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USER GUIDE TO CORPORATE VIDEO
Frequently Asked Questions

How much will it cost to produce a video?

How long will it take to produce a video?


How much does it cost to produce a video? 

Anytime a video is considered as part of a business communication plan, there's a need to put a price tag on this element early in the process. After all, it's difficult to recommend a plan of action without knowing the cost, and more difficult still to get a blank check approved for the project! Frustrations come into play here because it is difficult to attach an accurate cost to a video without having a concept and important details nailed down. When you establish a budget for a video prior to detailed analysis of objectives, audience and potential approaches, it's a shot in the dark. That's why people in business are attracted to the idea of a formula for determining the cost of a video. So for years we've heard that a video should cost "X dollars per finished minute." The danger of a formula is that there are just too many variables for it to be reliable. A minute of a video featuring the CEO talking is going to require substantially different resources than a minute of a video featuring a troupe of actors playing out a scene. A 12-minute video shot in Sydney, London and Brussels will most likely cost more than one shot in Omaha.

The only meaningful answer we can give you is perhaps one of averages. But we can also debunk some of the myths that we have long needed to put to rest. The day of the $1,000 per-finished-minute video is, with rare exceptions, long past. This formula, never reliable to begin with, was popular back in the 1970s, when a cup of coffee cost 15 cents. But here are some averages to help you out: Most corporate videos for blue chip companies with high standards have budgets ranging from $30,000 to $100,000 for about a ten-minute program. Some cost more than this, and a few do cost less, but these are exceptions. They generally average below $50,000. We've produced videos in the past five years with per-minute costs as high as $17,000 and as low as $250. "That's no help," you may say, but after we visit with you and get a little detail about your objectives and audience, we can usually narrow the range for you as you go to bat to get the go-ahead on your project. The further we get down the road of needs analysis and conceptualization, the more reliably we can estimate the budget for a video, film or electronic media project.


How long does it take to produce a video?  return to top

We've all heard the adage, "good, fast, and cheap - pick any two, but you can't have all three!" There are comfortable time-frames for your typical video project, but there are also times when you need it yesterday, and Visions West enjoys a reputation for being responsive and able to rise to the occasion when the impossible is needed. But keep in mind that costs generally do go up when a timeline is shortened. This isn't to penalize procrastinators or discourage those last-minute calls for help. It's a function of having options taken away - the option to have a graphic concept go through two drafts and approval stages before paying an animator to execute, for example - possibly resulting in the need for an expensive post-production revision, or the option to schedule several interviews on the same day for economies in crew/equipment costs. With less lead time, we are at the mercy of other people's schedules. The least expensive of the appropriate resources may not be available, more expensive plane tickets must be bought, etc.

Don't be afraid to call us if you have a short timeline. But do make every effort to allow plenty of time when you can - especially when every dollar counts. The typical corporate video has a two to three month timeline. This allows for appropriate fact-finding, a treatment for client review, multiple drafts of a script, a comfortable window for shooting, and an editing schedule that is not rushed and allows for rough cut review. It's important to note that, except in rare cases, you -- the client contact, or "project manager" -- usually have many jobs to do. This is even more true for company content experts and for managers who may need to review and approve certain stages. A big part of the production schedule must be allocated to having scripts or tapes sitting on people's desks, awaiting their review.

Some projects require much less planning and conceptualizing, and can be turned around in even a day or two when absolutely necessary. These are exceptions, however. It's much more likely that you'll need two to four weeks for scripting, a week or two for shooting, and a few weeks for reviewing footage and editing. If you don't have adequate time for a comfortable production schedule, then you need to be prepared to spend more money, and you'll need the commitment of key personnel to review materials quickly or delegate approval to you. 

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