Corporate video quotes are hard to compare because most of the cost is invisible in the final file. Two companies can deliver a ninety-second video for very different prices and both be reasonable. The difference is in crew, time and craft. Here is how the process works and what drives the number.
The three stages
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Pre-production | Brief, concept, script, storyboard, casting, location scouting, scheduling and permissions |
| Production | The shoot itself: crew, camera, lighting, sound, direction, art and wardrobe |
| Post-production | Edit, colour grading, sound mix, music licensing, motion graphics, subtitles and versioning |
Pre-production is where a video is won or lost. Problems that cost hours to fix on paper cost days to fix on set, and can be impossible to fix in the edit. A production that wants to skip straight to shooting is a warning sign.
What drives cost
- Crew size. A single operator versus a full crew with director, sound recordist, gaffer and assistants.
- Shoot days. Usually the largest single factor, because every crew and equipment cost multiplies by days.
- Locations. Studio, office, multiple cities, permissions and travel.
- Talent. Actors, presenters or voice artists, and usage rights for how long you may run the video.
- Animation and graphics. Motion design and 3D are time-intensive and priced by complexity.
- Music licensing. Library tracks are affordable; original composition is not.
- Deliverables. One master versus cutdowns for social, vertical formats, subtitles and multiple languages.
Types of corporate video
- Brand film. Who you are and what you stand for. Longer shelf life, higher production value.
- Product or explainer video. How the thing works and why it matters. Often animated.
- Testimonial. Real customers on camera. Among the most persuasive and least expensive formats.
- Ad film or commercial. Built for paid distribution, usually with strict duration formats.
- Social content. Short, vertical, captioned, designed to work with sound off.
- Event and training video. Documentation and internal communication.
Ask for cutdowns at the start
The most common regret is commissioning one long video and later needing fifteen-second vertical versions for social. Capturing extra framing and planning cutdowns during the shoot costs very little. Recreating them afterwards can mean shooting again. Decide every format you need before the camera rolls.
What to include in your brief
- The single action you want a viewer to take after watching
- Who the audience is and what they already know
- Where it will run, since a website hero and a paid social ad need different treatments
- Duration limits imposed by that placement
- Brand assets, tone and anything that must appear
- Deadline and any fixed dates such as an event or launch
- All deliverable formats and languages required
Questions to ask a production company
- How many shoot days does this quote assume, and what happens if we overrun?
- How many rounds of edit revisions are included?
- Who owns the final files and the raw footage?
- Is the music licensed, and for which platforms and how long?
- Are subtitles and vertical versions included or extra?
- Can we see a full project in a similar format, not just a showreel?
Frequently asked questions
As long as it needs to be and no longer. Social ads typically run fifteen to thirty seconds, explainers sixty to ninety seconds, brand films two to three minutes.
Sometimes, sometimes at extra cost. Agree it in writing before the shoot, because raw files are large and are not always archived indefinitely.
Animation suits abstract concepts, processes and software. Live action suits people, places and trust-building. Testimonials are almost always live action.
Planning a video project?
We handle concept, scripting, filming and post-production end to end.
Prefer to talk? Call +91 99531 83889 or use the full contact form.Related: Video production services | Brand identity | Digital marketing