Business Video
Hiring a Video Production Crew in San Diego: 7 Questions to Ask First
Quick answer
Before you hire a commercial video production company in San Diego, ask seven things: who will be on set, what the fixed price includes, how travel is billed, who holds the drone certificate, who owns the footage, what formats you get, and how many revision rounds are included. Clear answers protect your budget and your timeline.
Key takeaways
- Ask who actually shows up on set, not just who sells the job.
- Get travel, permits and revisions written into a fixed price.
- Drone work needs an FAA Part 107 pilot and airspace approval near San Diego airports.
- Confirm you own the final files and get every platform format.
1. Who will be on set?
Some companies sell the job with a senior director and send a junior crew. Ask who directs, who shoots and who edits. At Relative Vision Studio, founder Marcus Hood leads every production.
2. What does the price include?
Ask for a fixed-scope proposal: shoot days, crew, locations, deliverables and revision rounds. A low hourly rate can turn into a high final invoice.
3. How is travel billed?
A crew from Los Angeles or the Inland Empire spends time on the road. That is fine, if it is priced up front. We put travel in the proposal so there are no surprise line items.
4. Who holds the drone certificate?
Commercial drone work needs an FAA Part 107 pilot. San Diego has busy airspace around San Diego International, Montgomery-Gibbs, Gillespie Field and military bases. Ask how the crew gets airspace approval. Read our FAA Part 107 guide.
5. Who owns the footage?
You should get full commercial usage rights for your final deliverables. Ask how long the crew keeps raw footage and whether you can get it.
6. What formats will you get?
Ask for 9:16 for Reels, TikTok and Shorts, 4:5 for feeds and 16:9 for YouTube, your website and ads. Plan this before the shoot so nothing gets cropped out.
7. How many revision rounds are included?
Clear review points keep feedback focused and the timeline on track. The number of rounds belongs in the proposal.
Planning a shoot in San Diego?
We travel from the Inland Empire across San Diego County, North County and Temecula. See San Diego video production or book a discovery call.
