What does a corporate video cost? This is a question clients ask us often. Here we will breakdown the steps to planning and pricing your corporate video, and show you exactly where you can save costs and what parts you don’t need to pay for since you most likely already have them. The cost of a corporate video varies depending on your needs. Some common factors include length of the video, the type of video, and the amount of people needed to create it. An expensive video does not always translate into a successful video. The first point that we should aim for is that the video is suitable for the task at hand, and planning is essential.
Planning makes all the difference
You can save yourself lots of hassle and money by carefully planning before doing the shoot. And the good news is that we help you analyze your video every step of the way. We comb through all the factors to determine what will work best for you based on your budget, time, and company image. Here are some questions we ask before setting out to create your corporate video that play a factor in pricing. Of course, we will discuss the options with you and give you tips on what would make the most sense in your case:
What do you want to show with your video? What is your USP (unique selling point)? Where do you intend to show the video? Who is your audience? How much time do we have to work with before premiering the video? Where do we shoot and under what conditions, outdoors or an office, for example? Will you need models, and at what cost? Are they hired models or people from your company? How much post-production do you need? This relates to special effects, animations, music adaptation, and voiceover acting.
The easiest approach is to outline the steps to creating a video. This way, the categories of costs will become visible to you. There are things you will have access to that will lower your cost of production. Let’s take a detailed look at the 3 stages of video creation for your corporate film: pre-production, shooting the film, and post-production.
Breakdown of steps
Pre-production: Before we begin any project, we need to have a plan. Parts of the plan include the concepts for the video and the storyline with its scripts and overall idea. So if you have all these parts of your project planned beforehand, you could save a lot of time and eliminate the costs of having to hire scriptwriters. Another important aspect to consider is the location of the shoot. Do you want to rent a venue? Will you need props and other objects? Do you have licences and permissions to feature particular locations in your film? Some of these are areas with paid entrance fees, such as museums and galleries. The last part of the planning phase is deciding on actors. Hiring an actor is more expensive, but they can be quite versatile. While using employees and friends brings a feel of authenticity to your video. Ultimately, what aligns best with the aims at hand is the best choice.
Shooting
Costs change based on the equipment being used. If there are specific camera lenses or types you need used, and are not readily available, then they will need to be rented. For shot types that will need special equipment such as cranes or drones, the work becomes more specialized. In certain countries, operating a drone will require a license. Some shoots just take longer to finish, and the costs of longer production times need to be considered. Corporate videos shot at events, for example, can continue for several days. This will directly affect the payments relating to rented equipment, camera people, and models/actors.
Post-production
Like in the shoot, the length of the video plays an important part. A longer video will take longer to prepare in post-production. After we have determined the length of the film, we need to decide on special effects. Will we need to apply CGI, voiceovers, or other effects that will spice up the video? We should decide these last elements in the pre-production phase, but they apply for post-production, and sometimes plans can change. Depending on the budget and the goal, we ought not overlook additional bonuses that post-production can bring. There are elements in post-production that are unavoidable, like color grading and stabilization.
Summary of video elements that affect pricing
- Storyline and script: Do you need to hire a writer?
- Location of shoot, rented venue or own office
- Duration of planned shooting
- Licences and permission for locations
- Actors, models, own employees
- Equipment rental or purchase considerations: lenses, cranes, drones, camera types
- Duration of video
- Special effects: CGI, voiceovers, color grading, and stabilization
Conclusion and How we help you get the most out of your budget
What we help you do is determine the best quality video that we can make, given your budgetary circumstances. We understand that not everyone is familiar with the pricing of models, cameras, and post-production editors, so we go over these things with you beforehand. And the good news is that we can do it for any budget. We have worked with many smaller clients, to corporations such as Audi and Kommerling. In order to accommodate your budget, we can dispense some elements without the loss of quality. Luckily, you don’t need to spend a lot of money on a good video. What’s most important is spending enough to fit the goal at hand. Plus, there are many cost saving techniques thanks to stock footage readily available on the market. Real-life models and videos are more in demand now than ever before, therefore special effects and expensive films are no longer a necessity. With these steps in mind, you are on your way to creating the perfect video for your company. You need not stress over the budget, as there are a variety of options available to you that can make things work.