Prospective clients often ask, “How much does it cost to make a video?” It’s a good question – and every producer wishes there were a simple answer. But the truth is, this question is a lot like asking an architect, “How much does it cost to build a house?” or, asking a car dealer, "How much does it cost to buy a new car?"
An architect’s answer would probably be: It depends. Do you want a 50-room mansion on a remote island? Or a prefab cookie-cutter at the lowest possible price? More likely something in between – but what, exactly? Before giving you a quick quote, an experienced architect will ask a lot of questions - including what budget range you are considering.
It would be great if there were a simple formula stating X minutes of video = Y dollars. But video production, just like home construction, involves far too many variables for that. And we need a lot more information before we can give you a meaningful estimate.
We need to consider factors like who your audience is, the level of production value they are expecting to see, the potential value of a truly great video to you or your company, and most importantly, a ballpark figure reflecting what you can actually spend.
After all, the requirements and expectations for a quickie “talking head” for one-time use are completely different from those of a global product launch video for a Fortune 500 company. There’s no point in receiving an estimate for one if you’re really in the market for the other.
The best thing to do is talk to us. With over 20 years worth of award-winning video and multimedia experience, we can help you define your goals, advise you on how to achieve your vision within your budget, and help you maximize every dollar you spend so it shows up on the screen in a quality production.
When we do talk we can explore a range of video production choices and explain how they influence the budget. Here are some factors we need to consider:
* Do you already have a concept, or are we developing one for you?
* If your concept is more expensive to produce than you thought, are you open to a different concept that achieves your goals within your budget?
* What exactly needs to be shot? This is an all-important question, because it determines which equipment we need…
* … how large a crew we need…
* … and how many days of shooting will be required.
* Where are we shooting the video? Are there location expenses?
* Do we need to hire actors or models or voice-over talent? Or are we using your own people? (There are pros and cons to each.)
* How complex is the editing?
* Will there be sophisticated graphics or special effects?
* Will we need an original music score, or stock music, or no music at all?
* How long will the finished video be? (Helpful hint: Shorter is better)
* Do we need to shoot in HD or standard definition? (HD looks great, but is more expensive. Standard-def is often more practical, especially for web commercials)
The fact is, there are literally hundreds of factors that affect the cost of video production. And you can’t simply choose a company based on price, because a lower price - while attractive in this economy - will rarely yield the best result.
The bottom line? Let us know YOUR bottom line – or at least give us a range. Whether your ballpark is $2,500 or $50,000 or $250,000 it’s best to communicate that up front so we can help you create a concept and a production plan that suits your needs and achieves your goals in the most cost-effective way possible.
And here’s the MHP promise: Whatever the size or scope of your project, we’ll deliver a video that you’ll love and that we’ll all be proud of!
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Great post Mike. I agree that it is important for clients to be upfront about their budgets. Knowing a budget range upfront sets creative boundaries that can actually get the juices flowing. The important thing for business owners to remember is video professionals have a passion for the work and helping folks communicate. We will usually find a way to meet your needs and budget!
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of truth in that Stephen. I tell clients all the time if all you have is an idea and a budget we'll make it work. If we didn't do what we love and love what we do we wouldn't be in this business!
ReplyDeleteWhile it may be the same as saying "how much does it cost to build a house?," an architect would say for a small inexpensive frame house, you could probably build it for $125/ sq. foot or less; for a nicer house with some customization, granite counters and tile baths $180- $225 a square foot and for a large house with marble and 10 foot ceilings, you are looking at $300 and up. And I'm not in the building business and know this. Perhaps you can paint 3 scenarios that would help us to even GET a budget by giving us a range to propose to our management. And of course we know there are many factors...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Martha
Hi Martha,
ReplyDeleteYou raise a valid point and one we often address. For the past 20 years I've found the "menu approach" is really a good jumping off point. Qualifying a client's needs is not an easy task if they've never been involved with any type of video or multi-media project in the past. The small, medium, large or biggie size approach is understood by most. Once we determine if the project will be shot and produced in SD or HD the next best way to determine expectations is to share samples of work that best demonstrate a variety of looks, budgets and scenarios. Sometimes the "simple" talking head in front of the green screen with products in the background is not as affordable as some might think once you incorporate talent fees. While I'm not a big fan of trying to "package" production costs sometimes it's the best way to help our clients understand what can be done with the investment they're willing to make.