Promo video costs: from script to final exports

Two thirty-second videos can require completely different work. One uses approved footage; the other needs a script, location, shoot and custom animation. Content and production method matter more to a quote than running time alone.

My packages and delivery times

These are my offers, not market averages or maximum budgets. I do not film: I make motion design and 3D animation without a camera and edit footage you already have. The motion design and 3D animation service lists the scope. The schedule depends on supplied materials and approvals of the animatic.

What changes the price

Preparation. Even a short spot needs an audience, message and next step. Its script may be a simple shot list or a detailed storyboard. Match preparation to risk: approve a complex scene before the shoot.

Filming. Locations, people and shooting days affect travel, equipment and coordination. A quiet office interview differs from a demonstration on a noisy factory floor. Before using supplied footage, check resolution, sound, composition and permission to use it.

Post-production. Editing can be accompanied by colour work, audio cleanup, captions, graphics and dubbing. A short animation with several original scenes can require more work than a longer simple interview.

Versions. Vertical and horizontal cuts are not always two exports of the same timeline. They may need new framing, text sizes and shot order. Plan them for the campaign's actual placements.

How much a 3D and motion video without filming costs

A video made without a camera is priced differently from a filmed one. Instead of a day on set you pay for scene preparation, lighting, rendering and compositing. These are my indicative ranges; I confirm the exact price after the brief:

Within a range, the price changes with:

Source material. A vector logo and photos of the product from all sides shorten the work. Without them the logo or the model has to be prepared first.

Length. Five seconds of a logo and thirty seconds of a scene are not the same work. The price does not grow in direct proportion, though: much of it is scene preparation, not every extra second.

Product model. A simple shape is quick to build; gloss, glass, tiny parts and moving parts are not.

Sound. I handle licensed music for the project in the quote. Custom sound design or a voice adds work.

Number of formats. 16:9, 1:1 and 9:16 are not just three exports. In vertical video the composition and text size change.

How much editing footage you already have costs

If you already have footage, for example from a phone, a camera operator or an event, you only pay for the editing. AI tools now speed up speech transcription and the first subtitle draft. Choosing shots, setting the rhythm and the final check are still manual work, and that is what the price covers.

Within the range, the price depends mostly on the amount and quality of the material. An hour of unsorted footage means more work than ten selected clips. Poor sound or very different lighting between shots adds time.

Example brief: a product demonstration

A small manufacturer wants to explain how its folding table opens and stores away. A fictional brief could specify one product, one location, an operator's hands, three steps, a close-up of the safety catch and a final link to dimensions.

Decide whether size and stability or appearance in a room matter most. That determines the shots. This list is a more useful basis for a quote than "a modern video like our competitor's".

Compare two offers

Confirm who writes the script, how much filming is included and who supplies the product, location and participants. Agree revisions, languages, captions, formats and delivery. For music and other assets, check channels, paid advertising, territory and usage period. Stock media does not automatically come with a licence for every use.

An exported MP4 is different from the editing project and all raw footage. Put those in the brief if another editor will need them. Agree how a script change after filming is priced and who approves each stage.

Costs beyond production

Paid campaigns also need distribution, advertising management and possibly landing-page work. A translated version may require a new voice, text timing and language review. Clarify filming and subsequent usage arrangements for locations and participants before production.

You do not need every possible format in advance. Start with confirmed placements and a specific purpose; expand based on results. The article on business video discusses whether video is the appropriate medium in the first place.

Check the final delivery

Watch with and without sound on a phone and larger display. Verify spelling, contacts, framing, sound levels and caption legibility. Upload a private test to the target platform: its controls can cover text that looked correct in a desktop player.

Compare delivered versions with the brief. A usable result and clear rights matter more than file size or the number of effects.