Before choosing a production partner, give each supplier the same description of the work and ask them to identify what is included, assumed and excluded. You need enough detail to understand both the proposed story and the work your own team will have to do.
Send a common commissioning brief
State the buyer question the story should answer, the customer access already agreed and the intended outputs. Include the publication destinations, languages, review responsibilities and any fixed event date.
For example: “A written story and a two-minute interview video explaining how the customer introduced a new onboarding process. One interviewee, one location, English, website use. Our team will arrange the customer introduction and consolidate comments.”
This is a fictional scope. A two-minute finished film does not tell a supplier how much filming, editing or approval work is required; the surrounding detail matters.
Compare the answers, not the brochure
Fictional comparison, with no real supplier or price implied:
| Decision area | Supplier A response | Supplier B response | Clarification needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Story development | Interview plan included | Client supplies questions | Who chooses the incident and prepares follow-up questions? |
| Filming | Half-day on site | Remote capture | Is either approach suitable for the process being shown? |
| Written story | Excluded | Included | Do we actually need this output in the present commission? |
| Review | Two consolidated rounds | “Reasonable revisions” | What counts as a round or a change of scope? |
| Captions and transcript | Caption file only | Unspecified | What will be delivered and tested on our destination? |
| Source materials | On request, terms unclear | Not included | What future editing access do we need? |
Do not assign a winner yet. First decide which differences matter to this story. A remote interview can be appropriate; an on-site crew can be appropriate. Neither format is automatically the better purchase.
Ask one focused clarification
Thanks for the proposal. Before we compare the options, please confirm who develops the interview questions, what the caption/transcript delivery includes, how the review rounds work and which source files we could retain. Please identify any extra fee or dependency for these items. We will then compare the same final scope.
Adapt the questions to the actual gaps. Do not ask every supplier for an unpaid completed storyboard merely to make the selection easier.
The project cost sheet can help you estimate internal coordination and other costs after the scope is clear. It should not conceal differences between the offers.
Review a relevant sample
Ask the supplier to explain a comparable piece: the reader question, material available, editorial choice and constraints. Check whether the finished piece preserves the customer's meaning and makes the practical detail easy to follow.
A polished showreel alone may not answer how the supplier handles interviews, revisions or unclear evidence. Equally, one relevant sample is not proof of every future capability. Discuss the actual people and approach proposed for your project.
Record the selection and its conditions
Write a short decision: chosen scope, reasons for selecting it, unresolved dependencies and the point at which filming or editing can begin. Put the agreed deliverables and review arrangements into the appropriate commissioning document.
If the customer has not agreed to appear, treat that as a dependency. A supplier's available shoot date does not establish customer participation. The useful outcome is a project you can commission with a shared understanding of the work.