Asking for a video production estimate

Posted on 28th March 2018

Do you need a video production estimate? You need to allocate budget for a few videos but are struggling to get a straight answer.

Many clients ask us to ‘quickly’ give a ballpark figure for filming and editing a few videos… and that’s it!. We are not given any further details usually because the prospective client does not know which information we need in order to accurately prepare an estimate for video production.

We always say it is best to spend a bit of time thinking about the final product in order to get things right from the start.

There are many factors that can affect a video production estimate.

We need to consider equipment to be used on the day, yes, but also man-hours during post-production. … and who best to give a full brief than the client?

Some of these questions may or may not be relevant to your particular project and if there’s anything you are not sure of, we are happy to advise. Rule of thumb: the more information you can give us about your video project the quicker and more accurately we will be able to price it.

✓ Can you briefly describe the idea behind your video and do you know roughly how long you would like it to be?

✓ Do you already have a draft script or storyboard or concept we can use?

✓ Have you seen other videos you like and that are similar to what you would like to achieve?

✓ Do you have a rough idea of how many filming days you will require?

✓ What type of content are we filming? Maybe you’re looking to promote a product or raise funds for a new start up business, perhaps you just want to document an event or live stream

✓ Do you have a location in mind? Is it outdoors or indoors? We are able to help you source a location, whether that’s a controlled studio environment,

✓ Do you have a preferred date for filming? When do you need the video ready? Working to tight deadlines is not a problem but it is always best to have an idea of the overall video marketing strategy schedule.

✓ Sometimes a single camera is enough but we can provide as many as needed. We will gladly advise you on this and propose the best way forward depending on the type of video required.

“You will not find ‘Production value’ priced on any rates card”

✓ We can film and edit but also offer full post-production (voiceovers, colour grading, translations, captioning and subtitling), do you think you will need anything extra?

✓ How would you like your video delivered? Is the video going to be part of a larger social media marketing strategy? Maybe the video is for social media but a decision on vertical vs horizontal format must be made early on.

Check out the pricing section of our website for some guideline prices and a basic video production estimate and if you have any questions at all, please email us hello@thequickbrownfox.co.uk for a no obligations chat and video production estimate.