How Much Does Video Production Cost?
The most common question we hear is, “How much does video production cost?” While it might seem like a simple number to throw out, the truth is that video production pricing depends on a wide range of factors — from the complexity of your concept to the size of your crew, locations, equipment, editing needs, and distribution strategy.
Professional video production costs can vary dramatically, which is why two projects that look similar on the surface can have very different budgets. A simple one-day shoot with a company executive may fall on the lower end of the spectrum, while a multi-day commercial campaign with actors, specialized gear, and full crew support can land much higher.
Below, we break down the average video production cost, followed by a detailed look at the key factors that influence pricing — so you can better understand what goes into a quote and how to plan the right budget for your next project.
Average Video Production Cost (Quick Answer)
In the San Francisco Bay Area, most professional video production costs range from $5,000–$15,000 for simple projects to $30,000+ for larger-scale corporate or commercial productions.
Budget Ranges
Video production costs can vary widely, and the range depends almost entirely on how simple or complex your project is. If you’re looking for a straightforward talking-head video, your budget will land on the lower end. If you need multiple locations, actors, advanced equipment, or a multi-day shoot, the investment naturally increases.
Think of video production like building a custom recipe — the ingredients you choose (crew, equipment, creative development, edits, graphics, etc.) directly influence the final cost. Below is a clearer look at how these ranges shift based on scope, expectations, and the quality level you want to achieve.
Let’s say your CEO wants to give a quick presentation to the company but wants it to look polished awith impeccable sound. For this “talking head” style of shoot, we can usually go from ideation to final delivery within only a day or two. The editing is minimal, the location is pre-determined, our talent is already hired, and we usually need a very small crew. For this shoot, you just need a director and a camera operator. As for equipment, you’d need a professional camera, a basic lighting kit, a solid microphone, and polished editing. This production budget should be pretty affordable, maybe $3,000-$7,000.
But let’s say you wanted to take this production to another level. You might consider adding a teleprompter, a second camera, better lenses, and some basic graphics. Each of these would increase the budget but yield a more polished final video.
Continuing up the ladder, a more complex video with an ambitious idea would require several of our team members to work on the project for a few weeks to yield the best results. Thus, the budget will continue to expand in scope, and the result will be a video that stands above the competition and puts you ahead of the pack. If you are working in a competitive field and want to really grab customer or client attention, it’s definitely worth the extra cost.
These more complex ideas and higher-end budgets usually include a wider range of our services. Our team can tackle concept development, ideation, scripting, storyboarding, and everything in between. We can also provide comprehensive pre-production services to ensure our ideas align with your vision and objectives. Once we have solidified the story, we’ll work with our lead producer to decide on a director, crew, actors (or your team), travel, insurance, permits, location scouting, multiple high-end cameras, a grip truck, lighting package, audio, editing, motion graphics, color correction, sound design, and more.
If you are working with a tighter budget, it’s best to keep things as simple as possible. Whether that’s simply sticking to stock footage, using free locations with your team as talent, or minimizing the number of crew, every layer of complexity adds significantly to the video production’s total budget.
That said, if you have a large budget, there are an infinite number of possibilities for what we can create. Whether that’s a challenging concept, custom 3D animations of your product, pyrotechnics, stunts, or exotic locations, we’ll make it happen.
What goes into a video budget?
Understanding what actually drives video production cost is the key to planning your budget with confidence. Every project is different, but most budgets are shaped by the same core elements: your concept, script, locations, crew, equipment, shoot schedule, and post-production needs. Whether you’re producing a simple talking-head video or a multi-day commercial campaign, each of these factors adds time, complexity, and resources to the overall cost.
Below is a breakdown of the most critical components that determine how much your video production will cost — and how different choices can increase or decrease your final investment.
The Concept
Although we like to think outside the box, the budget often dictates how far we can take a concept. Every idea we consider for your video drastically affects the feasibility of fitting it into the budget. We believe that an excellent video always stems from the seed of a great idea. You could spend a large sum of money on production, but the concept must be well thought out to convey your vision to your audience.
Most San Francisco video production companies have an in-house creative services department. They have writers, directors, storyboard artists, and designers to ensure the video stays on-brand. Often, the creatives will design and present treatments to your team to visualize the concept when “the rubber hits the road”. In these treatments, we discuss the story, characters, mood, tone, pacing, music, voice-over, and any other key elements that make the story stand out and captivate your audience. This creative development phase takes a lot of time and financial resources. These services can range from a few thousand dollars for a simple concept to tens of thousands of dollars for an entire campaign. Although it might be tempting to skip budgeting for ideation, this part of the video production cost should not be overlooked.
If you are on a tighter budget, we might recommend doing as much of this ideation as possible beforehand. If you can find similar concepts or videos that resonate with your team, we can save many steps by using their work as inspiration. If you give your video production company an idea of your vision and objectives, we can ensure we are heading in the right direction. Try filtering your ideas before working with your video production team. Otherwise, it can turn into many ideas with no clear creative direction. These many revisions in the pre-production phase can be costly in time and money. If you have a clear vision, the production phase will be much more cost-effective.
The Script
Although most of us have written many emails and shorthand messages to our coworkers and friends, writing for the screen is drastically different than other styles of writing. Most of the time, your video production company will have a talented screenwriter on staff who can take our seed of an idea and put it on paper.
Maybe you’ve already got your idea ready and want to give it a shot. By all means, please do. When you are ready to polish and give it the finesse it needs, you’re much better off having a professional writer take it to the finish line. We’ve seen visually stunning videos that just lacked the professional touch screenwriters bring to the table.
A good screenwriter not only takes the dialogue but thoughtfully integrates the visual concepts to make it really come to life!
You might expect to spend $1000+ for a pristine script by a talented writer.
Pre-Production
We find that this is the most overlooked stage of full video production. Pre-production often accounts for 10–20% of your video production cost. Most clients think we show up to set and push the record button. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Many days before we are scheduled to shoot, we begin our pre-production services. Just like you wouldn’t put flooring in a house that didn’t have a foundation poured, your creative team won’t start the production phase before pre-production is finalized. Once the idea is locked down, your team will scout locations that best fit the story, evaluate the story, create a shot list, draw up a storyboard, hire the crew, rent the right equipment, obtain permits for the locations, and provide insurance where needed. After that, your team will schedule the day and the complex logistics of each shoot day down to the minute. Time is money, so let’s get everything ready beforehand!
This time spent on pre-production logistics actually saves a lot of time and money down the road. If you show up at your location and construction is underway because you didn’t permit it, what are you going to do with your 10+ crew? That day just got costly! This pre-production time does cost money(usually several thousand dollars), but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! This planning really does help avoid costly mistakes and delays on the set. When time is of the essence on a shoot day, you capture every critical shot you need for the editing portion of your video production.
Locations
Locations are among the most essential elements of your video. They can either make or break it. It’s also an area where you can be resourceful to save some money! Perhaps you already have a beautiful office with exquisite texture and natural lighting. Maybe your colleague has a pool you can borrow for an afternoon. This is often an area where you can think outside of the box.
However, trying to make a location work that doesn’t quite fit can definitely ruin the production. Dark and dingy? Loud and distracting?Probably not the best idea. Do you have a client or colleague who will let you film in a beautiful space in return for a favor? Use these connections! Oftentimes, you’ll need to factor in a few thousand dollars per location to cover location fees and any required permits. Shooting in any big city also poses additional considerations for parking, bathrooms, and lunch areas. You might need to bring in tables and chairs for your hair and makeup, cones to block off parking, and a security officer if the location isn’t the most secure.
Don’t overlook exotic locations as a pivotal part of your video production.
Equipment: Cameras, Lighting, Set Design, and Props
Let’s be real, as we’ve said before, if the idea isn’t good, it doesn’t matter how good the equipment you’ve rented is. Go back to the drawing board! Assuming your idea is as good as it can be, let’s talk equipment. There is a vast difference between films shot on a mobile phone and those shot with a professional cinema camera, featuring incredible lenses and top-notch lighting.
It’s these pieces of equipment that often give the “look” of the piece a professional polish. If you want these incredible shots, you also need to factor in the cost of specialty equipment like drones, dollies, cranes, and steadicams. Each of these requires a portion of the budget but can elevate the story and image quality. The better the equipment, the better the image, and thus a better end product. Each of these items has costs for rent, maintenance, and insurance. Also, don’t forget about image transmission costs. Whether you want to transmit the image to your boss sitting at Basecamp, a couple of hundred feet from the action, or a remote client halfway across the world, this transmission can add complexity and cost to the project. The cameras alone may cost $500+ to rent in addition to lenses and a grip truck. To rent a majority of these tools, factor between $1k to $10k, depending on the specifics.
You might also consider the set design, wardrobe, and props. Do you need to discuss talent clothing sizes and have your stylist pick out clothes? Or are you simply working with what the talent can bring from their own closet? Each option can add a significant amount to the total budget. Adding props should also be considered, as they will contribute to the look and overall quality of your film.
Crew, Talent, and other personnel
Although you might be shooting with the latest and greatest equipment, it’s the operators and staff who take the production up a notch. Hiring a talented director to deliver the perfect performance, or a DP (Director of Photography) to make the talent look their best, will set your video apart from the rest.
Although the director is often thought of as the keeper of the story and the lead player on set, it is the collaboration between the producer and the director that brings the final product to life. On a smaller budget shoot, the director and the DP might be the same person!
A full crew will include a director, DP, Assistant Cameramen, camera operators, an audio engineer, a gaffer, grips, location managers, prop masters, wardrobe stylists, hair and makeup artists, production assistants, and more!
The talent can include members of your company or hired actors. The cost for hired actors ranges from a few hundred dollars per day for background actors to thousands of dollars per day for celebrity talent.
The producer is responsible for collaborating with the 1st Assistant Director to ensure the shoot is completed on schedule and to avoid costly overtime fees at the end of the shoot day. Read more about comprehensive production services.
The Shoot Schedule
Scheduling shooting days is a critical factor in a project’s success. From the beginning, your team will let you know how many days of production this idea should take. And it can vary widely. A small-scale promo video can most likely be shot in one day, while a larger-scale production can take weeks or more. The larger the crew, the more location moves, and the more equipment, the more likely it is that a production’s quality can leap, but it also takes more days of shooting! Budgeting from the ideation phase is key!
The more footage you can capture in one day, the more bang for your buck! Although it might be easier to schedule four people across four days to accommodate their schedules, it’s often most cost-effective to shoot them all in one day. A single day requires less setup, breakdown, day rates, and rental costs than multiple days of shooting.
Miscellaneous Expenses: Transportation, Food, Hard Drives, Insurance, etc.
Often overlooked but equally important are the small costs that can add up quickly. Be sure to include daily parking, snacks and meals, PPE, hard drives for raw footage, and other small out-of-pocket expenses. Most professional production companies will already have the standard insurance required by most locations. Still, there are exceptional circumstances, such as shutting down streets or handling explosives, that may require specialized insurance. These can cost several thousand dollars. And although we’ve mentioned it before, some locations might necessitate hiring security or other support staff.
Post Production: Editing, Graphics, and VFX
Budgeting for editing is a critical factor in a project’s success. Post-production services are truly one of our specialties. A talented editor will take the footage and put it together in a way that moves your audience. Just as on-set crew budgets are based on their skill level, number of editing days, number of revisions, and the length of the finished video, editors’ budgets are based on the same factors.
Although graphics are often overlooked, they can help take the project to the next level! They can range from simple, such as a title and bumper slide, to sophisticated motion tracking and screen replacement. A good graphics artist will make it come to life! Lastly, if VFX is involved, such as an exploded version of your product, you’ll want to factor in a few thousand for simple effects to 50k+ on the high end! Definitely plan for this upfront and know that revisions are often costly! So be sure to get that idea solidified on the front end.
Music and Sound Design
A good score will convey a mood that helps put the viewer on the screen. A great music score will bring the video to life, while a bad score will destroy the mood immediately. Whether it’s a sense of urgency or a comedic beat, music is often the key to a moment’s success!
If the budget is there, we’ll work with an artist to create a custom score. If the budget/project doesn’t justify it, we’ll look through hundreds (or thousands) of songs in our music library to find the perfect track. Don’t overlook the importance of music in your final video.
Good sound design often goes unnoticed, but it’s what really helps sell the effects in the videos. Whether it’s a whoosh with a graphic or an explosion that raises the viewer’s heart rate, good SFX (sound effects) make a big difference. For most projects, we work with a sound tech to strike the perfect balance between music, dialogue, and SFX and get the mix just right!
Video Distribution and Video Seeding
Distribution can be a significant portion of your video production cost, depending on where your audience lives online. After all, why spend all this money on a video if nobody is going to see it? Our video marketing services will be sure it’s shown in the best light!
Although no one can guarantee a video will go viral, you can usually get it in front of your ideal audience if you know your audience demographics and your target customer. Video SEO and distribution will ensure the right people see your video! Allow $1k-$200k for a solid campaign. But this number can vary dramatically based on your target audience and desired outcomes.
Typical Video production budget
Although the percentages below can always vary, they are a pretty good starting point!