Video production is a lot more than just picking up a camera and filming. It often requires planning, strategizing, and executing complex tasks. This article focuses on the information that we need to know in order to be able to give you an accurate price, and most importantly a proper video. Depending on your needs, you have several services providers to choose from, but in this post they will be categorized under three major groups:

Freelancers/Freelance crew
Video Production Company (VPC)
Creative Agency

Table Of Contents

Determine Your Fit
Understand The Differences
Key Video Production Elements
Price Ranges

Determine Your Fit

Deciding who is best for you is the first step you should take, and this is largely dictated by your specific needs and budget. Let’s explore this further.

If you have a larger budget and more intensive needs, you’re probably in the market for an agency or VPC. There are plenty of articles online discussing the differences, but in a nutshell; agencies are large companies that can help throughout the entire creative process while VPCs are composed of specialists that focus in video production.

Understand The Differences

Agencies: can help from idea generation to idea execution, analysis, and re-implementation. They are basically there the entire process and have a large network to help address much broader needs, beyond just video production.

Video Production Companies: may offer such services, but they are most commonly known for being specialists at video production. If you’re looking for strictly high quality, larger budget video production, a VPC may be a good choice. In fact, an agency may rely on a network of VPCs to service their client’s video needs. VPCs will provide the entire crew, including but not limited to, director, producer, camera operator, gaffer, audio techinician, production assistant(s), and video editor.

Freelancers: aren’t necessarily the “cheap” alternative, but they are the lower budget option mainly because they have lower overhead and operational costs. Freelancers are great if you already have a team, but need certain roles/tasks to be filled without the major costs associated with agencies and VPCs. Many freelancers are capeable (and happy) to put together a team, and help you benefit from having more expertise at a lower cost. You can have a freelance social media manager, videographer, editor, copywriter, etc., or you could have a mixture of those services rendered to you by an agency (or your internal staff).

How much does it cost to produce a video?

Unfortunately, there is no straightforward answer, but by the end of this article you will have a much more clear understanding of why this is the case and have a lot more knowledge of what to expect for your project.

Key Video Production Elements

Now that you have an idea of your primary choices when it comes to getting video production services, let’s see what are the variables that these entities look for to determine the price they give you. We will divide the variables into three stages; pre-production, production, and post-production. The goal is for you to consider which of these services you may need help with, and how much help you will need. When you provide us with more specific information, we are able to give you more accurate pricing, faster

We are listing just about everything that may come into play, so please consider only what applies to you.

Pre-Production

A lot can happen before a video is even shot. Try to think about how much of this you’re willing to undertake yourself and how much of it you want help with.

Scripting

A script needs to be carefully crafted, and it needs to grasp your audience’s attention quickly. Some may feel comfortable doing this themselves, others trust the professionals. Some things to consider: the choice of words, tonality, and tempo.

Storyboarding

Having a concise understanding of what images will compliment your message is key to saving time during production. Do you know how to create a visual story, or do you need assistance? How much of it?

Recruiting and managing talent

If you need actors and on-screen extras, will you be sourcing them or do you need help? Remember about all the communication and coordination that will be necessary throughout the entire process. The longer the creative process, the more time consuming this can become.

Scouting and reserving locations

It’s not just as easy as finding and booking a location. Here are some things we (video production companies) consider as well.

Estimating travel expenses to/from locations for equipment and staff, understanding regulations and knowing which permits are required, and assessing risks/hazards in the location.

Acquiring props, equipment, and materials

Whether you need props to design the set, large equipment to make the shoots possible (i.e. a crane, car or train), or very specific materials to make the shoot possible – who will be sourcing them?

Relationship Management

In some cases, you may need investors to secure funding for your video. This is most-common for large movie and TV productions. An agency may be the most suitable to help with this.

Production

By now we have given you quite a bit to think about, but… there is more. Here are the most important things we think about when coming in for the shoot:

Equipment

A good storyboard enables the video producers to determine exactly what equipment they need to bring for the shoot. Many shoots require the same equipment, but many also require very specific equipment for particular uses. Video production equipment rentals is a common practice, ranging from just lights and lenses to massive constructions cranes, airplanes, cars and more.

The numbers are starting to add up, aren’t they!

Crew

There are many roles when it comes to video production. You may not know which crew members are needed, but providing the necessary details for the production company to adequately assess this is imperative.

Below is a list that includes some of the crew members that may be necessary to be present during production:

– Director
– Assistant Director(s)
– Producer
– Director of Photography / DoP
– Camera Operator(s)
– Audio Specialists
– Gaffer
– Lighting Specialists
– Location Manager
– Production Assistant(s)
– Set Designer
– Hair & Make Up Artist
– Interviewer
– Security and Traffic Control

*This list is not exhaustive*

You can feel the costs starting to add up, can’t you? Don’t worry. A video done correctly is not an expense, it’s an investement. A great investment.

There is a reason video is the most popular type of content on the internet, and it’s no wonder why video is estimated to account for 82% of all internet traffic by the end of 2022.

Post Production

Alright, so all the planning and shooting is done… what else comes into play for you people to be able to tell me what the price is? Let’s see!

Deliverables

There are different things to consider when thinking about video

What type of content and how much of it?

– Video or photography (or both)
– Short or long form (or a mixture of both)
– Aerial
– Under water
– Motionlapse/Timelapse/Hyperlapse

What do you want included with your video(s)?

– Music licensing
– Sound design/effects (SFX)
– Motion graphics
– Copy writing
– Animations
– Stock footage
– Video thumbnail design

Format Specifics (Video):

– Render quality (1080p, 4K, or above image resolution)
For example: 4k footage creates files that are four times the size of 1080p, so it requires more rendering, transferring and uploading time. Some videos can be upwards of 12K resolution and would require special computing power

– Slow motion is a blog post of its own, but the implications this has on pricing is a result of the hardware needed to make this happen. The higher the frames per second (FPS), the slower the footage plays back smoothly. There are various “levels” of slow motion, and depending on the render quality, some cameras may not be able to capture the slow motion you’re looking for. So yeah… that’s something else to think about, if you’re very picky of course 😉

Delivery method

Video files are not small, so depending on how you choose to get them delivered you may face additional costs. Online transfers are generally included in the price and not an issue, but some clients prefer external hard/solid state drives.

Distribution (Marketing)

Are you looking for a video campaign, video strategy, or just a video without any other professional input?

– Who will be responsible for distributing the content?
– In which platforms will it be distributed?
– How will success be measured?
– Who will measure success?
– What will be done with the measurements?

Video Style

There are a lot of different style of videos out there, and many may require a lot more time to execute than others. Providing sample footage of videos that resemble what you’re looking for helps the video producter get an idea of the type of edit they need to do, and how complex that will be.

Think of your video very clearly.
For Example: Are you looking for multiple camera angles filmed simultaneously? How many?

– You could have an interview style video with a lot of b-roll filmed with 1 camera
– You could also have an interview style video be filmed with 3+ camera(s) and sliders, with a lot less b-roll
– You could have a video completely voice over and filled with b-roll

“b-roll” is a term used to describe the footage that plays over the main clip and voice

Price Ranges

By now we hope you understand why we can’t give you a price without a lot more details, but we will provide you some figures to give you a (very) rough idea.

	Freelancer	Video Production Company	Creative Agency
Per 1 minute completed video	$1,000-$5,000	$5,000+	$10,000+

I hope this gives you a better understanding of all the variables that come into play when producing video. It may be overwhelming, but it shouldn’t be if you’re dealing with the right individual or team. Whoever you decide to work with should be happy to walk you through the process and ask the right questions to really find out your needs. This is why we recommend the first step to be determining the fit.

If you have any questions or need any help, please do not hesitate to contact us. We’re here to help you, whether it’s to work with us or guide you towards more suitable partners.

What to know before hiring for video production