Agency or freelancer? How to decide for your next event or film

Asking agency or freelancer is really asking who will carry the risk. A freelancer sells you a skill. An agency sells you a result, with the people, equipment, management and backup needed to deliver it.

Neither is better in general. A talented photographer can cover a board meeting beautifully on their own. The same person may struggle to film, photograph, edit and caption a three-day summit with ministers, partners and a same-day highlight video. The right choice depends on the size of the job, the deadline, and how much coordination you can do yourself.

Before you compare quotes, write down three things: what you need delivered, by when, and what would happen if it went wrong.

A freelancer is usually the better fit when the work is narrow and well defined. Typical examples include:

• Headshots for a team page, or photos of a single workshop
• One interview filmed with one camera
• Editing footage you already have
• Writing or translating one document

Freelancers can be flexible, quick to book and personally committed to the work. You often speak directly to the person doing the job. The trade-off is that you become the producer. You write the brief, book the venue access, chase approvals, collect consent forms and plan for what happens if they fall ill on the day.

A useful scope of work for a freelancer tells candidates the skills, time commitment and deliverables you need, with start and end dates, deadlines and your proposed budget.¹ If you cannot write that scope clearly, the job may be bigger than one person.

An agency earns its place when the job needs several people working at once, or when failure would be public. Think of a summit with parallel sessions, a documentary with field travel, or a campaign with film, photography, design and social content that must all tell one story.

Look for these signs that you need an agency:

• You need more than two roles on the same day, such as camera, photography, sound and editing
• The deadline is fixed and public, for example a closing plenary or launch
• You need a named producer who manages crew, schedule and approvals
• You need backup equipment and replacement crew if something fails
• The work involves permits, such as drone filming, or field logistics

Drone work is a good example. In Rwanda, operators need an activity permit issued by the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority before flying, applied for through its drone portal with a concept of operations form.² An established production company should already know this process. If you hire an individual, ask directly whether they hold the permit for your dates.

Your own rules may decide the question for you. Some procurement rules only allow contracts with registered suppliers, and your finance team may need registration and tax documents before it can pay anyone.

In Rwanda, public procurement runs electronically through the Umucyo system, which all government institutions were due to use from April 2017. The Rwanda Public Procurement Authority asked bidders to register with the Rwanda Development Board first, so that they could then register in the e-procurement system.³ Suppliers also need a digital certificate, obtained from GovCA, to complete online registration.⁴ If your organisation buys through this route, a supplier without that set-up cannot bid, however good their portfolio.

Check this before you invite quotes. It saves the awkward moment when you choose a freelancer and finance cannot pay them.

When people are photographed or filmed, especially children, refugees or survivors of violence, the person behind the camera must follow clear safeguarding rules. This applies equally to agencies and freelancers.

Donors increasingly check this. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office publishes enhanced due diligence safeguarding standards for its partners. They assess an organisation's ability to protect the children, young people and vulnerable adults it works with, and its own staff and volunteers, from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.⁵ The same questions are useful when you check any supplier. Ask every candidate for their safeguarding policy, their consent process and how they store images of people.

Data matters as well. If a supplier collects names, contact details or images of people for you, ask how it handles that information. Rwanda's law on the protection of personal data and privacy, enforced by the National Cyber Security Authority, requires clear and unambiguous consent for the collection, storage and processing of personal data.⁶

Ownership matters too. A freelance contract should cover payment terms and ownership of the work produced, and, where relevant, confidentiality and termination.¹ Agree in writing who owns the raw footage, the edited film and the photos, and how long the supplier keeps copies. In our own practice, we agree this before the first shoot day, not when the files are delivered.

A freelancer's quote often looks lower because it covers less. Before you compare, make sure each quote includes the same things:

• Number of crew and hours on site
• Equipment, including sound, lighting and backup
• Editing rounds and delivery formats
• Captions, subtitles and translation
• Travel, transport and accommodation for field work
• Licensed music and any permits

Then ask what happens if something goes wrong. Who replaces a sick camera operator? Who pays if a memory card fails? The cheaper option is only cheaper if it delivers what you need, on time.

Copy this checklist into your planning document and answer each line honestly.

• Is the job one skill and one deliverable? If yes, a freelancer may be enough.
• Do you need more than two roles at the same time? If yes, lean towards an agency.
• Is the deadline fixed and public? If yes, choose the option with backup crew.
• Does your procurement policy require a registered company? Check before you invite quotes.
• Will you film or photograph children or vulnerable people? Ask for a safeguarding policy and consent process.
• Are drones, field travel or permits involved? Confirm who holds the permits.
• Who will produce the job: you or the supplier? Be realistic about your time.
• Does the contract name deliverables, deadlines, payment terms and ownership?
• Do you have a plan if the supplier cannot deliver on the day?

If most answers point one way, follow them. If the answers are mixed, a common solution is an agency that leads the job and brings trusted freelancers into its team.