How Do You Choose a Video Production Company in Las Vegas?

To choose a video production company in Las Vegas, check four things first. Does it plan the video around where it will run? Does it handle local film permits and drone rules? Does it film real customers with signed releases? Does your contract say in writing who owns the footage? Then compare written quotes for the same scope.

Below is the checklist we would use ourselves: what a good company does before the shoot, the Las Vegas permit rules that catch people off guard, how to vet drone work and testimonials, who owns what when it is over, how pricing gets set, and the questions to ask on the first call.

What Should a Video Production Company Do Before the Shoot?

Most of what makes a business video work is decided before anyone picks up a camera. A good company starts with questions, not a camera package:

• What is the video for? Getting calls, building trust, recruiting, explaining a service, or showing off a space are different jobs, and each one changes the script.
• Where will it run? Your homepage, your Google Business Profile, Reels and TikTok, YouTube, and paid ads all need different lengths and shapes.
• Who is on camera? Your team, your customers, your space, or all three.
• What do you already have? Old footage, photos and reviews can save shoot time.

From those answers, the company should hand you a written plan before the shoot day: the story, a script or interview questions, a shot list, the location and a schedule. If a company wants to book a crew before it can tell you what the video needs to say, keep looking.

This is how our video production service is built: we plan the story and the shot list, a local Las Vegas crew films it, and our team edits it into versions for your website, ads and social feeds.

Does the Company Plan for Every Place the Video Will Run?

One long video on the About page is the most common way a shoot gets wasted. Ask how the company will cut the footage for each place you plan to use it, and get the list of versions in writing.

A few platform details are worth knowing before you plan:

• Google Business Profile. Google's photo and video guidelines say videos on a Business Profile can be up to 30 seconds long, up to 75 MB, with a resolution of 720p or higher. A three-minute brand film will not go up there as is, so plan a short cut from the start.
• Vertical social video. Reels, TikTok and Shorts are watched on phones held upright. If vertical clips are not planned into the shoot, they get cropped out of wide shots later, and it shows.
• Captions on every version. The web accessibility standard WCAG 2.1 lists captions for prerecorded video as a Level A requirement, and the W3C explains the point is to let people who are deaf or hard of hearing follow the video. Captions also help anyone watching with the sound off.

A company that plans one shoot to come back with a main video plus a set of short cut-downs gives you months of material instead of a single post.

Do They Know the Las Vegas Film Permit Rules?

This is where Las Vegas is different from a lot of cities, and where an inexperienced crew can stall a shoot day.

Clark County's film permit page says a film permit is necessary to film any commercial photography, still photography, music video, documentary footage, motion picture or television show in unincorporated Clark County. The county also says you need to register the project with the Nevada Film Office, and that registration is free.

The county's film permit FAQ adds details that matter for local businesses:

• Lead time. Completed permit applications must be submitted at least 10 calendar days before the first day of filming.
• Indoor shoots. If you film inside a building or home and have an agreement with the property owner, you do not need a film permit. Once filming moves outside and affects the street, sidewalk or parking, or brings extra lights, equipment or noise, a permit may be required.
• Social content counts. If the content is created with the expectation of making money from it, the county says a film permit will be required when the shoot meets its standard.
• Strip sidewalks. Many sidewalks in front of hotels and casinos are private property, and the county says you may also need permission from the hotel itself.

The City of Las Vegas runs its own process. Its film permit FAQ says the city issues permits for filming in the public right of way, such as city streets and sidewalks, and that insurance is always required. Henderson and North Las Vegas are separate cities, so a shoot there means checking with that city.

You do not need to memorize any of this. You need a production company that asks where you are filming, knows which jurisdiction that is, and builds permit time into the schedule. Ask them directly who pulls the permit and who registers the project.

Are Their Drone Pilots FAA Certified?

Aerial shots are popular in Las Vegas for real estate, venues, resorts and construction progress. They also come with federal rules.

The FAA's page for certificated remote pilots says a small drone under 55 pounds can be flown for work or business by following the Part 107 rules. Getting a Remote Pilot Certificate means passing an FAA knowledge test, and the drone itself has to be registered with the FAA. The same page tells operators to avoid flying near airports, which matters in a valley that is home to Harry Reid International Airport.

Questions to ask any company offering drone work:

• Is the pilot Part 107 certified, and can you see the certificate?
• Is the drone registered with the FAA?
• Who checks airspace and any permissions for your location before the shoot?
• What happens if the flight is not allowed or the weather does not cooperate?

Our drone video and photography shoots are flown by FAA-licensed pilots from our local production partner, and every location is checked for airspace limits first.

How Should a Company Handle Video Testimonials?

A real customer on camera, in their own words, is one of the most persuasive videos a business can have. It is also the format with the most legal rules around it.

The FTC's guide to its Endorsement Guides says an endorsement must reflect the honest opinion of the endorser. If an ad features a customer whose results are better than what people generally achieve, and the advertiser cannot prove otherwise, the ad has to make clear what the generally expected results are.

On August 14, 2024, the FTC announced a final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials. The rule prohibits testimonials that misrepresent that they are by someone who does not exist, or by someone who did not have actual experience with the business or its products or services.

In practice, a good production company should:

• Film real customers only, never actors presented as customers.
• Interview, not script. Open questions about the before, the experience and the after produce a story that sounds like a person, not an ad.
• Get a signed release from every customer before filming, so you can use the video on your site, in ads and on social.
• Flag industry rules. Law firms, healthcare and other regulated businesses may need disclaimers, and your compliance contact should approve them.

If a company offers to "find someone" to play a happy customer, that is your answer about the company.

Who Owns the Footage When the Shoot Is Over?

Ask this before you sign, not after. Ownership is set by the contract, and the default may not be what you expect.

The U.S. Copyright Office's circular on works made for hire explains that ordinarily the author of a work is the person who actually created it. A commissioned work, including part of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, can be a work made for hire, but only if the parties expressly agree in a written instrument signed by them. When a work is made for hire, the party that ordered it is considered the author and copyright owner.

So get these answers in writing:

• Final files. Do you own the final approved videos, and when does that happen?
• Raw footage. Do you get the unedited footage, or only the finished cuts?
• Music. Is the music licensed for commercial use, including paid ads, and for how long?
• Portfolio use. Can the company show your video as a sample?

This is general information, not legal advice. If ownership matters a lot to your business, have your attorney read the contract. On our side, you own the final approved deliverables on full payment, and we keep the right to reference the work in our portfolio unless we agree otherwise.

How Is Video Production Priced?

There is no honest single number for a business video, because the price follows the work. The things that move a quote are the same almost everywhere:

• How many videos and cut-downs you need.
• Shoot length and number of locations.
• How many people are interviewed or on camera.
• Scripting, graphics and music.
• Revisions included in the scope.

The way to compare companies is to ask each one for a written scope with the same deliverables: the number of finished videos, their lengths and shapes, captions, revisions, music licensing and who owns what. Two quotes are only comparable if they describe the same work.

We do not publish a video price. We quote per project after a free consultation and put the deliverables, revisions and price in writing before anything is scheduled.

What Questions Should You Ask on the First Call?

Bring this list to every company you talk to:

• What do you need to know before you can plan this video?
• Who films it, and who edits it?
• Will I get a written plan, script or interview questions, and a shot list before the shoot?
• Which versions will I get, and for which platforms?
• Are captions included on every version?
• Who handles film permits and Nevada Film Office registration for my location?
• If there is drone work, is the pilot Part 107 certified?
• How do you handle customer testimonials and releases?
• Who owns the final files and the raw footage?
• Is the music licensed for ads?
• What does the written quote include, and what costs extra?
• Can I see samples close to my type of business?

What Are the Red Flags?

• No written plan before the shoot.
• No written quote, or a quote with no list of deliverables.
• No answer about permits when you are filming outdoors.
• Actors offered as "customers" or scripted praise.
• No releases for people on camera.
• Vague ownership, or footage held back until you pay again.
• One long video with no plan for short versions.

What Happens After the Video Is Delivered?

A finished video only works if people see it. Put the main version on your homepage and your key service pages, add the short cut to your Google Business Profile, and hand the vertical clips to whoever runs your social media or ads.

If you want a video that already performs to reach well beyond your own followers, our Social Distribution service re-cuts it and runs it across a network of creator accounts, with plans starting at $697 a month.

How Our Local Team Handles Video

We are a local Las Vegas team. We make brand videos, customer video testimonials and short-form clips for Reels, TikTok and Shorts. Our team handles the strategy, the script or interview questions and the edit, and filming is done by our local Las Vegas production partner, so you work with one team from the first call to the final files. Ask on your consultation and we will share samples relevant to your type of business. Schedule a Call and tell us what you want the video to do.

The Bottom Line

Written by

Cash Colligan

Founder of The Voice of Cash, a local senior marketing team in Las Vegas. Raised in Vegas, with 15+ years in marketing.

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