The most important question when it comes to figuring out video costs is not about money, but vision. What video do you want to represent your brand? What video would you love? Once you’ve let yourself dream, and have come up with an idea of what type of video you want to produce (something we often help our clients with at BX), then you can begin to look at the resources needed to bring that vision into the world.
Thankfully, figuring out how much your next video will cost is a collaborative process with a video production company. Show them your vision, talk about your wants and needs, then get a quote that gives you a high-level estimate of the cost and with each item broken down.
2022 Average Video Cost
Let’s be upfront about our costs. At BX Films, our video projects range anywhere from $25K—$400K each. And we’re very competitive with our pricing. So why the big range? The short answer is because every project is custom, built entirely from scratch, and covers a wide range of styles and options. Again, it’s all about your vision. Let’s look deeper at some of those different factors.
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Need a hand with your company marketing video?
We can move your brand forward with video. Get a quote from one of the Bay Area’s top video production companies.
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What affects a video’s production cost?
Video production is a complex and custom process each and every time, so countless variables affect the cost. Here are the 7 main factors:
Time or Length
A longer video generally costs more than a shorter version of the same type. It includes increased post-production costs due to additional time doing things like editing, sound design, and graphics. And it could mean longer shoot days to gather the footage necessary to produce the video. But it’s not a hard and fast rule — a shorter, but more complex video will likely cost more than a very simple, yet long video.
Quality
One of the biggest ways we increase the quality of a video is by working with additional crew members and better equipment, as well as putting in additional time in post-production to really finesse the look and vibe of a video. All of this goes a long way to make your video feel great to the viewer, and increase engagement of your content. The more budget available, the better we can make it look.
Video and package add-ons
There are a number of ways you can get more mileage out of your production. One of the primary ways is to add on additional cut-downs of a video (shorter versions, social media cuts, and so on). Another great way to take advantage of your production is to add a photographer to the shoot days so you can get high resolution photo assets to use in your marketing as well. By adding on a few low cost options, you can get a lot more bang for your buck.
Location and Travel
Finding the right location can make a video really come alive. And many of the places that you’d love to film at can be rented (for a price of course). You want to film on the Santa Monica Pier? Love that, just give us the time and resources to get permits, pay fees, schedule the shoot and prep for it. You want to film in Montana? Love that too, we’ll discuss how that affects travel budgets, scheduling, and our crew. Because for us, the answer is always yes.
Animation and Graphics
The range of what can be done through animation/graphics has exploded in the last decade. Every style, type, and skillset is available. The question is only what’s going to take your video to its creative best. It can include anything from small, graphic additions in a live-action video, to a video entirely done with 3D animation. It’s here that the cost can fluctuate quite a bit, so we’ll land on a style together and talk through how to make it happen.
Post-Production
Post-production is where we take all of the raw footage we shot on the production, and bring it to life! From editing the footage, to finessing the color, look, graphics and sound, this is where the video truly gets made. The more time we have available, the more we can finesse your video into the engaging piece of content you’re hoping for!
Day rates for crew members
It takes a skilled crew to bring a great production to life. The more skilled specialists we can bring on set, the more capacity we have to make your video shine. Every little thing from lighting to set design to sound is orchestrated in beautiful, yet seemingly chaotic fashion by an expert crew. We would love for you to come see it in action! One major way to ratchet costs up or down is by dialing in how many days are needed for the shoot. Ample time gives us more ability to dial in the look, lighting, acting, and art, though not every concept has to be ultra complex. We can dial that in together long before the shoot days.
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Need a hand with your company marketing video?
We can move your brand forward with video. Get a quote from one of the Bay Area’s top video production companies.
—
How to save money on video production
If you’re looking to be budget-conscious, you’ve got a lot of options. The most important thing is to be upfront with the video production company you’re working with — a good one will be able to tell you how they can help you make a great video without exceeding your budgetary goal.
Especially if it is a video company that does the entire process from concept to completion (such as BX), they can help you craft a script up front that delivers on your vision in a way that achieves both your goals and budget needs. For example, limiting shoots to one day, using a smaller crew, standard equipment, and not adding in things like motion graphics or animation, can all help lower the final cost.
How Quality Affects Cost
At BX Films, we like to talk about having three different tiers of quality, which can help guide you in decision making about how much to invest in your video.
Basic
In this tier we’re able to create solid videos, but focusing on cost over quality. This tier cuts costs by operating with a minimal crew, lesser experienced talent, minimal equipment and simpler post-production. The risk of this tier is that the lowered production value could constrain and restrict the concept. This tier is comparable to basic YouTube style videos.
Example: If the concept calls for an aerial shot, you might not get one…
Standard
In the standard tier, the increased budget enables us to operate with a better crew, better talent, better equipment and a more sophisticated post-production process. This tier provides great video while cutting a few corners to still keep the budget efficient. This tier is comparable to great looking corporate videos.
Example: If the concept calls for an aerial shot, we can use a drone at this tier…
Premium
In the premium tier we don’t have to think about cutting corners for the sake of budget. The adequate budget allows us the full crew we need to make the video cinematic and of highest quality, using a full crew, the best equipment and a post-production process that creates a premium look. This tier is comparable to movies and premium grade television and aims to ensure viewer engagement.
Example: If the concept calls for an aerial shot, we’ll get it the best way possible, maybe even with a helicopter!
Bottom Line: The Cost of Producing a Great Video
At BX Films, we love working with our clients to first discover the highest vision for their video, and then working through strategy, resources, and budgets to make sure we make that vision come to life. If you want to find out more or get your own quote, don’t hesitate to reach out.
