Ungated checklist
In-house hire versus a studio
Write the full year, not the salary on the job post. Then set that number next to a studio fee that arrives with a team.
The lines a salary hides
- Employer taxes, benefits, and insurance.
- Cameras, light, audio, computers, licenses, repairs, and drives.
- Ramp-up. Three to six months is common before a full solo slate, and overlap with freelancers during that time is a cost.
- The jobs inside the role: shoot, edit, grade, sound, and delivery are not one task.
Match the model to the volume
- Daily internal capture, a private set, and a full calendar can justify a hire.
- Spiky campaigns, live events, and overflow still need a studio even after the hire.
- A hybrid is common: an internal producer who knows the brand, and a retainer for the craft that should not be learned on a client's dime.
Questions to take into the meeting
- What does the retainer include, by name?
- Who grades, and is that a person or a leftover Friday?
- What happens in the week the calendar doubles?
These are studio field notes, not tax, legal, or financial advice. Run the numbers with your own accountant before you hire.