear sense of what success looks like and who it's for, one person who can actually approve things, a timeline that matches the scope, and stakeholders who've agreed on the primary purpose. Get those in place and production runs considerably smoother. Without them, even good production companies hit the same walls.
Why do video production companies ask about budget upfront?
Because a £3,000 budget and a £10,000 budget produce different films, even from the same brief. Without knowing what you have available, production companies are guessing - and their quote probably won't survive contact with your finance team. A range like "£4,000–£6,000 available" gives them something real to work with.
What makes a good video production brief?
A clear answer to three things: what you're trying to achieve, who it's for, and where it will be used. “We want a video about our company” isn't a brief - it's the start of an internal conversation that should happen before you contact anyone externally. You don't need a finished script. You do need to know what success looks like.
How long should video production approval take?
Each stage - shot list, first edit, revisions, final sign-off - needs a response within 24–48 hours to keep the project on track. If your internal process runs closer to a week per round, timelines collapse and costs follow. The simplest fix is naming one person with approval authority before production starts, not a committee.
Can a video production company fix unclear internal objectives?
No. They can advise on format and execution, but they can't define your business goals for you. Great filming doesn't solve an unclear brief. Budget uncertainty, approval bottlenecks, and stakeholder misalignment are internal problems that existed before filming - hiring a production company just forces them into the open.
What does "not ready for video production" mean?
It means the internal foundations aren't there yet: budget isn't confirmed, the brief is vague, nobody has clear approval authority, the timeline doesn't match the scope, or stakeholders disagree on what the video is actually for. None of these are permanent states - but trying to start production without resolving them tends to produce disappointing results and avoidable costs.
How do I know if my video timeline is realistic?
A simple interview with minimal editing needs roughly two to three weeks. A brand or corporate video with location scouting and multiple filming days needs four to six. Complex productions with extensive approvals need six to eight weeks or more. If you genuinely need faster delivery, that's possible — but rush turnarounds typically add £1,500–£2,000 to the project cost. Ask a production company what's realistic for your scope before you commit to a deadline.
Why do production companies need one named decision-maker?
Because video production moves in stages requiring decisions within 24–48 hours. When multiple people have equal input, you get approval rounds where everyone requests different changes - and often contradictory ones. One named person with confirmed authority prevents that, and it prevents the reshoot costs that follow when the actual decision-maker watches the final edit and finds it wasn't what they expected.
What happens when stakeholders aren't aligned before video production?
It surfaces during the edit. Marketing wanted brand awareness, sales wanted leads, the CEO wanted something for investors - and suddenly everyone's watching the first cut and realising they imagined different films. The video starts accumulating additions to satisfy each stakeholder, and a 90-second piece becomes four minutes that doesn't quite work for anyone. Agreeing on one primary purpose before briefing anyone externally is the conversation that prevents this.
What questions should I answer before contacting a video production company?
These ten: What's our approved budget range? What does success look like for this video? Who is the primary audience? Where will it be used? What's the one thing it needs to communicate? Who has final approval authority? What's a realistic timeline for this scope? Have all relevant stakeholders agreed on the primary purpose? Do we have existing brand assets ready to share? And - what examples have we seen that are close to what we're imagining? Solid answers to these make the first conversation with a production company considerably more productive.
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team@westream.uk