How much does video production cost?
Most production companies won't answer this question directly. We will. Pricing depends on scope, crew size, and what you actually need — but there are real numbers attached to each, and you deserve to know them before you pick up the phone.
The most important thing we can tell you before you look at any number: the right question isn't "how much does video cost" — it's "what do I need the video to do." That conversation changes the estimate every time. But it starts here.
Post-production is not included in production rates. Editing, color grading, audio mixing, and delivery are a separate line item. See the post-production section below.
Our floor. One camera, one operator, audio capture, up to a half-day window. Best for focused shoots — spokesperson content, product demos, short interviews.
One operator, one camera, full day on location. Right for documentary-style shoots, event coverage, or multi-location days where you need sustained presence without a large crew.
One operator with the full production cart — monitor, lights, full audio rig. More controlled setups, higher production value on a single-operator day.
Three-person crew, two cameras, full lighting and audio package. This is the setup for narrative work, multi-subject interviews, events that require simultaneous coverage, or productions where the final product needs to look like a budget several times higher.
Livestream is a full-day job. Setup is everything — a livestream that fails in the first ten minutes costs a client far more than the production fee. Includes LiveU bonded cellular, small crew, and two cameras.
Five or more hours of event or commercial photography. Expectation is set at 50 edited photos per hour of the event — so a 5-hour event yields 250 fully edited images.
Editing is not bundled into production. It is its own service with its own pricing — and that's intentional. Post-production on a project we filmed is faster, tighter, and more cohesive than starting fresh anywhere else, because we already know the footage and the story.
The rate is $500 per finished minute of video when post-production is agreed upon before the project begins. Adding it after the fact — when our schedule has already been set — is a premium service closer to $650 per finished minute.
Minimum is 2 finished minutes. Revisions within the original scope are included. Additional revision rounds are billed at $150/hr.
Current turnaround: approximately 15 business days for a 3-minute finished video. Rush delivery available — contact us for pricing.
Drone pricing isn't one-size-fits-all because the context changes significantly depending on the project and location. Here's how we think about it:
If drone is a supporting element — a few aerials woven into a larger production — it typically becomes an add-on to the existing project rate. The drone contribution is part of the whole, not a separate deliverable.
If drone is a primary deliverable — the main point of the shoot, or a significant standalone asset — it moves to either a fixed rate or an hourly rate depending on the scope.
Location matters. Austin drone work can be hourly because the operator is already local. A Houston shoot means paying the drone operator for a full travel and service day — that changes the math. Call us and we'll give you a straight number based on what you actually need.
Not a hobbyist with a consumer drone. Every aerial shoot is planned with airspace checks, site assessment, and redundant battery sets. We've crashed a drone before — on purpose, testing a client idea we ultimately said no to. We take safety seriously.
For drone pricing specific to your project — location, scope, and whether it's add-on or primary — call or text Jacob directly. It's a two-minute conversation.
More crew, more cameras, more shoot days — these are the primary cost drivers. A half-day single-operator shoot and a three-day multi-crew production serve completely different goals. Matching the crew to the actual need is the most important budget decision you'll make.
A two-minute video with heavy motion graphics, multiple rounds of revisions, and a complex color grade costs significantly more in post than a two-minute talking-head video with simple titles. Finished length is one variable — what happens inside those minutes is another.
Scripting, storyboarding, location scouting, teleprompter prep — the work that happens before the camera rolls affects the quality and efficiency of everything after it. We build pre-production into how we quote projects, not as an afterthought.
Booking a shoot weeks out costs less than booking one for next week. Rush requests that require rearranging crew schedules carry a premium. The further out you plan, the more budget-efficient the project becomes.
There are videographers in Austin who will shoot a corporate event for $300 and deliver something the next day. That option exists and for some situations it might be fine.
What it typically looks like: one person, one camera, no dedicated audio operator, footage delivered via a Google Drive link that times out when you try to download it, with no real post-production beyond a rough cut.
We've heard from clients who've been down that road. The problem usually isn't the video that gets delivered — it's the client's event that only happens once, and the footage that can't be reshot.
You're not paying for our gear. You're paying for the judgment that comes with knowing how to use it — and the backup equipment, the pre-production process, and the accountability that comes with a crew that treats your project like it matters.
If you're evaluating multiple vendors, the right question to ask each of them isn't "what's your rate" — it's "what's your process when something goes wrong on set." That answer tells you everything about the crew you're hiring.
Pricing is a starting point, not a final answer. Every project is different and we'd rather give you an accurate number than a ballpark that doesn't reflect what you actually need. The FAQ covers a lot of the common follow-up questions — or you can call and get a straight answer in a few minutes.
Tell us what you need.
We'll tell you what it costs.
No voicemail. No account managers. Call or text Jacob directly — you'll hear back the same day.