Understanding Video Production Pricing
Videography pricing can vary greatly, depending on the project scope. Some video makers estimate the cost at anywhere from $1,000 per minute of finished video to around $40,000+. To understand the high end of this videography pricing, you should realize it may include associated production costs, such as scriptwriting, talent acquisition, cameramen, and video editing, and cover the use of equipment required to produce a finished film.
If you are trying to figure out your production budget, you can use a video production costs estimator that you’ll find online at various video production websites. Remember that geographic region may influence both the cost and level of available expertise, so these calculator pages will only serve as an initial education tool. You’re best off getting a quote from an actual production company in your area.
Most video production companies can provide you with their videography price sheet or quickly give you a ballpark figure based on some preliminary specs that you provide.
When vetting the company to work with for creating your video, you can consider renting equipment and using your own staff or hiring the cameramen and any other talent required. You can inquire how much a videographer costs, but also consider that equipment and studio rental may also be available to rent for do-it-yourselfers.
For your initial video production forays, renting equipment makes more sense than outright purchase of equipment, as you’ll discover what you actually need and get familiar with using the equipment before making the outlay yourself.
Videographer Cost Considerations
When trying to understand how much videographers charge, realize that there is a great latitude of pricing based on the level of experience, technical ability, and demands of the project. Barebones quotes that videographers on talent “shill” sites like Thumbtack could quote you can be as low as $150 for a project, but this is not something you’d want to opt for when you want a professional-quality video. For event photography, be sure to differentiate from wedding-type videographer rates and commercial-quality videographer pricing.
While you can request a videographer day rate or hourly rate (expect to pay around $50-$100 an hour or $500 to $1,000 per day), you may be better off if you can get a flat rate for the production costs.
There are additional video production pricing guide considerations that will help you envision your project budget. These include:
- Cost of scriptwriter (upwards from $50 an hour to $150 an hour)
- Cost of on-screen talent, such as actors
- Voice over talent (often quoted in the number of seconds on screen or number of words, starting around $60 for 15 seconds)
- Video editing (around $45 to $60 per hour)
Consider, too, whether your video project quotes will include these potential cost factors:
- Raw video (known as “b-roll”) that’s shot at or around your business location.
- Creation of a script and tailored story
- Video editing
- Royalty-free background music
- Hard Drives for file delivery
- Additional visual assets, including any still images like stock photography or custom photography, stock video portions, and illustrations or 3D elements
Lowering Video Production Costs
If you’re interested in containing your video production costs, consider taking these steps:
- Do your initial research early to help you prepare and make informed decisions.
- Create a project proposal and storyboards.
- Determine the best location well in advance to ensure you don’t have to cancel shoots or reshoot the footage.
- Find your own on-screen talent rather than using others for casting.
- Get the best video production team you can assemble. Know when you can use freelance talent and rental equipment to save money.
- Understand the editing process and keep informed of progress.
- Be both honest and flexible with your budget. Ask for different bids with different elements included or omitted.
- Keep your video as short as feasible for the purpose.
Hire and Rent for Video Production Locally
However, once you do your research, you should consider a local production company. As noted by ProductionHUB, a local crew can quickly get last-minute items and rental gear, as well as scout for additional locations and extra crew. Your local video production staff will be familiar with specifics of available filming locations with details like parking, permit requirements, and safety issues.
Filming in South Florida
South Florida has been steadily growing as an established movie nexus with year-round climes comparable to California and an international talent stream. Tax incentives offered for video production in Florida also are a reason for filming in the Sunshine State. If you’d like to learn more about available resources in the state, check out https://filmflorida.org/state-resources/. Film Florida is a not-for-profit trade association for video production that provides film location advice, crew sourcing information, and more.
In South Florida, Turn to Media Monsters
For those based in South Florida, including the Miami and Ft. Lauderdale areas, you can turn to Media Monsters for practically any video production need. Working with the team at Media Monsters can help you contain your video pricing because you will have seasoned experts to take care of every element of your video. This helps reduce the video production cost in the long run because, as they say, time is money.
Media Monsters can provide video production for commercials, event coverage, and more. They can hook you up with rental of video equipment or studio space and give you pre- and post-production services a la carte or by the entire project. In addition, Media Monsters has an entire creative staff that can provide animations, texturing, custom styling, VFX, 3D imaging, and more. Check out what customers say about working with Media Monsters and why they get solid 5-star reviews on Google.
Want to preview some of their work? You can head over to the Media Monsters Vimeo account and see some recent productions that showcase these effects.
