How does a video production work? Five phases from enquiry to delivery

Phase 1: enquiry and first call

Getting started takes 20 minutes. In a free call in German, English or Spanish we settle the goal, the audience, the channels and the timeframe. If you'd rather sort things first, use the configurator on our website: a few questions about the project, and within three working days you get a free concept that is yours to keep, whether or not you hire us. Your part in this phase: name the person who decides, and say roughly by when the film is needed.

Phase 2: concept and quote

The conversation turns into a treatment: the idea on one page, the visual direction with references, the rough flow of the film and the formats delivered at the end. With it comes a fixed price for the whole project, no open hourly billing. Production starts only once treatment and quote are approved. This phase takes one to two weeks, depending on how fast decisions are made internally.

Phase 3: preparation

Now everything that makes the shooting day calm gets made: a schedule with times, locations and permits, casting, equipment, music selection, and the questions for interviews. For a brand film this takes one to two weeks. Your part: access and contacts on site, approvals for places and people, products or samples, and for interviews the people who should go in front of the camera. The better this phase runs, the shorter the shoot.

Phase 4: the shooting day

A shooting day runs eight to ten hours and follows the schedule, not chance. Depending on the film, the crew is two to five people: director, camera, sound, light, assistant. On that day you need one person who can answer questions and open doors, nothing more. Interviews take about 45 minutes per person including preparation. Not every shoot needs a full day: for Tantra Ibiza, two hours on camera during a club night, from the door via the terrace into the club, were enough for a 54-second reel and 12 stills for feed and stories. At the end of every shoot we back up the footage twice before anyone goes home.

Phase 5: post-production

This is where the film is made. First the rough cut, which sets structure and length, then your first round of changes. After that fine cut, color grading, sound mix, music, graphics and subtitles, then the second round. Two rounds of changes per deliverable are included, unless the quote says otherwise. Post-production takes two to four weeks; the biggest time sink is not the edit but feedback that arrives after two weeks or from five directions at once. Collect feedback internally and send it in one go: that is exactly what one round of changes means.

Delivery and after

You receive the film in all agreed formats and languages, with and without subtitles, plus the social media cuts if they are part of the package, and an overview of the rights: which music is licensed for how long, which people have signed releases. Often the same shoot also yields photos: for Alexander Panzer Immobilien, the house tours came with photo sets for listings, property portals and Instagram. Raw footage is not part of the delivery; we keep it for at least three months, and if you plan new cuts later, agree on longer archiving up front.

• Brand film or corporate video: four to eight weeks from concept approval to delivery.
• Commercial: three to six weeks, more with casting and set construction.
• Event film: highlight clip within 48 hours, the long cut after one to two weeks.
• Social media content on retainer: one shooting day per month, clips delivered within a week.