Running a video production company, one of the questions you hear most is, “How much will this cost?”

Unfortunately, it isn't always easy to answer right away. The cost of corporate video production depends on what the video needs to accomplish and what it takes to produce it properly.

Most businesses aren't aware of everything that goes into making a great video. A video isn't just clips thrown together in an editing platform with some music. That might produce a finished file, but it isn't the same as creating a video around a clear business goal.

The cost generally comes down to three phases: pre-production, production and post-production.

Why there is no standard cost for corporate video production

Two companies can ask for videos of the same length and require completely different productions.

One business might need an interview filmed in one location. Another might need several people, multiple locations, a detailed script, animation and different versions for its website, sales team and social platforms.

The finished length is only one part of the scope. The work before and after filming can have just as much influence on the quote. A production company needs to understand what the video is supposed to do before giving you a useful estimate.

The three phases that shape a video production quote

Pre-production

Pre-production is everything that needs to be figured out before filming. This can include:

  • Understanding the goal and audience
  • Developing the concept
  • Writing and revising a script
  • Preparing interview questions
  • Creating storyboards and shot lists
  • Finding the right crew
  • Planning cameras, lighting and sound
  • Choosing and preparing locations
  • Coordinating schedules, permissions and access
  • Building the filming schedule

This preparation helps the production day run smoothly. It can surprise people that so much work happens before the shoot, but that work is part of what separates an organized production from simply arriving with a camera and hoping everything works.

Production

Production is the filming itself. Variables that can affect the quote include:

  • The number of filming days and locations
  • Travel and access requirements
  • The size and type of crew
  • Camera, lighting and sound requirements
  • The number of people being filmed
  • How difficult the environment is to control
  • Special equipment, staging or extra support
  • Whether something must be captured over a longer period

For example, our WAZA Home Comfort project required an interview and footage of the team working across multiple days. That is a different scope than filming one team over one day.

Post-production

There is a common idea in video production that the video isn't really created until the editing phase. Filming gives you the material, but editing determines how it comes together.

  • Organizing and reviewing footage
  • Choosing the strongest interviews and visuals
  • Building the story and editing the first version
  • Working through feedback and revisions
  • Colour correcting and mixing audio
  • Choosing and licensing music
  • Adding titles, captions and sound effects
  • Creating motion graphics or animation
  • Preparing different lengths and platform versions

Animation can surprise people because they don't see the work happening in front of them. Motion graphics may need to be designed, created, timed and revised before they fit naturally into the video.

The same applies when a business needs several versions. One main video, multiple short edits, vertical social clips and captioned versions create a different scope than one finished file.

What to consider before asking for a quote

The more complicated the idea and the more deliverables you need, the more work the production will require.

Before asking for a quote, take the time to think about:

  • What do you really want the video to accomplish?
  • How many locations might it need to be filmed in?
  • How many versions of the video do you need?
  • Do you want it cut into social clips?
  • Where will you use the video?
  • When do you need everything completed?

And if you don't know what to ask, show us what you want

If you aren't familiar with video production, you might not know what questions to ask. A reference video you like is one of the most helpful things you can bring.

It doesn't need to match your idea exactly. It gives us a clearer picture of the style and level of complexity you have in mind, which helps us prepare a more accurate quote.

A good quote should make the scope, production requirements and finished deliverables clear enough that you understand the work behind the number.

If you want to see how these decisions came together for an HVAC company, read the WAZA Home Comfort case study.

See the WAZA project