The cost of video production can vary greatly. The reason is that producing videos can mean anything from creating a social promo video shot in your home office to planning and producing a broadcast commercial with several locations. However, there is a way to break down a video production project and understand costs.

Here are the primary questions that help our team determine the scope of a video project:

What kind of video quality and video style are you looking for? Do you need a drone shot, or maybe you have a certain type of camera equipment in mind?

How many cameras do you need? Multiple camera angles, when done well, will make a video look more professional and interesting to watch.

Do you need us to find a filming location(s)?

Do you need talent, such as actors or voice actors?

How many videos do you need?

Do you need editing?

Do you need animation or special/virtual effects of any kind?

These questions help us determine who and how many people to hire and the work needed in each phase. Professional video production can be a significant investment. Plenty of research shows why it continues to be the most effective type of content marketing.

The length it takes to complete a video depends on the project's scope and the depth of planning and details that need to be done. Most people don't realize that the pre-production phase (planning) and the post-production phase (editing) tend to take much longer than the actual production (filming) phase.

The time it takes to produce your video could change based on how much work needs to go into each of the phases noted above. For instance, maybe you need a lengthier amount of time to realize and coordinate the video you want. Or, perhaps you want to create a video that doesn't have live-action elements very much, yet you may need a significant amount of editing and post-production services.

With that said, how well you know what kind of video you want to produce, how ample your project scope is, and the number of details you already have sorted out will affect how long it takes to make your video from start to finish.

You can reach out to a video production company even if you don't have a particular vision for your video project. We often speak with clients who know they want to create a high-quality video, but they need help with the rest. That's why we're here! Many video production companies, ours included, help clients brainstorm and storyboard the video that best fits their needs.

First, we ask what the purpose of the video is. What do you want your viewers to gain from watching this video? Then we can get deeper into how you want them to see your brand and feel about your products or services? The greater we understand your brand, voice, and intentions, the better we can curate a creative for you.

On the other hand, if you have determined a great deal of your storyboard, then we are here to bring it to life. We will lend our professional opinion or advice where we see fit, but we work for you. It's your video and investment, and you have the final say.

A great example is a commercial we shot for Global X EFTs. They had a complete storyboard already created, so we just needed to turn it into the real thing! Their logo is an "X," which they wanted to incorporate throughout the commercial. Additionally, their brand's colors are a lovely blue and orange that we were able to integrate as well. See if you can spot the different elements.

We’ve filmed with every high-end camera under the sun (Sony, Canon, RED, ARRI, Black Magic, and beyond)

It starts with a client’s need or vision for a branding campaign. They reach out to us with a vision and a general budget. Typically, multiple production companies put in bids that cover the creative approach and budget breakdown of how they plan to execute the production all the way to the final hand-off. Once the job is won, pre-production begins with storyboarding, casting, wardrobe selections, prop selections, camera decisions, location booking, and crew hiring. We then take all of our prep work to finally shoot the project during a long 10-12 hour day. From there we take the footage and start editing and revising with the client. Most projects undergo 3 or 4 revisions before a final is officially stamped and approved.

We source only the best crew in town and we take special care to make sure the right people are suited for the type of project. For example, we have different lighting department heads depending on whether it’s a broadcast commercial or a talking head shoot.

Yes! We’re not picky about that.

Absolutely! You paid for it, right?

We love using royalty-free music sites. They are quite good these days, and they help save everyone time and, most importantly, lots of money. However, if you have lots of money and want something custom-made, we have the right people for that as well!

Get your project details in order as best you can! What is your budget? When are you looking to film? Do you need any motion graphics? Animations? Where is it going (web vs. broadcast).

Examples are always super helpful, and a clear timeline is helpful to everyone! For example, when you plan to choose a vendor, when you want to film, and when you need everything finished by, the sooner this is expressed, the better, and everyone can comfortably stay on the same page.