You have three quotes for a 45-second commercial. One says shooting and editing; another includes the script, casting, music and several versions. Comparing the totals is easy, but you are not yet comparing the same job. Runtime alone does not define scope. A spoken piece in one room and an acted story across several locations can have the same length and very different production requirements.
1. Give every team the same brief
Comparable quotes start with comparable information. State the film's purpose, audience, intended placements and delivery deadline. Mention any existing script, product images, brand guidelines or available location. Share references, but explain what you like about them. Admiring the lighting in a film does not necessarily mean requesting its cast size or number of locations.
If the scope is still developing, ask each team to address the same discovery questions. When they propose genuinely different creative approaches, treat those as separate options rather than forcing them into one price ranking. Asking which assumptions change the cost gives you more useful information than asking only for a discount.
2. Put the quotes into one comparison table
| Item | Question to clarify | A comparable description |
|---|---|---|
| Creative preparation | Who develops the idea, script and shooting plan? | Concept, script and approved scene list |
| Shoot | How many days and locations, with what preparation? | Shooting days, working arrangements and locations |
| Crew and resources | Are cast, styling, art direction and equipment included? | Roles, included services and exclusions |
| Post-production | Does editing include colour, sound and graphics? | Editing, colour, sound, graphics and subtitle scope |
| Deliverables | How many films, lengths and aspect ratios? | Main film and individually defined versions |
| Feedback | How many rounds, from whom and at which stages? | Approval owner and revision boundaries |
| Usage and archive | Which placements, files and periods? | Usage scope and delivery/archive list |
Mark each cell included, excluded or to be clarified. Do not treat an unexplained item as free. Responsibility for travel, accommodation, location preparation, product transport, additional languages and external suppliers should be clear too. Ask whether the total includes taxes and third-party expenses, and how any variable costs will be approved.
3. Separate original edits from output versions
Landscape, square and portrait exports of one main film are not three different stories. Conversely, a short advertisement with its own opening, product emphasis and ending may involve more than resizing. Identify how many original edits, duration adaptations and format outputs the proposal contains.
Subtitles, voiceover and language versions also belong in the delivery calculation. Establish whether a new language means changing text only or recording another voice and revising the edit. A publishing plan makes this distinction easier. Avoid commissioning versions you will not use, while making sure essential versions are not left to be added later.
4. Agree where revisions end and scope changes begin
A revision round can be defined as one consolidated feedback cycle on the same deliverable. A colour adjustment, a change to approved script content and a reshoot are different kinds of work. Discussing their treatment before filming protects both the brand and the production team. It should be clear when changing an approved scene creates additional work.
- Set approval points for script, shooting plan, first edit and final delivery.
- Consolidate brand feedback through one responsible person.
- Include the time allowed for feedback in the schedule.
- Ask how the scope will be updated if you request another shoot, message or format.
- Discuss how the plan changes if weather, location access or product readiness causes a delay.
5. Evaluate the working process as well
Once the scopes match, review work relevant to your project. Rather than relying on one striking frame in a showreel, watch how the team develops a comparable story from beginning to end. Ask what its role was: direction, cinematography, editing or one part of the production. This connects the evidence you are seeing to the service being quoted.
Who manages communication, how files are shared and when work in progress is shown also matter. Read payment stages alongside production milestones and approvals. If usage rights or contract terms need specialist review for your project, involve the appropriate adviser. A production comparison table does not replace that review.
6. Make a final check before deciding
- 01Do the quotes cover the same creative approach, or clearly separated alternatives?
- 02Are runtime, formats, languages and the number of original edits specified?
- 03Are exclusions and everything supplied by the brand written down?
- 04Do approvals and feedback windows fit the delivery deadline?
- 05Are revisions, additional work, file delivery and archive arrangements understandable?
- 06Do the team's relevant examples and working process match your needs?
When requesting a commercial film production quote from El Chedo, share the goal, channels and deliverables you have in mind. It is fine to identify unresolved questions in the brief. We can clarify them together and make the scope visible. A useful proposal explains both what you are paying for and what preparation the brand needs to provide.