Business and Corporate Video RATES

Production and Editing Cost

What Does Video Cost? A Client’s Guide to Price Per Finished Minute

When you’re budgeting for video, the most useful number to know is the cost per finished minute: the total price of everything it takes to deliver one minute of final footage, from planning through the last edit.

What moves the price

Four things matter most: the style of video (live-action is generally cheaper than animation, and 3D costs more than 2D), the level of polish, how complicated the shoot is (extra locations, effects, or on-camera talent), and how fast you need it. Rush jobs cost more.

Where the money goes

Planning (Pre-Production): concept, script, storyboard, casting, and permits. Often a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars for the whole project.

One set Price that can range starting at $500 on up based on projects requirements. Hiring actors, certain locations and some permits can add significant planning base cost

Filming (Production): crew, gear, talent, locations, and travel. This is usually the biggest line item and ranges widely,

$500 for a simple day shoot to $2,000 or more for a high-end one

Editing and finishing (Post Production): cutting the footage, color, sound, graphics/animations, and effects.

costs range from $300 to $1,000 per finished minute, BASED ON complexity

Extras: captions, translations, and versions for different platforms add to the total.

Prices range starting at $500 on up based on projects requirements. Hiring actors, certain locations and some permits can add significant costs

Ballpark ranges

Simple talking-head or small-business videos sit at the low end.

Commercials, documentaries, and animation can climb far higher because of talent, travel, and detailed production work.

DIVE DEEPER INTO COST BREAKDOWN

Two ways costs get quoted

Flat project costs. Pre-production (script, storyboard, casting, permits) is typically a one-time fee for the whole project. It doesn’t scale with length the same way. A 2-minute video and a 5-minute video may need nearly the same planning.
Per-finished-minute costs. Filming and editing tend to scale with how much final video you’re delivering, so they’re often quoted per minute.

How a client would actually estimate

Total cost = pre-production (flat) + (production rate x minutes) + (post-production rate x minutes) + add-ons Example for a 3-minute

#2 Example: : video, using LOW-range numbers:

Pre-production: $300 (flat)
Production: $500 x 3 = $1,500
Post-production: $600 x 3 = $1,800
Add-ons (captions, extra versions): $100. x 3 = $300
Total: about $3,900, or roughly $1,300 per finished minute

That last number, the all-in total divided by minutes, is the “cost per finished minute.”

NOTE: Also, short videos usually cost more per minute than long ones, because planning and setup are spread across fewer minutes. A 30-second video can easily cost more per minute than a 5-minute one.

#2 Example: Video for 3 minute interview, 1 person, 2 cameras, 2 light set up, 1 location no permits

For a 3-minute interview with one person, two cameras, two lights, a mic, and some b-roll,

expect roughly $1,500 to 2,500 on average. Can rise up to $3,000 in San Jose and depending on complexity and add-ons

How to keep costs down

Settle your goal and audience before anyone picks up a camera.
Approve the script early so you avoid paid revisions.
Film once and cut several versions for different platforms.
Get quotes from more than one provider and compare what’s included.

Ready to get a number?

Tell us your goal, length, and timeline, and we’ll send a quote.

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