How much should I charge for a 1 minute video?

You want a brief 1 minute promo video made for your company, organization or cause but you don’t want to overspend. Well, no doubt it’s tough for you to know for sure what a good price should be for the quality and outcome that you hope to achieve. Today we’re going over some of the most important details you should be considering when you’re searching for the best options for a promo video production.

First, let’s talk briefly about why you should consider having a promotional video produced for your business or organization.

In the year 2021 of the digital age, video has never been more important.

86% of marketers say video has helped them increase traffic to their website. (Wyzowl)

93% of brands got a new customer because of a video on social media platforms. (Animoto)

These days, people are literally walking around with computer screens in their pockets. Technology has made it so cheap and convenient that regular people can absorb massive amounts of valuable or entertaining video content every day.

78% of people report watching videos online each week and 55% of those viewers watch on a daily basis. (Social Media Week)

The average person will spend 100 minutes each day watching videos online in 2021. (Zenith Media)

It’s also easier than ever for employers to educate their employees by video and for nonprofit organizations to generate a volume of donations by sharing their marketing videos to the global masses.

88% of people say video helped improve collaboration and efficiency in the workplace. (Limelight)

To add on top of this, there are billions of videos online and especially on YouTube. Most of these videos are actually low quality, so high quality and even professionally-shot videos really have a chance to stand out.

A super high-quality video that people love, even has a chance to ‘go viral’ and get spread organically and for free to millions of people. This is something brand promoters would have been considered impossible and ridiculous 20 years ago.

However, not just any video that is produced will have a positive effect. After watching a low-quality presentation video, most consumers will develop a negative perception of a brand which will likely prevent any future transactions. This is why it’s important to not underspend on a commercial video. But how much video production cost is going to be right for you?

Well, the best way to get an idea of how much a video should cost is to actually write a commercial video production brief. A video production brief should include:

•         An overview of what you want in your marketing video.
•         The video marketing objectives you would like to achieve and the metrics you can use to track your results.
•         The target audience demographics for your business.
•         An assessment of promo videos from your competitors.
•         Your marketing message in its clearest form.
•         The tone you want in your video.
•         Visuals you want in your video. Animation?
•         Your scheduling requirements.
•         A general budget range that you can feasibly afford.
•         Deadlines if there are any.
•         And any other observations or considerations.

Once you’ve created your video production brief you can submit this information to commercial video producers in order to get the most accurate video production quotes. After video producers know precisely what you want, you can greatly reduce the chances of unforeseen increases in actual costs after a video producer gets a clearer idea of what you want down the road.

You might also be wondering about the standard rates most common in the video production industry. Let’s go through the pricing as it appears throughout the stages of video production.

There are 3 stages of video production.

First, there’s pre-production. This includes script writing, location scouting, permits and scheduling. The most significant of these is script writing which is generally $60-$150 per hour.

The second stage of video production is the actual production of the shoot. This will include the cost of equipment usage (rented or owned), crew, talent, directing and shooting space. Here are some rates you can expect on the days of shooting:

•         Director of photography: $400-$2,000 per day
•         Drone operation: $500-$1400 per day
•         Sound technicians: $300-$700 per day
•         Gaffer: $300-$600 per day
•         Grip: $200-$600 per day
•         Actors: $50-$400 per day
•         Cameraman: $25-$400 per day
•         Studio shooting: $100-$400 per day
•         Equipment: $25-$100 per hour
•         Misc. fees: $100-$1,000

The final stage of video production is the post-production. This can actually take up the majority of the video production process and it take up a good portion of the cost as well. Post-production includes story editing with multiple rounds after feedback, coloring and grading, graphics and subtitles, voiceovers, sound rendering and animations.

Typical rates for this stage look like:

•         Editor: $60-$150 per hour
•         Voiceover: $100-$400 per day
•         Audio files: $30-$100 per hour
•         Video rendering: $30-$75 per hour
•         B-roll: 10-15% of the video production cost
•         Animator: $300-$500 per day

Now here’s some great news for you.

There are ways for you to save on video production costs.

This is especially true if you are a part of a larger organization which includes an in-house video production team. For in-house video production teams who typically work on more basic videos, you can actually have them handle some of the normally outsourced tasks as a way to keep your video production costs down.

You can have your team write the script for you. You can also have your team handle editing once the shooting is done. You can also have your team handle location scouting if it’s a local shoot.

Of course, it’s ideal to have your promo video shot locally. Hiring a local video production team will mean you likely will not incur costs such as travel and lodging. This is especially helpful in more expensive places such as Los Angeles or New York City. Even doing commercial video production in Portland, Oregon where we are can become expensive if you hire someone from out of state.

The final question to ask yourself is about who you should hire as your video producer. The best answer is the video production company that offers a fair rate, demonstrates good quality in their portfolio and is on the same page as you and your vision.

So, why not go with Bridge City Media?

At Bridge City Media, we build stories and strategies from your marketing and advertising goals. Guided by your vision (and your budget!), we create dynamic promo videos that complement your brand and get at the heart of a 30-minute interview in just 30 seconds. Most importantly, we stick around to make sure our work gets you the results you need. We’re proud of who we work for and uplift our clients long after a project is finished.

Ready to get started? Click the link below for a commercial video production quote and we’ll get that production quote to you as soon as possible.

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