Start with five decisions: relevant experience, message development, who will do the work, what the scope includes and what you can use afterwards. The questions below show what to ask and what a useful answer looks like.
You do not need to interview every supplier for an hour. Send the same brief, shortlist on relevant evidence, then use these questions to resolve the gaps before appointment.
Experience
01Have you made videos like ours before?Watch complete films with a similar audience, communication task or operating environment.
Ask for two or three relevant examples and what the agency actually contributed. Similar industry experience helps, but a matching logo alone does not show they can explain your subject.
Evidence to request: A complete film, its brief, the agency’s role, and one production or editorial decision explained.
02Can we speak to a past client?Request a relevant reference, with that client’s permission.
Ask about communication, factual accuracy, changes and delivery as well as the final film. Confidentiality may prevent an immediate introduction; ask what other evidence the supplier can provide.
Evidence to request: An authorised introduction or an attributable, approved reference. Do not expect private client contact details without consent.
03What results did the work achieve?Separate what was delivered, where it was used and what was measured.
A film shown at an AGM is evidence of use. A claimed rise in sales needs a timeframe, measurement method and attribution. Ask what was observed rather than rewarding impressive but unexplained percentages.
Evidence to request: Specific delivery and deployment details, plus measured results only where records support them.
04What is in-house and what is outsourced?Look for a clear resourcing plan and accountable delivery.
Both employed and specialist freelance crews can produce excellent work. Establish who is booked, who supervises them, how replacements are handled and which subcontracted work affects the schedule.
Evidence to request: A proposed team and responsibilities; relevant specialist qualifications or equipment arrangements where the assignment requires them.
Creative process
05How will you understand our brand and audience?Expect a discussion of the audience’s decision before a script is written.
Share what people currently misunderstand and what they should believe or do after watching. Ask how the agency will turn your material into a central message and what it would leave out.
Evidence to request: A discovery output or brief that connects audience, message, proof and intended use.
06Who develops the concept and writes the script?Know who owns the creative decisions and who checks the facts.
Ask how the writer will learn your subject and work with your specialists. A named responsible lead is useful; a promise that ‘the team will handle it’ needs a clearer explanation.
Evidence to request: The writer or creative lead’s role, relevant work and technical-review process.
07What will we approve before filming?Agree the concept, script and an appropriate visual plan.
A storyboard is useful for animation or staged scenes. Documentary work may need an interview plan and coverage treatment instead. Ask which decisions each document settles and when changing them affects cost.
Evidence to request: Sample planning documents, review dates and a written approval gate suited to your format.
08How will you manage our internal approvals?Plan for technical, HSE, legal, brand and management reviews where they apply.
One person should consolidate the reply without replacing specialist authority. Ask how contradictory comments, absent approvers and a new stakeholder joining late will be resolved.
Evidence to request: A review map showing who checks what, when they respond and who authorises a change.
Team and timing
09Who is our main contact?Know who coordinates the project and how issues are escalated.
Clarify whether your contact manages production or only handles the sale. Agree the update rhythm and a substitute contact if that person is unavailable.
Evidence to request: A named project owner, responsibilities, communication channel and escalation route.
10Who will direct the shoot?Confirm the on-set lead and the relevant crew before production.
The person who presents the proposal may not direct the shoot. Ask who handles interviews, works with the site representative and decides whether planned coverage is complete.
Evidence to request: A role-based crew plan and relevant directing samples; access readiness for the actual nominated crew where required.
11How long will the whole project take?Request stages, review dates and starting conditions, not just a delivery date.
Distinguish production effort from procurement, access and client waiting time. If an event date is fixed, ask when the venue needs the file and what scope is achievable before it.
Evidence to request: A schedule with dependencies, decision owners, contingency and the agreed release date.
12What could delay this project?A credible answer identifies dependencies specific to your assignment.
Permits, operational access, weather, festive leave, contributor availability, late footage and sequential approvals can change the calendar. Ask which dependencies remain unresolved and who owns them.
Evidence to request: A short list of current assumptions, risks and fallback options with their cost or scope implications.
Commercial scope
13What exactly is included in the quotation?Compare the same deliverables and production assumptions.
Check discovery, script, filming days, crew, locations, animation, voice-over, music, review rounds and final versions. Confirm whether the voice-over is human or synthetic and what usage is included.
Evidence to request: A clear scope and deliverable schedule. A fixed package can be valid if its inclusions and limits are understandable.
14What triggers an extra charge?Make variation decisions visible before extra work begins.
Ask about overtime, additional filming, travel, new locations, repeated recording, late script changes and extra versions. Agree who can authorise added work and how the revised cost and date will be confirmed.
Evidence to request: Written variation triggers and an approval process before work exceeds the agreed scope.
15How are tax and other charges treated?The quotation should clearly state what is included, excluded or applicable.
Ask specifically whether SST applies to the supplier and quoted service, and how it is shown. Do not assume every production company has the same tax treatment.
Evidence to request: A clear tax statement and total payable, with applicable registration or invoice details available from the supplier.
16What are the payment and cancellation terms?Understand the cash commitments before reserving people and dates.
Check deposit and milestone dates, what triggers invoicing, postponement, cancellation, third-party bookings and release conditions. The arrangement should be clear enough for your Procurement and Finance teams to process.
Evidence to request: Written terms aligned with the proposed milestones and purchasing route.
Revisions and delivery
17How many revision rounds are included?Define a round and the stage it applies to.
Ask whether one round means one consolidated response to one version. Distinguish correction of an error from a changed brief, new scenes or a late re-recording. Clarify review deadlines and additional-work approval.
Evidence to request: A specific allowance, definition and change process. ‘Unlimited’ needs boundaries before it becomes useful.
18Which files and versions will we receive?List each finished output and where it will be used.
Specify duration, resolution, landscape/square/portrait ratios, language versions, captions, subtitle files and any clean master. Reframing a film for portrait can require a different edit and graphics layout.
Evidence to request: A delivery matrix with one row per output, its specification and acceptance check.
Rights and reuse
19What rights do we receive, including raw footage?Agree final-film rights, raw footage and editable project files separately.
A final export, camera files and an editable project are different deliverables. Ask about plugins, fonts, linked assets, third-party restrictions, future edits and archive duration. Do not infer ownership or handover from the word ‘video’.
Evidence to request: Written deliverables and usage terms, including any transfer fee, exclusions or archive arrangement.
20How long and where can we use music, talent and other licensed material?Check duration, territory, platforms and media before commissioning.
Website, organic social, paid ads, cinema and broadcast may have different rights. Ask who holds each licence, what a future campaign requires, and whether renewal or replacement costs apply.
Evidence to request: A rights summary covering music, stock, voice and talent, with restrictions and renewal conditions stated.
Compare answers, then resolve the gaps
A shortlisting rule
If any one is missing, ask for it before relying on the price. A low price is useful only when the proposed scope can do the required job.
| Decision | What to compare | If unclear |
|---|---|---|
| Can they do our assignment? | Relevant complete work, actual role and specialist needs. | Request a project explanation, reference or proposed approach. |
| Can we work with this process? | Named responsibilities, review stages, timing and change control. | Resolve the hand-offs before appointment. |
| Are we buying the same scope? | Filming, animation, versions, rights, revisions and exclusions. | Use the quotation comparison guide. |
Answers that deserve a follow-up
- A firm quote without enough information to explain its assumptions.
- Work samples without clarity about the supplier’s actual contribution.
- A deadline that ignores permits, access or your approval chain.
- Vague ownership, licensing, revision or handover terms.
- “Unlimited revisions” without a defined scope or schedule.
- Safety or technical claims without evidence relevant to the nominated crew and assignment.
A fixed package, freelancer or outsourced specialist is not automatically a warning sign. Judge whether the arrangement is suitable, explained and accountable.
How to assess PurplePerfect by the same questions
Review the Marine Masters, T7 ELISE MOPU and Gas Malaysia cases for our role and production decisions. Ask us which example best matches your brief and who would lead the assignment.
Team availability, delivery dates, costs and usage terms should be confirmed in your proposal and agreement. Published portfolio work helps establish relevance; it does not replace project-specific commitments.
Quick answers before you shortlist
How many companies should we approach?
A small shortlist of relevant suppliers makes comparison manageable. Follow your organisation’s purchasing policy; where it requires three quotations, send all three the same brief. Three is not a universal requirement for every client.
Should we choose a freelancer or a production company?
A capable freelancer can suit a contained assignment. A broader team can be useful for strategy, specialist filming, animation or several stakeholder reviews. Assess the actual people, capacity and responsibilities instead of relying on the business label.
What does a corporate video cost in KL?
The scope determines the price: preparation, filming days, locations, crew, animation, languages, versions and rights. Use our video budget guide to understand the cost drivers before comparing quotations.