Cinematic Cooking Series Video Production

Videographer & Editor Wanted for Urban Chulha — A Cinematic Cooking Series

I’m seeking a skilled videographer and editor, or a small production team, to help bring Urban Chulha to life.

Urban Chulha is a host-led cooking series combining recipes and cooking techniques with family stories, personal memories and my own interpretations of familiar dishes. The aim is to create visually compelling food content that feels warm, authentic and personal, with the quality and storytelling of a carefully crafted cooking show.

I bring the recipes, cooking knowledge, personal stories and on-camera presence. I’m looking for a creative collaborator who can translate these into an engaging visual experience.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Food is the centre of Urban Chulha, but the story behind it matters just as much. Each episode should give viewers a sense of the person cooking, the origins of the dish and the choices that make this version distinctive.

The broad structure is simple: I introduce the dish and its story, the food and cooking process take centre stage, and I return for the reveal and closing reflection.

The tone should be natural, conversational and occasionally humorous. I want viewers to feel welcomed into the kitchen, not presented with an overly scripted commercial or a rushed recipe montage.

CREATIVE DIRECTION

The visual style should be cinematic without losing the honesty of real cooking. Think carefully controlled lighting, rich but natural colours, detailed food close-ups, purposeful camera movement and clear coverage of the cooking process.

The finished content should capture details such as:

• Spices blooming in hot fat.
• Ingredients changing texture as they cook.
• The movement and consistency of a sauce or gravy.
• Hands preparing, shaping, stirring and plating food.
• Steam, sizzling and the small visual cues that signal progress.
• An appetising final reveal that remains true to the actual dish.

Visual polish must never come at the expense of recipe accuracy. Ingredients, cooking stages, quantities shown and the order of actions should remain consistent. A beautiful shot is not useful if it misrepresents what is being cooked.

SCOPE OF WORK

1. Pre-production and planning

• Review the episode concept, recipe, script and available production material.
• Develop a practical shot list and filming plan.
• Identify essential cooking moments that need coverage before filming begins.
• Advise on camera placement, lighting, background, props and kitchen presentation.
• Plan host segments and food coverage efficiently, recognising that some cooking actions cannot easily be repeated.
• Flag any gaps in the proposed approach and explain how you would address them.

2. Videography and food cinematography

• Film natural, engaging host-led segments.
• Capture overhead, close-up, macro and wider kitchen footage where appropriate.
• Light both the presenter and the food attractively and consistently.
• Preserve realistic food colours, textures and appearance.
• Record clean dialogue and useful kitchen sounds.
• Maintain continuity across the cooking sequence, including utensils, vessels, ingredient states and the finished dish.
• Work comfortably around a functioning kitchen and the timing demands of live cooking.

3. Editing and post-production

• Shape the footage into a cohesive, narrative-driven episode.
• Balance host appearances, cooking demonstrations, food close-ups and voiceover.
• Preserve the personality, humour and emotional moments in the story.
• Use pacing that keeps the episode engaging without rushing important techniques.
• Clean and balance dialogue, voiceover, music and cooking sounds.
• Apply consistent colour correction and grading.
• Add clear titles, ingredient information and subtitles where agreed.
• Use transitions and effects selectively, with the emphasis on the food and story.
• Deliver a polished final video ready for the agreed publishing platform.

AUTHENTICITY AND USE OF AI

Real footage of the host is the preferred approach. The series should feel like a genuine cooking experience, not an artificial presenter-led production.

Some planning material, reference images and AI-assisted visual assets already exist. Experience working with a mixture of original footage and supporting assets would be helpful, but AI expertise is not a substitute for strong filming and editing skills.

Any proposed AI use should be discussed in advance and serve a clear purpose. It must not alter recipe truth, invent cooking actions or compromise the host’s identity and natural performance.

I value practical solutions. If a shot can be handled effectively through existing footage, a well-placed still or a straightforward edit, unnecessary regeneration or additional production expense should be avoided.

WHO I’M LOOKING FOR

The ideal applicant will have:

• A strong portfolio in food, cooking, hospitality or comparable lifestyle content.
• Experience filming a presenter alongside a practical demonstration.
• An eye for appetising food imagery and meaningful visual detail.
• Strong editing instincts, particularly for narrative structure and pacing.
• Confidence with lighting, camera settings, sound recording and colour grading.
• Attention to continuity and the ability to follow a detailed creative brief.
• The confidence to offer constructive creative suggestions.
• Clear communication, realistic timelines and transparent pricing.

Experience with conversational Hindi/English content would be useful, particularly for editing speech and preparing accurate English subtitles.

For filming, please confirm whether you are based in Dubai/UAE or can work on location here. Remote editors are also welcome to apply, provided they clearly state that their proposal covers post-production only.

DELIVERABLES AND QUOTATION

Please quote for a complete edited episode based on an agreed brief, with your assumptions clearly stated.

Your proposal should specify:

• Pre-production work included.
• Filming time and crew included, if applicable.
• Camera, lighting and audio equipment provided.
• Expected final episode length covered by your quote.
• Editing, colour grading and sound work included.
• Subtitle and graphic treatment.
• Number of revision rounds.
• Expected turnaround for the first cut and final delivery.
• Whether raw footage and editable project files are included.
• Any additional charges, including travel, equipment hire, stock assets or music licensing.

Please price optional social-media cutdowns, vertical edits, thumbnails or additional versions separately rather than assuming they are part of the core scope.

Music, fonts, stock footage and other third-party assets must have appropriate usage rights. Please explain who supplies these assets and how any licensing costs are handled.

HOW TO APPLY

Please include:

1. A brief introduction and your relevant experience.
2. Two or three portfolio examples closest to this project, ideally food or host-led storytelling.
3. Your specific role in each example: filming, editing, lighting, sound or full production.
4. Your suggested approach to making Urban Chulha visually distinctive while keeping it authentic.
5. Your location, availability and estimated turnaround.
6. A clear quotation, including what is included and excluded.
7. Any information you would need from me before confirming the scope.

The initial engagement would focus on one episode, with the possibility of ongoing collaboration if the creative fit and working relationship are right.

I’m looking for someone who understands that a compelling cooking series needs more than attractive food shots. It needs personality, a clear story and an editor who knows when to let a moment breathe.