Guides

• How to Brief a Videographer

  A good brief is short, specific and honest about what the video has to do. Here is what to include so a videographer can plan the shoot properly and quote it accurately.

• What a Production Retainer Includes

  A production retainer is a set amount of filming, editing and planning every month for a fixed fee. Here is what each Billie retainer includes, and how to tell which one fits.

• Retainer vs One-off Video Project

  Some video work is a single event; some is a steady habit. This guide sets out the difference between a production retainer and a one-off project, and how to choose between them.

• How Long Does a Music Video Take to Make?

  There is no single answer, because the shoot day is the shortest part. Here are the stages of a music video and what stretches or shortens each one, so you can plan around your release.

• How to Prepare for a Brand Shoot

  A brand shoot goes well when the decisions are made before the crew arrives. This checklist covers what to sort out in the weeks and days before, and what to have ready on the day.

• Wedding Videographer vs Photographer

  Photos and film record a wedding in different ways. Here is what each one gives you, how they work side by side, and the honest questions to ask when deciding.

• Drone Filming Rules in New Zealand

  Drone shots can open a film or show the scale of a place, but every flight sits inside Civil Aviation rules. This is a general overview of how drone filming works in New Zealand, not legal advice.

• How to Plan Social Media Video Content

  Good social content is planned, not improvised every morning. This guide sets out a simple monthly planning process that keeps posts consistent without wearing out your team.

• How to Write a Music Video Treatment

  A treatment is the written pitch for a music video: the idea, the look and the plan, agreed before anything is shot. Here is what goes into one and how to make it useful.

• Types of Corporate Video and What Each Is For

  Corporate video covers many different jobs. This guide sets out the common types, what each one is for and what makes it work, so you can brief the right piece.

• How to Film an Event

  Events happen once, so the filming has to be planned before the doors open. Here is how to brief a crew, where the cameras go, how sound is captured and what to ask for in the edit.

• Choosing a Video Production Company

  Most production companies can show a good reel. The difference shows up in how they plan, who does the work and how clearly they talk about scope and price. These are the questions worth asking.

• What Is a Brand Film

  A brand film tells the story of a business, its people and why it exists, in a way people choose to watch. Here is what sets it apart from an ad, and how one gets made.

• Video Formats for Social and Web

  Every platform frames video differently. Knowing the main aspect ratios, where each one is used and how to shoot for them lets one production deliver content for every screen.

• Planning a Product Launch Event

  A launch event is a story with one big moment in it. Planning it well means knowing who is in the room, what they should feel and what the brand takes away afterwards.

• How to Look Natural on Camera

  Almost nobody feels natural in front of a camera at first. Most of it comes down to preparation, and to a crew that knows how to put people at ease.

• How Batch Shooting Content Days Work

  Batch shooting means filming many pieces of content in one planned session instead of scrambling for a post every few days. Done well, one day on set fills a content calendar.

• How a Documentary Gets Made

  A documentary is shaped by what really happens, not by a script. These are the stages a documentary goes through, and what each one asks of the people in it.

• Planning a Private Screening

  A private screening gives a film its first audience. Planning one means getting the technical side right, choosing the room with care and building the night around the film.

• Hiring Live Entertainment for an Event

  The right live entertainment sets the mood of an event without taking it over, and the wrong one does the opposite. Here is how to choose, brief and plan around a performer.

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Tell Billie about the project, the timeline and which retainer suits, or ask for a Bespoke Production quote.

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