How Much Does it Cost to Produce a Great Video?
Ahhhh the age old question, most production companies hate to talk about.
The answer of course is… it depends…who likes that answer? No one.
Well, first off, it’s important to reflect on some key questions:
What type of product are you selling?
Do you absolutely need actors and a location?
Can your product be presented using 2D, 3D or CGI and stock video?
Lucky for you, we’ve got experience with making these tricky decisions.
So, when should actors or models be used?
The necessity of actors and models all depends on whether or not the said product or brand requires direct interaction in order to properly showcase its functions. For example, let’s say your product is an exercise machine… in this case, your product would be best served by having an actor using the machine and thereby demonstrating its use.
Now that the necessity of actors has been decided on, let’s list all the other additional components needed:
Models
Makeup
Wardrobe
Location or studio
DP ( or a cameraman, in layman's terms)
Director
Script
Storyboarding
Yet, a quality live action shoot can be pricey. Depending on how polished you want to get for a professional live action production, costs can range from $10,000 - $50,000 and beyond.
If you do decide upon a professional shoot, make sure that you plan to get additional footage that can be used in the form of put downs for additional content.
If You Don’t Go the Live Action Route:
If your product doesn’t necessarily need direct interaction, then hybrid motion is the way to go.
Let’s say your product is a vitamin, pet food or even a laptop.
To save money on production, consider working with an agency that specializes in combinations of stock video clips, 2D animation and beautiful design.
How?
A talented video production partner can combine your product images, with quality stock video and animation techniques to produce an excellent video suitable for Amazon, connected TV or your website for a fraction of the cost of a live shoot.
The key here is talent and experience.
It’s vital to choose a company that has experience in your product or field and has knowledge of which type of video works best for each platform. Platforms can vary from Youtube, Instagram, TikTok, the product’s website or Amazon.
Depending on the length and design, costs range from as low as $3,000 - $7,000.
3D & CGI:
If you feel your video needs a bit more elevated graphics, consider using 3D and CGI.
Some great examples of CGI are included in Apple commercials. Think of those beautiful images of phones or iPads dancing and rotating on screen for super high tech presentations. Graphics as sleek and eye-catching as those could be used for your product. These animated videos end up costing much less than live action, their prices ranging from as low as $5,000- $15,000. But, keep in mind that sophisticated graphics take more time to create. After all, 3D modeling is not just a photographic click.. it requires that products be built from the ground up digitally.
To wrap it all up, video cost varies in cost, time, and production process based on whether or not live-action or animation is used.