Video production proposal template

What's in the template.

Every section below exists to answer a question your client is silently asking. Use the example copy as a starting point and replace the specifics.

1. 1

   The creative treatment

   Before logistics, sell the film. Two or three paragraphs describing what the viewer sees and feels, in order. This is the section that wins the job.

   “We open on the factory floor at 5am — dark, quiet, one light on. No voiceover yet, just the sound of the first machine starting. Over ninety seconds we follow one component through eleven pairs of hands, ending with your operations lead holding the finished unit. The film argues that your quality claim isn't marketing, it's a process — and it does that by showing the process, never by saying the word 'quality'.”

2. 2

   Deliverables and cut list

   Name every file they receive, with duration, aspect ratio, and platform. Vague deliverables are how you end up making nine versions for free.

   “One 90-second hero film (16:9, with subtitled and clean audio versions). Three 20-second social cuts (9:16 vertical, burned-in captions). One 6-second bumper. All delivered as H.264 MP4 plus ProRes masters, via a download link that stays live for 12 months.”

3. 3

   Shoot schedule and what we need from you

   Production dates plus the client's obligations. Naming their side of the work early prevents the delays that get blamed on you.

   “Pre-production call and shot list: week 1. Shoot: two consecutive days on site, 7am–6pm, weeks 3–4. From you: floor access with a safety induction, two staff available for interview each day, and a named decision-maker reachable by phone on shoot days. First cut lands 10 working days after the wrap.”

4. 4

   Crew, kit, and revision rounds

   Show what the day rate actually buys, then state revision limits in the same breath — while they're feeling how much work this is.

   “Crew: director, DOP, sound recordist, and one gaffer for both days. Kit: cinema camera package, three-point LED lighting, lavalier and boom audio, gimbal and slider. Included: two revision rounds on the hero film (notes consolidated into one document per round) and one on the social cuts. Further rounds are billed at $600 per round.”

5. 5

   Usage rights and licence term

   The single most-skipped section, and the most expensive to skip. State where the film can run, for how long, and what a broader licence costs.

   “Included: unlimited use on your owned channels — website, social, email, trade-show loops — worldwide, in perpetuity. Not included: paid media buys, broadcast, or cinema, which are licensed separately from $2,500 per 12-month term. Music is licensed for the same scope; we'll name the track before the first cut.”

6. 6

   Investment

   Staged payments matched to production phases, so cash arrives before you spend it on crew and kit.

   “Total $14,200: 40% on signature to reserve crew and dates, 30% on shoot completion, 30% on final delivery. Travel and accommodation billed at cost with receipts, estimated at $800.”

7. 7

   Next step + signature

   Tie the signature to the thing they actually care about: locking the dates before someone else takes them.

   “Sign below and we'll hold the shoot dates and book the crew today — they're the two days we can guarantee this quarter. The pre-production call goes in the calendar as soon as this is signed.”