How much will my film cost?

When budgeting for your video project it’s worth having a think of the various elements that could affect costs early on to avoid any surprises at a later stage. This is all part of the briefing process but here are a few considerations to factor in when planning a project.

Equipment

Different shooting scenarios require different types of equipment, so questions about the amount and type of equipment might arise along the planning process. Which camera is right for your shoot and how many mics are needed? Will your shoot be in a room where you can make the most of the natural light coming in or does it require a full lighting setup for glossy product shots for example?

Editing

At this stage a talented editor will bring out raw emotions in the viewer dependent on the desires and creativity of the project brief. The editing process is a massive challenge as you have to balance many areas while keeping on topic and creative. Experience counts at this stage and likewise post production can add that extra sheen on to a video that can mean the difference between average and a polished end product.

Location

Is your shoot going to be on your business premises or does your video require hiring a studio or location? If several locations feature in one film it’s critical to plan in enough time to get from one location to another. This can of course affect the time for the actual filming so a less stressful approach for both contributors and crew would be to split a shoot over two or more days, which of course will also incur higher costs.

Getting the message right

Good video production is the marriage of powerful and well thought out images (moving or still) and a powerful narrative. The message to your audience is key and a more in-depth video will require more pre- and post-production. This work is integral to setting the foundations of an effective video. The content determines whether or not it will ultimately be successful in its chosen application. This is why research, content development, interview preparation and script writing are so important.

Music

Whether you are after some nice pads to sit below your film, a massive dance tune or a sombre classical piece, audio is highly important to any video! Many would argue more than the shots themselves, and this all costs money. Sound editing and music can roughly be priced at £100 per 3mins of video. So have a think about what style of music you would like and I will make sure to get the right tracks ready for you on the day of the edit.

Depending on the type of video there are also other things to consider like sound effects, voice over, on-screen text or maybe even motion graphics. Again, this is something that we can discuss in more detail in the briefing stage of the project.