Video Production Cost Calculator
Calculate corporate and commercial video production costs across pre-production, camera crew day rates, cinema gear packages, location studio permits, and post-production editing.
Video Shoot & Post-Production Budget
Full Video Production Formula
Total Cost = (Days × (Director/DP + Camera Crew + Cinema Gear)) + Location & Talent + (Edit Hours × Edit Rate) + Music & Audio- Camera Crew Day Rates: Director of Photography (DP), gaffer, grip, and dedicated sound recordist ($1,500–$3,500/day).
- Cinema Gear Package: 4K/8K cinema camera bodies (RED, Sony FX9/FX6, Arri), prime lenses, wireless follow focus, and Aputure/Arri lighting package ($500–$1,500/day).
- Location & Talent: Studio soundstage rental, municipal film permits, and SAG or non-union on-camera actor fees.
- Post-Production Finishing: Rough assembly cut, client revision passes, color grading (DaVinci Resolve), sound mixing, and licensed music track.
Step-by-Step Worked Example
Calculation Steps:
- Crew & Gear (2 days) = 2 × ($1,500 + $1,000 + $800 = $3,300) = $6,600.00.
- Location & Actors = $1,200 + $1,500 = $2,700.00.
- Post-Production Editing = 30 × $90.00 = $2,700.00.
- Sound & Music Licensing = $500.00.
- Total Production Budget = $6,600 + $2,700 + $2,700 + $500 = $12,500.00.
How to Use This Calculator
- 1Enter the number of principal photography shoot days.
- 2Input director/DP rates, crew costs, and cinema equipment package rentals.
- 3Add location soundstage fees and on-camera talent expenses.
- 4Specify post-production editing hours, color grading, and music licensing fees.
Assumptions & Limitations
- Standard film shoot days are 10 hours portal-to-portal.
- Commercial music licensing covers digital and web advertising distribution.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a 2-minute corporate video cost to produce?
High-quality corporate videos average $1,500 to $5,000 per finished minute of video. A polished 2-minute brand video typically ranges from $5,000 to $15,000, covering pre-production scripting, 1–2 shoot days with a 2–3 person crew, cinema lighting, and full color grading.
Why is professional audio so important in video production?
Viewers will tolerate mediocre video quality, but they immediately click away from poor, hollow, or noisy audio. Hiring a dedicated sound recordist with lavalier and boom microphones ensures crisp, broadcast-quality dialogue.
What is the standard ratio of shoot time to editing time in video?
For corporate video, expect roughly 10 to 15 hours of post-production (assembly, color grading, sound mixing) for every 1 day of raw footage captured on set.
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