Video production proposal template

See a video production proposal as a live page

Petzl is a full example of the format: a campaign film pitched as a web page the client can read, compare and accept. Twelve sections, two offers, one recommended. It is a speculative proposal written to show the structure: Petzl is not a client, and no work for the brand is claimed.

• Creative direction: one shoot, one visual language, framed as four principles before any number.
• Scope and deliverables: five workstreams over six weeks, then 1 hero film, 3 social cutdowns and 20 edited stills.
• Process and first two weeks: treatment in week 1, pre-production signed off in week 2, one shoot day in week 4.
• Color direction: a before and after slider, from camera capture to the final campaign grade.
• Usage and rights: website, organic social, presentations and PR for 12 months, with paid media quoted separately.
• Investment: $12,500, or $17,800 with a social series, 50% on acceptance and 50% before final delivery.

To send a proposal like this, start from the  Film & Production Studio template and adapt every section to your shoot.

What a video production proposal should include

A production proposal is read by someone comparing studios and budgets. Each section answers one question they are already asking, in this order.

1. Cover: the client, the scope and the output on one line (1 hero film, 3 social cutdowns, 20 stills).
2. The opportunity: what the film should do for the brand, in one statement, with three anchors for the deliverables.
3. Creative direction: the principles of the look, agreed before any number.
4. Selected work: three relevant pieces, so the client judges your direction before your fee.
5. Scope of work: the workstreams with their weeks, and a Not included line.
6. Key numbers: the deliverables, the timeline and the shoot days, as planned facts rather than promises.
7. Deliverables: each asset described, with its formats.
8. Process: the stages from treatment to delivery.
9. The first two weeks: what happens right after signing.
10. Color direction: the grade you are proposing, before and after.
11. Usage and rights: the channels, the duration, and what is quoted separately.
12. Investment: two options side by side, one recommended, with the payment terms.

Creative direction: show the film before the budget

Clients approve a video budget when they can picture the result. Put the creative direction before the scope and the price, and keep it short.

• State the opportunity in the brand's terms. In the example, Petzl already owns a world of movement, terrain and technical confidence, and the film should feel lived rather than staged.
• Name three or four principles for the look, each in one sentence. The example uses cinematic, tactile, grounded and product-aware.
• Show selected work that matches those principles, not your whole reel.
• Add a color direction: a before and after of the grade you are proposing, from camera capture to the final campaign look.

Scope and deliverables: what one shoot produces

Scope a production by workstream and week, then count the assets. Counting is what prevents the after-delivery email that starts with "I thought that was included".

• Treatment and creative preparation: concept, references, narrative direction and shot approach, in week 1.
• Pre-production: location, casting, schedule, permits and production plan, signed off in week 2.
• Production: one shoot day, film and stills captured from the same visual direction, in week 4.
• Post-production: edit, grading, sound design and two review rounds, in weeks 4 to 6.
• Delivery: hero film, cutdowns, stills and the agreed export formats, in week 6.

In the example, one shoot day produces 24 assets: 1 hero film, 3 social cutdowns and 20 edited stills. The Not included line names what is quoted separately: travel outside the agreed area, talent licensing beyond the agreed usage, large-scale set construction, paid media and additional shooting days. For the scope section itself, use the  scope of work template.

The first two weeks: pre-production the client can follow

A short week-by-week plan after signing shows the client that the shoot is managed, and tells them what you need from their side.

• Week 1, treatment: creative kickoff, treatment alignment, visual references and production requirements.
• Week 2, pre-production: locations and planning, the shot list, crew and logistics, then the pre-production approval that green-lights the shoot.

Usage and rights: write them before the price

Usage is where video budgets get argued after delivery. Say which channels the fee covers, and for how long.

• Included in the example: the brand's own website, organic social, presentations and PR, for 12 months from first publication.
• Quoted separately: paid media, broadcast, out-of-home and extended talent usage.
• Review rounds in writing too: two rounds on the cut in the example.

Pricing a video production with two options

Price what drives the cost: shoot days, crew, locations and post-production time. Then present two complete options instead of a list of add-ons, and mark the one you recommend.

In the example: Campaign Film at $12,500 (treatment, pre-production, one shoot day, hero film, 3 social cutdowns, 20 edited stills, edit, grade and sound, 12-month organic usage), or Campaign Film + Social Series at $17,800, recommended, which adds a social-first series cut from the same shoot. Payment: 50% on acceptance and 50% before final delivery. Your figures will differ; the structure is the point.

FAQ

Start from the Film & Production Studio template

The template follows the structure of the live example: cover, opportunity, selected work, scope of work, process and investment. Open it in Pegasy, replace the sample content with your shoot, and send it as a live page.