Every now and then, a client will ask:
“Can we get all the raw footage from our shoot?”
It’s a totally understandable question. After all, you’ve invested time and energy into the production process, and it’s natural to wonder if you can keep everything that was captured. But at our studio, we don’t typically deliver raw footage—and there are a few good reasons for that.
We wanted to take a moment to explain why, and how this approach actually protects the quality of your project and the long-term value of your content.
Raw Footage Isn’t Really Watchable
When we film, we shoot in a format called LOG, which is designed for maximum flexibility in the editing and color grading process. It gives us a lot more control in post-production, helping us create those crisp, vibrant, cinematic visuals you see in the final product.
But out of the camera, LOG footage looks very flat and washed out—it’s supposed to. Without color correction, it doesn’t reflect the final look of your brand or message. So if you were to edit the raw clips on your own, they might feel underwhelming or even confusing compared to the finished video.
Audio and Video Are Captured Separately
To get the best sound quality, we record audio on external microphones and devices—not directly into the camera. This gives us clean, professional sound but also means the audio needs to be manually synced with the video during editing.
So raw clips typically have either rough-sounding camera audio or none at all. Until those pieces are combined and polished in post, the footage is incomplete and not very usable.
Raw Files Can Be Huge and Hard to Manage
A full shoot can easily result in hundreds of gigabytes of raw material. These files aren’t just big—they’re also delicate. Copying them to external drives or uploading them for delivery isn’t always practical, and unfortunately, drives can fail or files can become corrupted in transit.
We store your footage safely on our end and are happy to revisit or repurpose it later if you need additional edits or versions down the road. That way, you don’t have to worry about file management.
If You Need More Content, We’ve Got You Covered
While we don’t hand over raw footage, we’re always happy to revisit your project if you need new versions, shorter edits, or fresh content using the original material. We keep everything archived for a period of time, so just reach out—we’ve got your back.
At the end of the day, our goal is to make sure you get a video that’s fully finished, on-brand, and ready to work for you. Raw footage is just a starting point—we deliver the full story.
Recent Comments