Blog Archive

Getting Started Whether your organization sent you this, or you just want to look and sound as professional as possible on camera, this guide will show you how to make a handful of small decisions the right way — decisions that make a real difference between a video that looks amateur and one that looks genuinely polished, even filmed on nothing but a phone. This isn't a full course on video production — think of it as a short, practical walkthrough: where to sit, how to set

The most common question we hear before a first conversation is some version of: what does this cost? It is a reasonable question. And the honest answer is that it depends — on scope, on crew, on talent, on how many shoot days are required, and on where the work will ultimately run. But "it depends" is not useful if you are trying to understand what you are working with before picking up the phone. This article gives you real ranges — industry-standard investment levels for..

Every Intrigue Studios production begins with a discovery conversation. Before any creative work starts, we spend time understanding what you're trying to accomplish, what kind of content will serve that goal, and whether we're the right partner for what you're building. If it's the right fit, production moves forward. And regardless of the type of project, it always follows the same fundamental arc. The two phases below always exist. What changes is the specific form each ph

No two Intrigue Studios productions look the same. A national TV commercial might involve a crew of forty people, multiple locations, and a full day of talent work. A brand film might be a lean team of five, a single interview setup, and a half day. The scale varies. What does not vary is the approach — and what we need from you on the day. This article is not about what happens during pre-production. By the time the shoot day arrives, the locations are locked, the shot list

Every project at Intrigue Studios is different in scope, scale, and complexity. Some productions involve large crews, multiple shoot days, and months of development. Others move quickly with a small team and a focused objective. What we need from you at the start, however, is consistent across all of them. Getting these things in place early isn't administrative housekeeping. It directly affects how quickly we can move into development and how smoothly the project runs once i

Before you dive into your first review, take two minutes to read this. It will make the whole process clearer and help you give us the most useful feedback right from the start. Two-Phase Process Every project we produce moves through two main phases: Editorial and Finishing. Understanding the difference between them is the key to a smooth post-production process. Phase 1 — Editorial The first cut you receive from us is an editorial cut. This is intentional, and it's where ev

Introduction Welcome! This brief tutorial will show you how to use the Intrigue Studios review system to watch your assets and leave feedback. It only takes a few minutes, and after watching, you'll know exactly what to do. We use this system to share all kinds of assets — videos, audio, images, and more. This tutorial walks through it using a video as the example, but everything works the same way no matter what type of asset you're reviewing. If you'd like to understand how

When a marketing director decides it is time to move forward with a video production, the first question is almost always the same: what level of investment does this actually require? The natural next move is to start conversations with production companies or creative agencies to get a sense of what the work should cost. Those conversations often move quickly toward numbers — some production companies will offer a ballpark or even a formal quote based on a general descripti

If you've ever wondered whether what you're being quoted for a TV commercial is reasonable — or how it compares to what other brands are spending — this guide gives you the industry benchmarks to answer that question for yourself. What is the AICP? The Association of Independent Commercial Producers — known as the AICP — is the leading trade organization representing production companies that produce commercials in the United States. Founded in 1972, AICP has grown to become

Last updated: September 2026 These guidelines work alongside the terms you've already agreed to in your accepted VideoMax proposal — they are not additional terms or conditions. The terms governing your plan are those outlined in your VideoMax Plan Terms. These guidelines simply explain how the system operates day to day. Your producer will guide you through everything as it comes up, so there's no need to study this guide in order for VideoMax to work. This is your living re

Every project we produce moves through two phases: Phase 1 - Editorial is where we decide what's in the video: the clips, the order, the pacing, the length, the words on screen. Phase 2 - Finishing is where we polish how it looks and sounds: color, music, sound design, graphics, transitions, effects. (For more info about these phases, see Our Post-Production Process: The Complete Guide.) Picture lock is the gate between Editorial and Finishing. It's the point where editorial

Most small business owners have a version of the same story. They decide they need a video — for their website, for social, for a product launch — look into what it would cost, and quietly put it back on the shelf. The number feels too high. The process feels too complicated. The whole thing gets filed under "eventually." What usually stops them isn't lack of interest. It's a mental picture of what video production requires — a crew, a full day on location, multiple setups, a

The campaign ran. The video looked polished. The color grade was clean, the edit was tight, the music landed. Leadership signed off. The agency liked it. Everyone involved felt good about it. And then it ran. The metrics came back acceptable. Views were there. Completion rates were reasonable. A share here and there. Nothing embarrassing — nothing you could point to and call a failure. But also no clear lift in conversions. No measurable brand movement. No moment where anyone

Walk into any production kickoff meeting at a well-run marketing department and you'll find alignment on the things that are easy to align on. Budget is confirmed. Timeline is agreed. Deliverables are listed. The platform is decided. Everyone is ready to move. What rarely makes it into the brief — even when it has been thoroughly discussed — is a clear answer to what the video actually needs to accomplish in the specific environment where it will run. The strategic thinking e