our Company
who are filmfolk?
FilmFolk was launched in 2017 by Andrew Cussens an award-winning filmmaker. FilmFolk specialises in videography and photography services for both corporate and private clients. We employ a handpicked team of talented professionals who passionate about producing great work. We put heart and soul into everything we do and our biggest motivation is receiving great feedback from our clients!
What makes FilmFolk different?
FilmFolk has a unique business model. We are an independent production company with our own facilities and in-house staff. However, unlike other production companies you can hire individual staff members to work directly on your project. No management fees or middle men! This provides flexibility and saves on cost. So, it’s just like hiring a freelancer, except with the resources, reassurance and reliability of a full studio. We think its unbeatable!
Is FilmFolk Similar to Fiverr or People Per Hour?
No. At FilmFolk we provide our own highly trained in-house staff. Platforms like Fiverr, Bark or People Per Hour advertise freelancers, but do not vouch for their training or abilities. We firmly believe what makes FilmFolk special is we are providing our own studio professionals at freelancer rates. All staff have been trained, assessed and cultivated over many years to ensure a high standard of service.
What area do you cover?
Our videographers and photographers are available in London, the South East, Midlands and East Anglia. The FilmFolk studio is based in central London WC1 where we have a core team of staff and our professional editing facilities. In additon, other team members work remotely across the country so we can field local projects. Our editing services are not location dependent, so these are available to clients anywhere in the UK - or indeed the world!
Services
What Professional Staff Do You Offer?
You can book a choice of seven different experts. This includes videographers (also referred to as a cameraperson), photographers, video editors, photo editors, drone operators and filmmakers. (A filmmaker is videographer who can both film and edit your material). What makes us different is we are offering in-house studio experts at freelancer rates.
How Do I Book FilmFolk?
Click here to send a booking request. We provide instant pricing and availability and you can book 24-7. We gather all the necessary information from you before we start and managing your booking is easy!
Am I Booking FilmFolk or a Freelancer?
All bookings are with FilmFolk as a studio. However, our unique low-cost business model means we will assign a member of our studio team to work on your project. They will liaise with you directly throughout the project ensuring clarity and continuity. Whatever you are booking, we offer full customer support with the resources and reliability of a studio.
Do You SHOOT Video & Photography Together?
Yes we do, however each service is provided by a separate dedicated professional. We don't compromise standards by having crew 'multitask' between roles. As tempting as it sounds, the results are never as good or reliable. For professional standards it's essential to be fully focussed on one creative disclipline at a time!
Can you edit my footage?
Yes. Our editing service is available for all types of projects, whether filmed by us or not. We accept footage filmed in a wide range of formats and can do anything from basic trimming to sophisticated documentaries and promos. Our editing servce is available on an hourly rate or as part of a package deal. We always take care to fully understand your project requirements and can provide an accurate cost estimate before starting work.
Rates
What Are Your Videography Rates?
You can hire our professional videographers for £99/hour. Our videographers are available for corporate, private and wedding projects. If you would like a complete film and edit solution, we also offer a choice of all-inclusive package deals.
What Are Your Photography Rates?
You can hire our professional photographers for £99/hour. Our photographers specialise in corporate, private and wedding projects. We also offer a range of all-inclusive package deals with a choice of albums and other popular options.
What Are Your Editing Rates?
You can hire our studio editors for £49/hour. Our editors are high-skilled in video and photo editing projects. We will give you an estimate of how long it will take to edit your project and we have packages for corporate, wedding and private projects. Editing is also available as an all-inclusive part of our video or photography package deals.
What Are Your Aerial Drone Rates?
You can hire our drone operators for £199/hour. We have a number of highly experienced drone pilots able to produce fantastic aerial video and photography for you, subject to flight planning & restrictions. Drones are also available as an extra in our video or photography package deals.
Do You Charge for Travel?
We have a call-out charge that covers transport of crew and equipment to your project location. Fees are fixed so you know how much they are. If additional travel is required as part of your project, such as travelling between multiple locations we will pass on expenses.
What’s The Difference Between Hourly Rates & Packages?
Hourly rates are perfect for hiring just what you need for your project. It offers you maximum control as well as saves expense. Our professional crew members will follow your instructions and deliver what you need. Package deals are ideal for clients who want a complete 'turnkey' solution for their project without needing to manage all the different elements. For example, a video project that covers both filming and editing.
Process
Can i book last minute?
We recommend booking at your earliest opportunity as our team gets very busy and it's important we have enough time to liase with you beforehand and thoroughly plan your project. Last minute bookings are complex as we need to re-arrange staff and resources, as well as make our team available at short notice or out-of-hours to plan your project. Consequently, there is a £150 surcharge for all last-minute bookings.
How Will You Prepare For My Project?
After confirming your booking our team will be in touch to gather detailed information about your project and requirements. This allows us time to plan and allocate the necessary resources. Because we’ve been established for many years, we are experienced in gathering the right kind of information to ensure your project is produced to your total satisfaction! Depending on how far in advcance you've booked, we usually start planning your project within 4 weeks of your event.
Is Your Event Coverage Discreet?
Absolutely. We have years of experience filming and photographing events and perfectly understand the need to be discreet, whilst ensuring the great coverage of your event. One of the ways we achieve this is through careful planning of your project with you beforehand so we can minimise the unexpected and ensure our crew are always in the right place at the right time.
How Many Crew Do I Need?
The number of crew needed depends on the type and scale of the project. One videographer or photographer is usually fine for most projects where work is undertaken in a linear schedule. However, if you have a project or event where numerous things are happening at the same time, we recommend two or more videographers or photographers. If your project is filming a performance, ceremony or presentation where you want coverage from different angles you can choose an additional static camera if you prefer to avoid the cost of an additional crew member.
What Equipment Do You Use?
All our equipment is professional grade studio equipment used for quality and reliability. For filming this is the latest 4K cameras and wireless sound kit. For photography we use large sensor pro cameras with premium quality lenses and lightning where needed.
Can I Choose The Staff Member?
When you make a booking, we take responsibility for assigning a team member based on the type of project and experience required. It’s important to understand we have a diverse range of talent within our studio and so are best placed to select the most suitable individual. This ensures a more reliable and consistent standard of service, no matter what you book or when. Remember we are not agents or brokers, but a studio offering services by our own talent staff.
Can i speak to my CREW beforehand?
Yes of course. After your booking is confirmed and a team member assigned, they will contact you within a few days to introduced themselves and gather detailed planning information. If your booking is made further in advance, your project will be assigned around a month beforehand. In this case our team will be in touch then.
What Happens With Crew Meals & Breaks?
Crew meals or breaks are not necessary for bookings up 4 hours. However, in accordance with UK law and to safeguard the well-being of our staff, we do require a break is included on bookings over 6 hours. This is can be taken at a mutually convenient point. Clients are requested to provide hospitality at this point to avoid crew needing to go off site.
What If A Crew Member is Sick?
One advantage of the FilmFolk studio is we have the staff and resources to cover any eventuality. This is why we are the preferred choice of many organisations and private individuals. Our bullet proof systems and resources means the unexpected won’t be problem for your project!
Can You Add Music To My Edit?
Yes. Music is included in our highlights and custom editing services. For corporate clients we offer professionally licensed production music as standard. For private clients we are able to extend this to commercial music provided it is for personal use only.
Can You Add Voice-Over To My Edit?
Yes. If you want to supply any voice-over recording we can edit this into your project. We can also add subtitles if you wish.
How Far In Advance Can I Book?
You can book hourly rate projects up to 6 months in advance and our package deals up to 2 years in advance. Package deals are best suited to events you are planning well in advance and benefit from more time to plan and prepare carefully.
Do You Travel Abroad?
Not yet. Most of our work is based in London and the South East, however we are growing our team so we can cover an increasing area. Keep watching this space!
HOW MANY IMAGES WILL I RECEIVE?
We provide a minimum of 40 curated images per hour of attendance. This applies across all types of work we do. Please be aware this is the number of images selected and processed by the photographer (ie not their raw files).
Contract
What If I Need To Cancel?
No problem! You can cancel your booking within 14 days of signing our contract for a refund. Provided no project work has taken place and there are at least 7 days remaining before the start time of your project, you will receive a full refund less 10% to cover our admin and card payment costs. Otherwise a 50% cancellation fee will apply (min £250) to cover our pre-production costs and the commitment of staff and resources to your project date/s.
Are You Fully Insured?
Yes. As a professional studio we have full public liability insurance up to £10million. We are also able to provide risk assessments, method statements and any other standard documentation to support your filming project.
What Is Your Crew Dress Code?
Our videographers and photographers are dressed in a suitable manner for the type of project they are working on. For events this tends to be discreet dark clothing and for commercial projects smart comfortable clothing. We can wear specific attire if requested such as headscarves and kippahs for cultural events. If you wish to provide specific clothing please let us or know or if you would like specialist outfits like tuxedo hire (for which costs will be passed on).
What If I Want To Make Changes To My Edit?
You can request as many changes to your studio edit as you would like. For hourly rate bookings there is a flat fee of £98 per round of changes. On package deals we include one set of revisions for free. Thereafter revisions are charged at the flat fee.
Delivery
How Long Does It Take To Get My Files?
Your video or photography files will be supplied within 48 hours. You will be sent a download link. We also offer studio editing at an additional cost.
How Long Does Studio Editing Take?
This depends on type of project. For hourly rate bookings this usually ranges from 1 to 4 weeks. On package deals there is a slightly longer lead time of up to 12 weeks which is reflected in the cost saving. There are express edit options also available on all package deals.
How Will I Receive My PROJECT?
All video and photography files are supplied in their native format ready to download after your project. Raw media files can be substantial so allow plenty of space! If you book us to edit your video project, files are usually supplied as compressed .mov or .mp4 files ready for you to download. This is a fast and reliable way to work and because of this we don’t provide USB sticks, DVD or Blu-ray discs.
