Up to 2 hours of filming Editing Single round of revisions Less than 50-mile radius Full 4k export STARTING AT $800 At this level, my work usually fits the following characteristics:
- One full day of shooting (or possibly two half-days)
- One camera operator
- Skeleton crew (one or two people)
- Filmed on DSLR or mirrorless cameras
- Few paid actors, if any
- Many production roles will be combined (for example, the Director may also produce and edit; the Director of Photography will probably be responsible for all grip and gaffer work, etc…)
- Full production insurance is required in most cities
- City permits are required in most cities
Half Day
Up to 5 hours of filming
Editing
Single round of revisions
Less than 100-mile radius
Full 4k export
STARTING AT $1250
Here are some characteristics of this budget range:
- Several days of shooting
- Small crew (three or four people)
- Filmed on higher-end video, DSLR or mirrorless cameras
- Costumes are an option
- Several paid actors can be involved
- Minor visual effects are possible
- Full production insurance is required in most cities
- City permits are required in most cities
Full Day
Up to 10 hours of filming
Editing
Single round of revisions
Travel in the area
Full 4k export
STARTING AT $2500
Here are some characteristics of this budget range:
- Several days of shooting
- crew (four or five people)
- Filmed on higher-end video, DSLR or mirrorless cameras
- Costumes are an option
- Several paid actors can be involved
- Minor visual effects are possible
- Full production insurance is required in most cities
- City permits are required in most cities
Hollywood Package
Up to 14 hours of filming
Editing
Pre-production
Casting
Location Scouting
Shot list creation Travel anywhere in the area Hollywood Upgrade Full 4k Export Starting at $4000 Here are some characteristics of this budget range:
- Several days of shooting
- crew (five or six people)
- Filmed on RED
- Costumes are an option
- Several paid actors can be involved
- Minor visual effects are possible
- Full production insurance is required in most cities
- City permits are required in most cities
Healthy Independent Budget
Several days of filming
Editing
Pre-production
Casting
Location Scouting
Shot list creation Travel anywhere in the area Full 4k Export $10,000 – $20,000 At this level, the production feels more like an independent film set, rather than a student film or enthusiast project. It’s not a full-blown film crew sort of feel, but it’s about as close as anyone independently financed generally gets. Here are some characteristics of this budget level:
- Several days of production
- Medium-sized crew
- Filmed on RED, Alexa, or other higher-end digital cinema camera packages
- Experienced, professional actors can be involved
- Full production insurance is required in most cities
- City permits are required in most cities
- Visual effects can be a major element of the video
Commercial/Studio Budget
Several days of filming
Editing
Pre-production
Casting
Location Scouting
Shot list creation Travel anywhere in the area Full 4k Export $20,000 +
- Several days of production
- Full professional film crew
- Filmed on RED, Alexa, or other higher-end digital cinema camera packages
- Experienced, professional actors can be involved
- Full production insurance is required
- City permits are required
- Visual effects can be a central element of the video
At this level, everyone involved is a professional who is present to do one task. There can easily be fifty people involved in the crew (ranging from production assistants to hair and makeup artists to caterers to runners to DITs), and the post-production pipeline is similar to a feature film (a full crew involved in the editorial department and post-production process). Here is a breakdown of some general costs that are typical in film production (and specifically in music video production): Estimated production costs:
- Producer fee: $500 – $1250/day
- Director fee: $500 – $1250/day
- Camera operator: $500-1000/day
- Camera equipment rental: $150 – $3500/day
- Key grip + assistant + lighting gear: $1000 – $1750/day
- Wardrobe: estimated $20 – $1000/day per character project
- City permits: $25 – $1000/day (depending on the city, exact location, whether roads need to be closed, etc…)
- Location fees and rentals: $250 – $2500+/day
- Actors: $200 – $1200/day (each)
- Extras: $50 – $200/day (each)
Estimated days of post-production required: 2-3 days
- Editor fee: $500 – $1250/day
- Redundant Hard disk archive: $200 – $400
- Visual FX artist fee: $75 – $150/hour
- Colorist fee: $100 – $200/hour
Additional costs:
- Band member compensation
- Development/Pre-production (scripts, storyboards, strategy, etc…)
- Additional actors and extras
- Marketing hours
- Props/furniture rentals
- Set construction
- Production insurance
- Catering (food)
Essentially, the more money goes into a music video (or film), the higher the likelihood will be that the result looks professional. I have seen many bands film music videos for $500 with a first-time director who has very little film experience, and sometimes they turn out well. More commonly, the band has a very amateur-looking music video that becomes a liability to their brand and the authenticity of their image. Music videos are expensive, but if the band is educated in terms of how much to spend and what to expect, they can carefully select a director who can help them achieve their goals within their price range. Payment We require 50% of the production fees to reserve a date and start the pre-production process (if any). The 50% down payment is non-refundable fee used to reserve our time and start production on your project. We require 100% of expenses be paid before the shoot date. Those may be invoiced with the production fee or separately. If there are any expenses during the production we will invoice them after the production. Upon completion we require the remaining 50% of the production fee and any other outstanding invoices before final delivery. All invoices are due 15 days after the delivery of the first draft. If not paid, a late fee of 3% will be added to the invoice. Each month late will incur a 3% late fee. Revisions All of our packages include a single round of revisions after we deliver the first draft. Each revision after that will be additional revisions and cost $100 for up to one hour. You get the option for a one hour in-person edit session or can email the revisions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We advise you consolidate all feedback into a email and provide precise feedback. Changes often cause the need for more changes as things get shifted. Delivery We deliver the first draft approximately 2 weeks after production so long as there was no additional editing or VFX. The first draft will be delivered via a private YouTube link. Each round of revisions will also be delivered via a private YouTube link. The final draft will only be delivered after all invoices have been paid. The files will be delivered via a private dropbox link for you to download.