Frequently Asked Questions

Answers, before you ask.

Everything we wish every client knew before starting — how we price, how we edit, how we deliver, and how we handle the things that don’t go to plan. If your question isn’t here, ask us directly.

Ordering & pricing.

What’s included in each film, how add-ons work, and how we handle orders that don’t fit a standard tier.

What does the listed price include?

Every film price covers the full edit from your raw footage to the final delivered master: story structure, multi-cam syncing, color grade, sound design, licensed music, two rounds of revisions, and delivery in the formats you need (typically a long-edge 1080p/4K master plus a 9:16 vertical cut).

Prices start at the listed amount and scale up based on footage volume, source count, and the complexity of the story you’re asking us to build. We confirm a firm final price before the edit begins — never after.

Do you offer rush or fast turnaround?

Yes. Our Fast Turnaround add-on is a flat $120 and guarantees delivery within 5 business days, regardless of film format. You can toggle it on at checkout in Step 3 of the Order page.

Rush is available on every film type up through Feature. For Long Feature, Documentary, and Extended Documentary we may confirm feasibility first based on footage volume — if we can’t honor 5 days, we refund the rush fee and deliver on the standard window.

Can I order more than one film at once?

Yes — in fact, it’s common. Many couples combine a Highlight (for socials and day-after sharing) with a Feature or Extended (for keeping). Our Order page supports multi-select: toggle on every format you want, and the price updates live.

Multi-film orders are cut from the same pool of footage, so you get a discount on the production side (we only sync and review the rushes once). That’s reflected in our standard pricing — no need to ask for a bundle quote.

What if my project is bigger than a standard edit?

If you’re looking at a multi-day shoot, a series, a branded campaign, or anything with graphics / VFX / licensed talent, email us at hello@opalook.studio with a rough brief and we’ll send a custom quote inside one business day.

Our custom work starts where the Extended Documentary tier ends.

Footage & delivery.

How to send us your files, what we can work with, and how the final film reaches you.

How do I send you my footage?

Any cloud transfer service works — Google Drive, Dropbox, WeTransfer, Frame.io, OneDrive, or our upload portal (link sent with your order confirmation). Paste your project link on Step 2 of the Order page.

For very large projects (> 2 TB) we also accept hard drives shipped to the studio. We return them with the final delivery.

What cameras and file formats do you accept?

All common professional formats: Sony, Canon, Panasonic, Blackmagic, ARRI, RED, DJI, GoPro, and mobile (iPhone, Pixel). RAW, LOG (S-Log, C-Log, V-Log, BRAW, ProRes RAW), H.264, H.265, ProRes, DNxHD, and most drone codecs.

Audio: separate tracks from lavs, shotguns, or sound-board feeds are welcome — we sync to camera audio automatically. Multi-cam from up to eight simultaneous sources is fine.

What if I’m not sure how big my footage is?

Pick the closest option on the Order page dropdown — or choose “Not sure yet — will estimate later“. We don’t hold the order up over size estimates. When you share the cloud link, we see the real volume immediately and adjust if needed.

Footage size only affects us if it pushes the project into our custom-quote bracket (roughly above 2 TB of source material). That’s rare for a single wedding day, common for multi-day documentaries.

Can you edit footage someone else shot?

Absolutely. We edit footage from any videographer, couple’s iPhones, a mix of friends-and-family and professional cameras — whatever you have. If something is technically unusable (heavily corrupted or unreadable), we’ll flag it in the first review and work around it.

We also offer a dedicated videographer white-label service — unbranded delivery, your logo on the review links, consistent color across your whole season. Ask about the white-label rate sheet.

How is the final film delivered?

You’ll get a password-protected review page (Frame.io or Vimeo) for approval, then the final master files via direct download. We deliver:

  • Long edge: 1080p, or 4K UHD for clients who shot in 4K — ProRes master + H.264 for streaming
  • Vertical cut: 9:16, 1080p, optimized for Instagram / TikTok / Reels (included with every film)
  • Square cut: 1:1 on request (no extra charge)

Your project files stay on our secure archive for 12 months after delivery.

Timeline & revisions.

How long each film takes, what the revision process looks like, and what happens when the scope grows.

How long does each film take?

Standard turnaround, measured from the day we receive your footage:

  • Teaser (1 min): 3–5 days
  • Highlight (3–5 min): 2–3 weeks
  • Feature (5–10 min): 3–4 weeks
  • Extended (15–20 min): 3–5 weeks
  • Long Feature (20–30 min): 4–6 weeks
  • Documentary (30–60 min): 5–7 weeks
  • Full Documentary (1–2 hr): 6–8 weeks
  • Extended Documentary (2–3 hr): 8–12 weeks

The Fast Turnaround add-on compresses any of these to 5 business days for a flat $120.

How many rounds of revisions are included?

Two rounds are included with every film — that’s a first cut, then your notes, then a second cut, then any final tweaks, then final delivery. Most clients approve on the second round.

We send each cut as a secure Frame.io link with time-coded comment support, so you can drop notes directly on specific moments.

What counts as a revision?

A revision is any set of notes you send us after viewing a cut — not each individual note. You can batch as many changes as you want into a single round: “replace song, trim intro, remove first-dance clip, add speech at 4:12, different color on the outdoor shots.”

What would fall outside a revision: changing film type (e.g. turning a Highlight into a Feature), re-cutting from a different angle of the story, or adding footage we haven’t received yet. Those are scope changes — we’ll quote them before starting.

What if I need extra revision rounds?

Additional rounds are billed at $95/hour. We always quote before touching the timeline — you’ll see an estimate (“this is about 2 hours of work, roughly $190”) and you decide whether to proceed.

In practice, fewer than one in ten projects uses a third round.

Payments & deposits.

How we take payment, when the balance is due, and how deposits work.

Do I need to pay in full up-front?

No. At checkout you can choose:

  • Pay in full — one payment now, fastest start, no balance later.
  • Deposit (45%) — secures your slot and kicks off the edit. The remaining 55% is due when we deliver the final cut.

All payments go through Stripe (SSL-encrypted). We accept credit / debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Link.

When is the balance due?

When we deliver the final, approved cut. You’ll get a Stripe invoice at the same time the master files are released. Files unlock after payment clears — usually within minutes.

If you opted for the Fast Turnaround add-on, the $120 rush fee is paid in full at booking time regardless of deposit / full-pay choice, because rush locks a specific priority slot on our calendar.

Are deposits refundable?

Deposits are refundable until we start editing. Once the first cut is underway, the deposit covers the studio time already committed and becomes non-refundable. If you cancel after the first cut is delivered, you owe the full balance.

If something major changes on your end — illness, emergency, venue change, weather event — get in touch. We always try to move slots rather than cancel entirely.

Do you offer payment plans?

For orders above $3,500 we can split the balance into 2–4 monthly instalments after the deposit. Email hello@opalook.studio after placing your order and we’ll send a plan for you to approve.

Rights & licensing.

Who owns what, how music is cleared, and where your final film can live.

Who owns the final film?

You do. Full copyright transfers to you on final payment — for personal use, public sharing, broadcast, streaming, festivals, or commercial use (for brand / documentary clients).

We retain a non-exclusive right to display the film on our portfolio, social channels, and reel — unless you ask us not to. Just tell us on Step 2 of the order and we’ll tag the project as private.

How does music licensing work?

Every Opalook film ships with properly licensed music via our Musicbed, Artlist, and Soundstripe subscriptions. The license covers personal and commercial use on YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, TikTok, television, film festivals, and paid streaming.

If you want a specific mainstream track (e.g. Taylor Swift, Drake, Coldplay), we’ll guide you through licensing it directly from the publisher. Sync fees for commercial music typically start at $500–$2,500 per track — we don’t mark that up; you pay the publisher directly.

Can I share my film on socials, festivals, TV?

Yes, to all of it — your film, your platforms. The music license we attach covers every major distribution channel (YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, TikTok, festivals, cable, streaming, in-venue screenings). If you have a specific outlet in mind that isn’t listed, check with us first and we’ll confirm the scope.

Can you work under NDA?

Yes. We sign NDAs at no charge for any project where confidentiality matters — private weddings of public figures, brand documentaries under embargo, investor reels, founding-team content. Email your NDA or let us know and we’ll share ours.

Working with us.

The practical bits — how we communicate, how long we keep your files, and how to reach us when something’s urgent.

How do you communicate during a project?

Email is the default. You’ll get a project kickoff email confirming the start date, a first-cut review link with Frame.io time-coded comments, a second-cut review if applicable, and a delivery email with the final masters.

For urgent questions during the edit, SMS or WhatsApp works too — the number is in your kickoff email. We reply inside one business day, usually sooner.

How long do you keep my project files after delivery?

12 months of secure archival of everything — raw footage, project timeline, master exports. If you lose the delivered files or want a re-export in a different format within that year, it’s free.

After 12 months we purge the raw footage but keep the final master and the project timeline for a further 36 months. Let us know if you want us to extend full archival — we charge $10/month per TB.

Do you offer white-label editing for videographers?

Yes. Unbranded delivery, your logo on the client review pages, consistent season-wide color grade, and faster turnaround on repeat projects. Many of our clients are second-shooter or solo-operator videographers outsourcing their edit pipeline.

Ask for the white-label rate sheet — it’s separate from the consumer pricing on the Order page.

I need a format that isn’t listed. Can you do custom?

Yes — drop us a line describing what you have in mind (length, source footage count, rough timeline, intended use) and we’ll send a quote inside one business day. We’ve done event recaps, real-estate walkthroughs, trailer cuts, kickstarter films, campaign ads, and pitch videos. If it’s cut, we probably do it.

My question isn’t here.

Good — send it to hello@opalook.studio and we’ll reply within one business day. Really obscure questions are often the best ones, and we add the answers to this page over time.

Ready when you are

Let’s make your film.

Three steps, a realistic timeline, and a film that feels like a film.

Order a Film Talk to us first