The cost of a corporate video production services is hard to nail down as it depends on so many different variables and a lot of project management. In this article we will share the main elements that will determine the cost of your corporate video to help give you an insight into what you may need to budget for when thinking of producing a video content campaign.
- The scale and scope of the video production
- The skills and expertise of the crew
- The length of your video content
- The video production deadlines
- The number of video deliverables you need.
The scale and scope of the video production
The scale of your corporate video production is dependent on your requirements – do you want to shoot your corporate video content in a film studio or on location at one of your offices? If you want to film in a studio, how many people do you want to shoot? This will impact the number of days that it will take to film all participants and subsequently determine the number of days you will need to book in a video production film crew for.
Its also worth thinking about whether you need to shoot multiple people on set at the same time such as actors or a panel of experts or whether it will be more of a talking heads style production with one person on set at any one time? Filming multiple people at the same time requires more cameras and lighting as well as the need for a sound recordist to ensure every single person speaking is captured with professional audio.
If you want to film on location across different sites, then have a think about how many locations you need to film to deliver on your business objectives? For example are you trying to show the audience that you are a UK wide based company or maybe you want to show your clients based in Europe? The answer to these questions will help you logistically plan your video production needs and whether or not you require the video production crew to travel to locations across Europe or other global locations where you are based? Its worth noting that on top of the costs of production there will be standard travel and accommodation expenses that may need to be accounted for.
Or maybe you need to shoot a large-scale live event which is time sensitive? This will require several camera operators and producers working at the same time across varying locations to capture the audience, speakers, vox pops etc.
As you can see each production is unique and requires a different size of crew to achieve your desired business objectives.
The skills and expertise of the video production crew
Dependent on the scale and scope of your video production requirements, you will need to resource the talent required to produce your video content campaign on time and within budget.
The skills and expertise of each member of the video production crew will have a direct impact on cost, and this is very much a sliding scale. To help simplify this and give you and idea of the costs associated with each role we have outlined below the varying crew roles, the value they add and the day rates that they normally charge.
Professional video production services are highly technical and creative, so its always worth paying the extra dollar to hire expert in this field who will produce you a video thats high in quality, quickly and safely.
To show you where each role plays a part – we have broken down the main stages of the video production process into:
- Pre-production.
- Production.
- Post-production.
Video Production Services - Pre-Production
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Producer
The producer is the project manager of your corporate video production and will work with you from concept to completion. They generally will partner with you across every stage of the video production process and will resource all talent and crew in line with your budget, organise and plan the most efficient logistics and oversee both the production and post-production teams to ensure everyone is working in line with the brief and on time.
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Copywriter
We cannot emphasise the importance of a good quality script as it is the foundation of your corporate video content. If you are unsure how to write one in an engaging way you may need to source a copywriter. They can script your video content in line with your video objectives, timings and in your brand tone of voice. To cut your costs you could write the script yourself or alternatively as part of our video production services we can collaborate with you to cut it down and make it more dynamic and engaging.
Video Production Services - Shoot Day
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Director/Director of Photography (DOP)
A Director of Photography is the head of the camera crew and controls every element that is captured by the camera, including setting up the composition of the set, the camera lenses and ensuring the lighting is perfect and in line with the look and feel you wish to create.
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Camera Operator
A camera operator is skilled in digital video production and controls the cameras and the positioning on set. They will take direction from either the Director or the Director of Photography. If your corporate video is a piece to camera or an interview you may only require one camera operator who can manage 2-3 cameras on tripods. However, if you are filming a conference or a live event this will require several camera operators capturing footage on gimbals enabling them to move around freely across different locations.
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Gaffer
A Gaffer is a lighting technician that works closely with the Director or the Director of Photography to create and control the lighting in line with the creative video direction. They are a lighting wizard and are also highly skilled in health and safety.
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Sound Recordist
A camera operator can set up the sound using a boom mic or lavaliere mics on basic interview/talking head shoots but if your video production requirements are more complex than this then we would recommend always hiring a professional sound recordist. They will be involved in pre-production and assess locations for potentiall sound issues such as external traffic etc. They will work closely with the Directors and camera crew to assess the quality of audio throughout the corporation video production shoot and rrequest re-takes when necessary.
Video Production Services - Post- Production
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Editor
An editor brings your video content to life working under the direction of the director they will cut and craft together the raw footage captured by the production crew and turn it into an engaging narrative that delivers on your business objectives.
- Animator
Animators can work on standalone animated explainer videos or in collaboration with the video editor creating 2D/3D animations or motion graphics that will help enhance your story and hammer home any key messages that you want to highlight. Its worth noting that 3D animation is significantly more expensive than 2D animation due to it being a more complex and involved process.
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Colour Grader
Once the editor has completed the video and the client is happy with the narrative and visuals the colour grader will take over and adjust the colours of the video footage captured to enhance a mood or feeling from the final video and give it that polished professional look.
Video Production Services - other costs
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Actors/Models
If you want to shoot a video campaign with actors or models this will incur a cost for their time. The cost will be dependent on experience so if you’re looking for Oscar level quality acting – then its going to cost you. As part of our video production services we will source a number of models or actors in line with your brief and arrange a casting day either over zoom or in person where you can approve the final selection.
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Voiceover Artist
A voiceover artist will bring your script to life in your brand tone of voice. They will record a professional audio that the editing team will use when piecing together the visuals of your video content. We have a library of voiceover artists on our books, and will select a variety of voices for you to listen and choose from.
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Licensed Music
Music really lifts your video and enhances the mood; however, you cannot just go ahead and edit your video content to the latest Beyonce track. Copyright law is very strict and most social media platforms now will restrict you sharing video content with unlicensed music. There are music licensing platforms such as Artlist.io where you can purchase music tracks for your corporate video productions produced by digital composers at reasonable prices.
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Studio Space
If you need to shoot in a studio then there will be a day cost attached to hiring this out. You can find lots of studios advertising their space on https://www.tagvenue.com/. At MHF we charge a flat £500 a day to film in our studio space. Alternatively, to keep your costs low we can come shoot in your office or commercial space and will charge only the expenses involved in getting to you.
Video production day rate costs.
- Producer - £450 - £600
- Copywriter - £300 - £450
- Director/DOP – £800 - £1800
- Camera Operator – £450 - £800
- Sound Recordist – £650 - £1000
- Gaffer – £300 - £650
- Editor – £350 - £600
- Animator – £500 - £1000
- Colour Grader – £500 - £950
- Actor/model – £300 +
- Voiceover Artist – £100 - £350
- Licensed music - £30+
Its worth noting that you will not require every role to work on your corporate video production and if you partner with a video production company they can advise you on what is required and the best options in line with your budget. At MHF we have a large network of talent that give us their best rates so we will be able to pass on cost savings throughout our supply chain.
The length of your video
The length of your video content will have a direct impact on how long it takes in post-production to edit, colour grade and animate. The longer the video the longer it will take to make in post. A standard 1-minute video can take anywhere between 3 to 5 days to turnaround however if you require a quicker turnaround, this can be achieved within 12 hours, but this is a premium service that we charge at £125 an hour.
The timeline of the production
The cost of a corporate video production will be impacted by the speed in which you need it delivered. If you require a quick turnaround video this may require the video production crew to work late into the evening, at the weekends or even may require more talent on a project to speed up delivery. All these factors will impact the cost of production and possibly push up the costs to produce. At MHF our weekend rates are costed a time and a half day rate.
The number of video deliverables you need.
As part of your video content strategy, you will likely want several video content deliverables to share across various social media platforms, paid advertising and your own website. Its also worth noting if you require captions or subtitles to increase your reach globally and improve accessibility. Each video deliverable will impact time and cost of production.
Conclusion
So, as you can see there are a lot of moving parts to making a great corporate video, and the costs can rack up quickly. As your corporate video production partner, we will work with you to deliver a professional high quality video campaign within your budget.
We will advise you on what you can achieve for your budget and what you cannot, but it’s always our intention to get you the biggest bang for your buck.
We will take the stress out of your hands and project manage every element of the video production process from concept to completion and resource all talent required.
However, it’s worth noting that the best way to get value out of your video production services is to optimise your filming days booked to capture future video content that can be repurposed and edited into different video content maximising your return on investment. As a rule, the more videos you make the more cost savings can be made. Check out our article on how to get more value from your corporate video production for some of our top tips.
Alternatively, if you need a video production company skilled in making corporate videos within your allocated budget then get in touch – we’d love to hear more about your specific needs and see how we can help.
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