“I only want the raw footage.”
I hear this from schools, nonprofits, and brands pretty often. But let’s talk about why you might want the raw footage in the first place. The reasoning can vary: sometimes organizations have an in-house editor, sometimes they work with a separate editing team, and sometimes they just think they can handle the editing themselves. In some cases, brands want the raw footage for future content ideas. There’s no right or wrong reason for wanting raw footage—it all comes back to your strategy.
That said, it’s important to set expectations and avoid any blind spots. If you’re collaborating with an outside video production company or a videographer, here are a few things to consider when requesting raw footage.
Key Things to Think About
1. How much footage are we talking about?
Raw footage files are often massive and can take hours—or even days—to upload and transfer. For big projects, transferring files to a hard drive and shipping it may be the best approach. Uploading 500GB (or more) can become a time-consuming process for everyone involved.
2. Flat profile or standard profile?
If the footage is going to a skilled editor, I’ll shoot in a flat profile, which captures minimal color information to allow for advanced color correction. However, if the footage is for someone with less experience, I’ll use a profile that’s more “ready-to-edit” with baked-in color, making the footage easier to work with right out of the box.
3. Audio syncing can be tricky.
Syncing audio with video can take time, especially if you’re not familiar with the process. Editing software often has tools to help with audio synchronization, but it still requires some know-how to get clean results.
4. Sifting through B-roll can be overwhelming.
If there’s a lot of B-roll footage, be prepared to see the good, the bad, and the downright unusable. This can be a time-consuming process, and it may be challenging to find shots that fit your story. Without experience, it can also be tough to know when to discard shots versus salvaging them.
The Cost Factor
Some videographers and production companies charge an extra fee for raw footage. This is standard practice in some places, though I don’t personally follow it. In my process, if a client wants ownership or access to the raw footage, I’m happy to provide it. Here’s why:
Over the past eight years, we’ve worked with schools, nonprofits, and businesses that requested raw footage only to realize the editing workload was more than they anticipated. Often, clients use raw footage as a way to cut costs, but they quickly discover the time and effort required to edit it properly. In most cases, clients end up asking us to handle the editing in the end. They have more important things to do.
It’s the circle of life—production style.
Hopefully, this gives you a clearer picture of what to expect when requesting raw footage!
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions joe@monzomediapro.com
