How much does a video cost?

It's a long-running joke in the video production industry as we get this question more often than you might think. A potential (or even long standing) client will call or see us at a business event and say something like, "I'd like to get a video produced...how much does it cost?"

There are so many variables that there is no easy way to answer that without having a discussion about the details of the video. It's akin to asking how much does it cost to build house. How big is the house? Is it a small ranch or a two story colonial? Do you want tile or linoleum? Carpet or hardwood?

In the video world we would need to determine if there are actors, locations, and props among other things. Are we writing a script or is it to be just a simple shoot of a CEO being interviewed? These details determine the size of the crew needed and thus the cost.

On the post-production side it's the same thing. How intense are the graphics? Are we creating animations? 3D? What's the final output...Blu-Ray? Web? DVD? Broadcast? a combination of all? You can see how the initial question "how much does a video cost?" is not an easy one to answer without at least some base knowledge of the project.

We realize at times that it is not always possible to have all the information for a video project at the onset and that's ok. What we try to do is get at least a general idea of the video and then we can determine production needs and give a pretty accurate estimate of costs based on that.

Like most things in business and in life, preparation and good information is key. When working with a video production company be sure to allow for at least a short discussion of the project at even a base level and further discussion can evolve from there.

For more information find us at www.take2vm.com