You are thinking about starting a video production, but have one question that is holding you back. What will a video production cost?
If you already have a video project brief and want to send it through for a quote, or want to discuss a project over the phone, contact us.
In this post we are going to break down the costs involved in a video production, so that you can have a good idea of how to build out your budget.
We’ve found over the years six main areas will vary the price of a video production.
Video production costs can range from $35 an hour for a university student, through to $350 an hour for a top tier video production company. In 2023, most video production companies come in at around $100 to $250 an hour, which includes everything from planning, to shooting, to editing. When picking your video supplier, it’s important to consider how much experience they have and if they are a good fit to collaborate with. You will be spending many hours going back and forth with your video producer, so making sure you can communicate and collaborate is super important to the relationship.
The role of the producer is often to manage and coordinate the production, and is much more than just an admin role. They ensure everything runs smoothly from start to finish, making sure everyone is across your projects brief and fulfills their roles properly. They also ensure the production doesn’t not exceed the scope or your budget. They also keep the timeline on track, making sure everyone involved in the production is hitting their deadlines. You can expect to pay between $50-$250 an hour for a producer, depending on their experience levels.
If your video production project requires the production company to create the creative concepts, write scripts, draw up storyboards and the like, you can expect to pay between $50-$250 an hour in the pre-production phase. The costs here will often be determined by how long the video is planned to run for. For example, a two minute website video would greatly differ from a 45-minute documentary. This is a stage to definitely think about what you really need when it comes to planning. Things like story boards are amazing to have, but depending on your project it may be overkill. On larger productions, things like storyboards are considered vital to project success.
Some will say that editing is the most important part of the production process. In the editing stages, a professional editor will create the vibe, substance, mood and feeling of the video. It is important when creating videos, you engage a company or freelancer who is talented and knows how to move an audience. An experienced editor will cost between $65-$200 an hour. Simple editing like graphic designs will usually be included in this price, but some of you may require more advanced motion designs or complex 3D animations which can see editing costs rise between $200-$350 an hour.
Whilst on some productions our clients will save costs by roping in friends, family and staff, on other productions the cost of talent can really add to the overall production costs. Do you need a popular actor or influencer? Or a presenter to stand in-front of camera? Professional actors and presenters can cost you between $50-$500 an hour depending on demand, fees and where you’re booking them. With that being said if you wanted a celebrity movie star, it may set you back a couple million.
One thing to remember when it comes to the quality of the camera, is it’s only as good as its camera operator. For example, you could put a $150,000 hollywood camera in the hands of a university student and still get a very low quality product back. To decide on camera quality, you need to think about where will you be using the video? Who is the intended audience? You don’t need a crazy camera if you’re posting the video online, as a lot of social media platforms will compress the quality of the video anyhow. We generally will recommend a high-end entry level cinema camera on budgets under $10,000 – like a Black Magic Pocket 6K, or a Sony A7Siii Mirrorless. On larger budget projects beyond $10,000, we start looking into cameras like Red Cameras, Sony and Canon Cinema cameras and above.
The cost of purchasing or hiring camera equipment can vary hugely. Will you need a basic lighting set up and a few tripods, or will you need a camera crane, steadicam and drones. One light or twenty lights? Most production companies will be able to tell you what you will need during the shoots so have conversations with them about what will be required. Equipment can run between $30 to $200 an hour.
Shoot locations can affect the budget if needing to hire a film studio, Air BNB, hotel room or the like. In the planning phases you can often work with your video production supplier to decide on where to shoot, and what locations will need to be hired or paid for. Often there are many ways around not paying for shoot locations, but that will ultimately come down to the type of video you’re filming, and the aesthetic / mood you are going for.
If you are ready to start chatting with us about pricing up your next video production, you can download our rate card and get started straight away.
