How Much Does a 2 Minute Video Cost
By Stanley Meytin
“How much does it cost to make a 1 or 2-minute video?”
We hear it every day. Our answer? There are many variables to professional video production, and each comes with a cost.
Those costs come in three’s. Three phases: pre-production, production, and post-production. Three variables: people, equipment, and what I believe you’re ultimately paying for – time.
I like to compare video production to building a house. Where do you want to construct the house? Miami Beach or North Dakota? How big do you want the house to be? What kind of floors, kitchen counters, appliances do you want? Do you have time to design the house yourself or do you want to hire Art Vandelay?
So how exactly is video production like building a house? Where do you want to shoot the video? On the Golden Gate Bridge or in rural New Jersey? How big and grand do you want your video set to look? How many cameras and actors? Do you have a story and script in mind or do you want us to create them for you? You get the point. Read on for our breakdown of video production costs.
Pre-Production Costs
Time
Time is money! The more time it takes to create your vision, the more it will end up costing you (usually). A complicated story and script take longer to produce than a simple voiceover and some b-roll. There are many ways to save costs during pre-production, and most of those costs relate to time. The more prep work you, the client, have done – the less time we need to spend on creating a vision and the less you’ll end up paying. But you’re busy. You have a business to run after all! All you have is a fundamental idea of what you want, and you’ve left the rest up to us. We promise you’re going to make a kick-ass video, but it’s going to cost you something.
The pre-production phase can take up to three weeks depending on the complexity of the project. First, a director and our producers meet to generate ideas for a creative concept, or as we call it in the biz – a treatment. Once you’ve approved the creative concept, we begin to write your script. By we, we mean our scriptwriter. A general rule of thumb is the more experienced and the more successful the director, scriptwriter, etc.… is then the more we will charge for their time. In theory, you get a better video and script by choosing directors and scriptwriters with more experience and success.
After you approve the script, we begin storyboarding. It’s the process where we put pretty pictures side by side and idealize about the appearance of each scene. With the storyboard complete and approved, a production manager begins sourcing the crew that will work in tandem to bring your vision to life. Remember that rule of thumb? It also applies to most of the people on set.
People
Pre-production, in our opinion, is the most important step in the process. It’s where we work with you to get on the same page about the idea you want to bring to life. The production process can be complicated (expensive) or relatively simple (cheaper) depending on the vision, but regardless of the complexity, you’ll always need people. We’ve listed in detail the people involved in pre-production. Aside from the producer, what you will pay for the people involved in pre-production tends to vary the most.
Producer
A producer is responsible for everything. From the very beginning where we first meet with you to get an idea down, to the very end when we deliver the final product, a producer is making sure everything is going smoothly along the way. A producer is part of the base cost of creating a video. If you hire a professional production agency, you’re getting a producer. If they don’t dedicate a producer to your project – run!
Director
The price you pay for a director varies based on their experience, their past success and even their ego. You can hire a director on your own and save money! But beware of the ego monster. You can also, in theory, hire a big name Hollywood director to shoot your video content. Ridley Scott directed the 1984 Apple commercial, and to this day it’s considered one of the best. But you can imagine what Apple paid Scott.
Location Scout
Location scouts go out and look for the best locations to bring your idea to life. They work closely with producers and directors to find a setting that fits the overall creative vision. The cost of location scouting varies depending on how many scouts you need and where you want to send the scouts. If you know you want to shoot in your office, then a location scout isn’t necessary. But for a video in an unknown location, you’ll need a location scout. If you want to shoot in multiple locations in different states or even countries, you’ll have to pay for airline tickets, hotel, food, etc…
Casting Director
Unfortunately, people on the streets don’t like to be used as no-cost background actors. We’ve tried and lost some costly equipment as a result. If your vision includes a lot of people in the background, we’ll need a casting director to put out a listing for background actors. But you probably don’t want some randos littering your beautiful shot. You want a gracious actor or actress telling the world your captivating story, right? Then you’ll need a casting director. They set up auditions, find the talent and make sure the talent looks and sounds right for the video. The director then chooses his or her favorite actor and presents them to you. You might not like them, so back to auditions. Time is money!
Equipment
Pre-production is all about brain power. There’s no shooting during pre-production, so no video production equipment is necessary.
Video Production Costs
Time
A longer and more complex video shoot usually (99.9% of the time) costs more to make. A 1 minute video, with all other variables the same, will be cheaper than a 2 minute video. But a 1 minute video that spans the globe, and requires shooting at night and during the day will cost a whole lot more than 2 minute video that’s shot in your office with three lights and a chair.
People
You’ve already met your Producer and Director. They’ll be present on set every day and in charge of the rest of the on-set crew:
Set Designer, Script Supervisor, Wardrobe Stylist, Hair and Make-Up Artist, Actors
Before the cameras start rolling the set must align with the vision, the actors need to look the part, and they must follow the script. These are the folks that are responsible for making all of that happen. The more intricate and detailed the set, the more it will cost. Every prop on a set either needs to be rented or bought.
If we’re shooting a close-up of an actor then they’ll spend more time in hair and make-up. The fancier the clothing you want the actors to wear, the more it will cost to rent. The actors and actresses also need to be paid! The better they are, and the more of them you hire, the more your video production will end up costing you.
Camera Operator, Assistant Camera, Audio Operator, Grip, Gaffer
There’s no action without working lights and camera. These camera crew members, hired by the Production Manager, are on set to make sure everything works and meets safety standards. There’s an industry standard rate of pay, but bigger sets require more support crew.
First thing’s first, you need a camera. Not all cameras are the same. Without getting too technical, there are cameras that cost $5,000 to buy, and there are cameras that cost $100,000 to buy. Don’t worry, you’re renting but the cost of renting parallels the cost of buying. You can have one camera or three, or thirty if you really want! But you have to pay to rent each one.
Lighting can range from a few lights to ten flood lights powered by generators. Fuel to power the generators isn’t free even if we’re shooting in Saudi Arabia. The more complex the lighting, the more people it takes to rig and set up all the lights.
It’s very rare to have a naturally perfect setting. Designing the set to meet your requirements usually takes redecorating. The pricing theme is the same, the more ornate you want the set to be, the more it will cost.
Wardrobes set the tone for the video. If you’ve hired actors, you can’t always trust they’ll come dressed appropriately. If you want to recreate the Met Gala, then you’re going to have to provide tuxedos for all the actors and ball gowns for the actresses.
Other costs include catering for all the people on set, fees for closing off Millenium Park in Chicago and hourly rates for helicopters. Yes, you can save on aerial shots with drones, but retro is so in.
Post Production Costs
We’ve made it! Video shooting has wrapped, and it’s time to cut that footage into something your audience will watch over and over again. Your only cost here is time – your time. It’s up to us to get the edits right and meet the project deadline. We don’t like to toot our horns, but we’re pretty good at that.
The answer you’ve been waiting for…
Finally, your accountant can relax! Sort of. We got ahead of ourselves. Can your accountant finally relax? Well depends on their opinion of silly things like video content and how grand you went with the video production process.
We’ve made videos that couldn’t cover rent for three months in our New Jersey offices, to videos that could make you king or queen of North Dakota. One wasn’t better than the other. The clients just had completely different visions and company values. So how much does a 2 minute video cost?
For a professionally produced video, and by professionally we mean created by people who do this for a living full-time – not film school students or waiters with a dream, you’re going to pay anywhere from $10,000 – $250,000. There are hundreds, sometimes thousands of variables that go into video production. You likely don’t have the time to oversee them all, and that’s why companies like us exist.
Sorry, should have mentioned this earlier: No matter how much you spend on video production, it’ll never be money well spent if you don’t choose the right partner for you. If your mind hasn’t melted from all of this information, and you’re still interested in creating an incredible video feel free to reach out to us (also it’s free – of charge). We want to know your vision, goals and it’s possible we’re the right video production partner for you.
Reading Time: 7 minutes
By Stanley Meytin
“How much does it cost to make a 1 or 2-minute video?”
We hear it every day. Our answer? There are many variables to professional video production, and each comes with a cost.
Those costs come in three’s. Three phases: pre-production, production, and post-production. Three variables: people, equipment, and what I believe you’re ultimately paying for – time.
I like to compare video production to building a house. Where do you want to construct the house? Miami Beach or North Dakota? How big do you want the house to be? What kind of floors, kitchen counters, appliances do you want? Do you have time to design the house yourself or do you want to hire Art Vandelay?
So how exactly is video production like building a house? Where do you want to shoot the video? On the Golden Gate Bridge or in rural New Jersey? How big and grand do you want your video set to look? How many cameras and actors? Do you have a story and script in mind or do you want us to create them for you? You get the point. Read on for our breakdown of video production costs.
Pre-Production Costs
Time
Time is money! The more time it takes to create your vision, the more it will end up costing you (usually). A complicated story and script take longer to produce than a simple voiceover and some b-roll. There are many ways to save costs during pre-production, and most of those costs relate to time. The more prep work you, the client, have done – the less time we need to spend on creating a vision and the less you’ll end up paying. But you’re busy. You have a business to run after all! All you have is a fundamental idea of what you want, and you’ve left the rest up to us. We promise you’re going to make a kick-ass video, but it’s going to cost you something.
The pre-production phase can take up to three weeks depending on the complexity of the project. First, a director and our producers meet to generate ideas for a creative concept, or as we call it in the biz – a treatment. Once you’ve approved the creative concept, we begin to write your script. By we, we mean our scriptwriter. A general rule of thumb is the more experienced and the more successful the director, scriptwriter, etc.… is then the more we will charge for their time. In theory, you get a better video and script by choosing directors and scriptwriters with more experience and success.
After you approve the script, we begin storyboarding. It’s the process where we put pretty pictures side by side and idealize about the appearance of each scene. With the storyboard complete and approved, a production manager begins sourcing the crew that will work in tandem to bring your vision to life. Remember that rule of thumb? It also applies to most of the people on set.
People
Pre-production, in our opinion, is the most important step in the process. It’s where we work with you to get on the same page about the idea you want to bring to life. The production process can be complicated (expensive) or relatively simple (cheaper) depending on the vision, but regardless of the complexity, you’ll always need people. We’ve listed in detail the people involved in pre-production. Aside from the producer, what you will pay for the people involved in pre-production tends to vary the most.
Producer
A producer is responsible for everything. From the very beginning where we first meet with you to get an idea down, to the very end when we deliver the final product, a producer is making sure everything is going smoothly along the way. A producer is part of the base cost of creating a video. If you hire a professional production agency, you’re getting a producer. If they don’t dedicate a producer to your project – run!
Director
The price you pay for a director varies based on their experience, their past success and even their ego. You can hire a director on your own and save money! But beware of the ego monster. You can also, in theory, hire a big name Hollywood director to shoot your video content. Ridley Scott directed the 1984 Apple commercial, and to this day it’s considered one of the best. But you can imagine what Apple paid Scott.
Location Scout
Location scouts go out and look for the best locations to bring your idea to life. They work closely with producers and directors to find a setting that fits the overall creative vision. The cost of location scouting varies depending on how many scouts you need and where you want to send the scouts. If you know you want to shoot in your office, then a location scout isn’t necessary. But for a video in an unknown location, you’ll need a location scout. If you want to shoot in multiple locations in different states or even countries, you’ll have to pay for airline tickets, hotel, food, etc…
Casting Director
Unfortunately, people on the streets don’t like to be used as no-cost background actors. We’ve tried and lost some costly equipment as a result. If your vision includes a lot of people in the background, we’ll need a casting director to put out a listing for background actors. But you probably don’t want some randos littering your beautiful shot. You want a gracious actor or actress telling the world your captivating story, right? Then you’ll need a casting director. They set up auditions, find the talent and make sure the talent looks and sounds right for the video. The director then chooses his or her favorite actor and presents them to you. You might not like them, so back to auditions. Time is money!
Equipment
Pre-production is all about brain power. There’s no shooting during pre-production, so no video production equipment is necessary.
Video Production Costs
Time
A longer and more complex video shoot usually (99.9% of the time) costs more to make. A 1 minute video, with all other variables the same, will be cheaper than a 2 minute video. But a 1 minute video that spans the globe, and requires shooting at night and during the day will cost a whole lot more than 2 minute video that’s shot in your office with three lights and a chair.
People
You’ve already met your Producer and Director. They’ll be present on set every day and in charge of the rest of the on-set crew:
Set Designer, Script Supervisor, Wardrobe Stylist, Hair and Make-Up Artist, Actors
Before the cameras start rolling the set must align with the vision, the actors need to look the part, and they must follow the script. These are the folks that are responsible for making all of that happen. The more intricate and detailed the set, the more it will cost. Every prop on a set either needs to be rented or bought.
If we’re shooting a close-up of an actor then they’ll spend more time in hair and make-up. The fancier the clothing you want the actors to wear, the more it will cost to rent. The actors and actresses also need to be paid! The better they are, and the more of them you hire, the more your video production will end up costing you.
Camera Operator, Assistant Camera, Audio Operator, Grip, Gaffer
There’s no action without working lights and camera. These camera crew members, hired by the Production Manager, are on set to make sure everything works and meets safety standards. There’s an industry standard rate of pay, but bigger sets require more support crew.
First thing’s first, you need a camera. Not all cameras are the same. Without getting too technical, there are cameras that cost $5,000 to buy, and there are cameras that cost $100,000 to buy. Don’t worry, you’re renting but the cost of renting parallels the cost of buying. You can have one camera or three, or thirty if you really want! But you have to pay to rent each one.
Lighting can range from a few lights to ten flood lights powered by generators. Fuel to power the generators isn’t free even if we’re shooting in Saudi Arabia. The more complex the lighting, the more people it takes to rig and set up all the lights.
It’s very rare to have a naturally perfect setting. Designing the set to meet your requirements usually takes redecorating. The pricing theme is the same, the more ornate you want the set to be, the more it will cost.
Wardrobes set the tone for the video. If you’ve hired actors, you can’t always trust they’ll come dressed appropriately. If you want to recreate the Met Gala, then you’re going to have to provide tuxedos for all the actors and ball gowns for the actresses.
Other costs include catering for all the people on set, fees for closing off Millenium Park in Chicago and hourly rates for helicopters. Yes, you can save on aerial shots with drones, but retro is so in.
Post Production Costs
We’ve made it! Video shooting has wrapped, and it’s time to cut that footage into something your audience will watch over and over again. Your only cost here is time – your time. It’s up to us to get the edits right and meet the project deadline. We don’t like to toot our horns, but we’re pretty good at that.
The answer you’ve been waiting for…
Finally, your accountant can relax! Sort of. We got ahead of ourselves. Can your accountant finally relax? Well depends on their opinion of silly things like video content and how grand you went with the video production process.
We’ve made videos that couldn’t cover rent for three months in our New Jersey offices, to videos that could make you king or queen of North Dakota. One wasn’t better than the other. The clients just had completely different visions and company values. So how much does a 2 minute video cost?
For a professionally produced video, and by professionally we mean created by people who do this for a living full-time – not film school students or waiters with a dream, you’re going to pay anywhere from $10,000 – $250,000. There are hundreds, sometimes thousands of variables that go into video production. You likely don’t have the time to oversee them all, and that’s why companies like us exist.
Sorry, should have mentioned this earlier: No matter how much you spend on video production, it’ll never be money well spent if you don’t choose the right partner for you. If your mind hasn’t melted from all of this information, and you’re still interested in creating an incredible video feel free to reach out to us (also it’s free – of charge). We want to know your vision, goals and it’s possible we’re the right video production partner for you.
What story would you like to share?
Whether you want to launch an idea, spark a movement or simply get people talking about what you do, you have one shot
at delivering your message in a way that matters. Let’s make sure you do it right.
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