The client
Perfect Circle is a US video production company offering production crews, live streaming, photography and post-production. Its post-production service edits footage for two kinds of client: personal projects like weddings, family videos, drone and GoPro footage, and business work like interviews, promotional videos, documentaries and music videos.
The challenge
Quoting post-production work took a lot of back-and-forth. Every project depends on several factors, including how much footage there is, whether photos, titles or colour work are needed, and how fast it’s due. Each quote was worked out by hand over email or phone. Once a client agreed, collecting the deposit, receiving large video files, sharing edits for review and taking final payment all happened through separate tools. The client wanted one smooth, self-serve process that would let customers get a price, pay and manage their project online, while making sure finished videos were only released once they were paid for.
The solution
I designed and developed a fully custom WordPress plugin that handles the whole post-production journey, from first quote to final download.
A step-by-step quote builder
Customers build their own quote in a simple guided form, one question at a time, with a running total that updates as they go:
Project type: personal or business
Footage length: from 30 minutes or less up to four hours of raw footage
Extras: photos (priced per picture), text and titles, and colour work
Delivery speed: standard turnaround, 48 hours, or a rush order
Discounts: optional savings for joining the mailing list, letting Perfect Circle add its logo to the video, allowing the video to be used on social media, or referring friends
Pay-now incentive: an extra discount for paying right away
Built-in agreement and e-signature
Before paying, customers review the terms, including what’s covered by one round of editing notes and the 50% deposit structure. They can add notes about their project and sign the service agreement on screen with a mouse or finger. Every order comes with a signed agreement on file.
Deposit payments through WooCommerce
Once the quote is complete, the plugin creates the customer’s account and sends them to a WooCommerce checkout for a 50% deposit. The work is paid for upfront before editing begins, without anyone on the team handling invoices.
A customer dashboard
Each customer gets their own dashboard where they can:
Upload their raw video files directly to Perfect Circle
Follow the status of their project
Watch a watermarked preview of the edited video
Pay the remaining 50% balance online
When the final payment is made, the clean, unwatermarked video becomes available to download. Customers can review the edit freely, and Perfect Circle knows finished work is never released before it’s paid for.
The launch
The plugin was built and tested end to end, from the first quote through deposit, upload, review, final payment and download, before going live on the existing Perfect Circle website. It integrates with the site’s existing WordPress and WooCommerce setup, so no new platform was needed.
The results
Customers get an instant, transparent price without waiting for a manual quote
Every project starts with a paid deposit and a signed agreement
File uploads, review and final payment all happen in one place
Watermarked previews protect the client’s work until the balance is paid
Built-in discounts help grow the mailing list, word of mouth and social media content
Tech stack: WordPress, custom WordPress plugin (PHP, JavaScript), WooCommerce, e-signature capture, secure file uploads
