Promotional and corporate video production has become more accessible with the advent of technology. Having a video in the past posed the question, “How do I use it?” and “where will I show it?”. With the advent of online advertising and social media, video promotion has become one of the major players in online marketing.
Having video as part of your web site enhances a businesses online facade significantly, as this type of information relay has become more popular, cheaper and can be more effective than any other form of advertising. Video has become more accessible and affordable to the masses with technological advances. It has not got to the same level of ease as photography has yet, as there are more factors to consider such as the equipment and skill level required. Having a professionally produced video for your business involves particular processes to be addressed;
What is factored into the cost?
Time: Scripts, pre-production, location, filming, effects, graphics, editing, audio, amendments, crew and actors are all part of the process for the serious productions. Organising these takes time and effort.
Vision and Skill: Having a €15,000 camera as opposed to a DSLR or handheld camera might make the video look better, but even with the latter, videos can be produced professionally in the right hands. There are many budding filmmakers that have expensive top of the line equipment but lack vision and skillset. It is about the business, their story and transferring that in a positive way to the customer. A film crew incorporates scriptwriters, producers, cameramen, directors, audio specialists, a director and more. Have you ever seen the ending credits in the cinema? They go on, and on, and on.
Equipment: The cost of equipment is high, maybe not as expensive as days passed, but there is a lot of gear required to produce a quality promotion or advert. Video cameras(of sufficient quality) can cost anything between €700 and €50,000. Audio equipment, lighting, studios, software (Adobe Premiere/After Effects or Final Cut are most common), Rigging, Tripods, Drones, Gimbals and all add significant cost to the production. This equipment does not last forever so replacement costs need to be factored in. Remember, you are hiring the equipment too.
You may think that a 30-second advert should not break the bank but considering the above factors, scope and requirements for the video, it all depends. There will be few videographers that advertise their prices on their website for this reason. If they do, it generally follows a set formula with no leverage.
A general guide from small online film companies are;
Per video
30 – 90-second promo – FROM €1,200
A film crew can consist of a variety of disciplines: Cameraman/men, Sound, Lighting, Editor and Actors.
For example, a Film Editor earns the following
Salary Per Hour (FILM EDITOR) source
Median Salary – €27,862
The average number of hours worked per year (Ireland) – 1,820
Cost per hours work – €15.30 per hour
If there are 5 people on the crew, then even 1 Day shooting could add up. They do not share the one salary you know:
Given an average salary of €15.00 per hour (very, very modest), a 90-second video promotion could accumulate as follows on the basis of a skeleton semi-pro crew;
1 Day Shoot (8 hours)
Film Crew
- 1 x Cameraman
- 1 x Audio Technician
- 1 x Director/additional camera technician
€15 x 8 x 3 = €360
The Editor
Costs – €15.30 per hour
Number of Days – 3 @ €15.30 per hour for 8 hours = €367
Audio Technician –
Audio Editing – 1/2 Day @ €60
The cost of equipment has yet to be factored into this also. Given that the Average living wage is €11.50 per hour, then this does not give the equipment much room at €15 per hour. Think of it this way, a business would not be just hiring the cameraman, soundman and editor. They are hiring the equipment also. If you were to rent the equipment from a shop, how much would that cost? A percentage needs to be added in to factor this cost and it is generally accepted to be around 20%.
Total = €787 + 20% = €944 ( This is based on a small semi-professional outfit but larger professional media companies are inclined to cost significantly more)
To actually get a video promo or corporate video shot, edited and delivered in 4 days is good going. There will not be a lot of bells and whistles included such as drone footage or special effects. This article is only interested in informing on some of the costs associated with video production, but regardless, each video will have a bespoke nature.
The prices in this article are indicative and not conclusive by any means.
Promotional or Corporate video?
So whether you have factored video promotion into your site or not, it is evident that a video can in fact cost more than a website itself in some cases. It is a different skillset. The advantages are clear, however, a video:
1: Gets your message across quicker than any other form of advertising.
2: Video can be spread across multiple platforms, any time, anywhere FOREVER. (One-day full-page newspaper articles in our local paper costs €1600 – FOR ONE DAY. A lot of business still use this archaic form of advertising and have no way of analysing the results.)
3: People are watching more and more video online than ever before
4: Increases duration spent on a web page; good for SEO and rankings.
5: Message is passed onto customers more effectively.
6: Is your online sales pitch: how many sales pitches can you do in one day? Video can reach millions in a short time. It is nearly as good as Santa Claus.
In a nutshell, if utilised correctly the benefits will far outweigh the cost.
Video is King.
Check out our next blog next week. How much does a website cost? E-Commerce