How involved should I be in the project details?

You’ve picked a great partner to make your animation or video, but you aren’t done yet. To end up with a video that does the job you need it to do, and that represents you best, you need to stay involved in the project. How involved? Does it really matter if you take a hands-off approach or roll up your sleeves and do it all?

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Isn’t being involved in a production important then?

Don’t micromanage

You’ve done due diligence in your selection process: you’ve hired creative, capable professionals. So now, trust them. Don’t hamstring them by bringing specific expectations or images of what your video should look like. This is important from a number of perspectives.

  • You have a budget, and most budgets don’t allow for an extravagant, ultimate production. The production team is expert at taking your message and translating it into affordable reality. They can’t do that if you insist on helicopters, earthquakes, or specific locations.
  • Without in-depth experience and understanding of the technologies involved, you can’t judge the cost of an idea. Neither do you have the creativity to arrive at ingenious, low-cost solutions; that’s why you’ve hired your team.
  • Today’s digital magic often allows for the creation of unexpectedly complex visual solutions at minimal cost. Rely on your production company to come up with ways of visualizing your concept that fit your budget.

Stay involved


Your production company should make it efficient and easy for you to stay aware of your project’s progress. The most effective way to do that is to use cloud-based tools software, so everyone concerned can easily stay up to date and comment on:

  • Production development
  • Budget
  • Timeline
  • Review


Any system that requires collation of comments by email, spreadsheet, or other technique is absolutely likely to lead to confusion.

You should expect to be presented with a range of focused unified tools designed to help you engage with your project and understand what’s happening.

So how involved should you be as your project comes to life? Three basic tips:

  1. Don’t over think or plan your production before you start; stay open to the creativity of the people you’ve hired.
  2. Stay aware of progress by using your production company’s project management tools software.
  3. Participate in an efficient review and comment system.

For other insights, watch the vBook and download the eBook titled “Ultimate Guide to Hiring a Promotional Video Production Company.”