How to Tell If a Filmmaker Understands Marketing Before You Hire Them
By Kamal Abdelrahman, filmmaker and marketing strategist, Dubai
A showreel tells you one thing: this person can make something look good.
It doesn't tell you whether their work brought anyone a client. It can't. A showreel has great music and the best two seconds from every project, and it hides everything you actually need to know.
That's a problem if your goal is business results. So how do you find out, before you spend the budget? In my experience, the conversation before the quote tells you almost everything.
Listen to what they ask first
This is the fastest test I know. Send a short enquiry and watch what comes back.
If the first questions are about the date, the location and how many cameras you want, that's a production mindset. Nothing wrong with it, if you only need a production.
If the first questions are about your customer, your goal and how you'll use the video, you may be talking to someone who thinks about marketing. They want to understand the problem before they suggest a solution.
Six questions to ask them
1. "Who do you think this video is for?" Good answers get specific. Weak answers sound like "everyone who's interested in luxury."
2. "What would you put in the first three seconds, and why?" They should have an opinion about keeping attention, not only about how the opening looks.
3. "What should we measure?" Listen for more than views. Watch time, enquiries, saves, messages, or what happens in your sales conversations.
4. "Can you tell me about a project that didn't work?" Everyone has one. People who've looked at results can tell you what they learned. People who only deliver files often can't.
5. "What would you do with a smaller budget?" A marketer will prioritise. Someone focused on production will usually just remove cameras.
6. "What versions will we get, and where do they go?" If they haven't thought about Reels, ads or LinkedIn before the shoot, distribution may be an afterthought.
Ask to see a result, not only a video
When you look at their portfolio, pick a piece and ask: what was the goal, and what happened? Honest answers can include "we didn't have access to the sales numbers," which is common. That's fine, as long as they've thought about it.
Be careful with big numbers too. Views are easy to show and easy to misread. I grew a software company's TikTok to 5M views and 60K followers in 4 months, and I'm proud of that. But the first question to ask anyone quoting a number like that is: what did you actually do, and what did it lead to?
Green flags
- → They push back on your idea, politely, with a reason
- → They tell you when you don't need something
- → They suggest cutting your favourite part if it doesn't serve the goal
- → They ask about your sales process
- → Their proposal talks about your customer as much as about their gear
Red flags
- → The whole conversation is about cameras and lenses
- → They promise a viral video
- → They say yes to everything without a question
- → They have no opinion about what happens after delivery
- → Every reference is about how "cinematic" something looked
Don't overcorrect
A marketing-minded filmmaker still has to be a good filmmaker. If the picture looks cheap, the sound is poor, or the story drags, no strategy will save it. People judge your business by how your video feels, often without realising it.
So you need both. Check the craft in the portfolio, then check the thinking in the conversation. Also read recommendations from people who hired them, and look for words like "strategy", "results" or "understood our business", not only "talented".
And you might not need this at all
If you have a strong in-house marketing team and a clear plan, a pure filmmaker may be exactly right. You don't need two strategists in the room. Hire for the gap you actually have.
I'm Kamal Abdelrahman, and I do both jobs: I've spent 9+ years filming and I also work as a marketing manager. That's why I notice when one side is missing. The best work I've done started when someone asked a better question before the shoot.
Hiring soon? Take these six questions into your next call. The answers will tell you a lot, even if the person you hire isn't me.
If you are comparing options, here is how I work as a freelance videographer in Dubai.