We are used to understanding what we are paying for: for example, buying a laptop or taking an online Italian course, and in both cases, we see the price in advance. Creating professional videos is a complex process, so it is impossible to pre-set a fixed price and apply it to any project. But even after making all calculations, the customer still has questions regarding its main points and their significance for the project.
In this article, we will try to dispel doubts about the cost of creating a professional video. Knowing every stage of the video production San Francisco process will help you plan your budget and better understand the possible price when contacting a video production studio.
Key Stages of the Video Production Process
Traditionally, the process of creating a video is divided into three stages: pre-production, production, and post-production. In other words: preparation, shooting, and processing of materials. Let’s break down each of the processes into components and explain how the cost of producing a video is formed, what equipment and specialists are needed, and how the final cost can be reduced.
Stage 1: Pre-production costs
The first step to creating a video is an idea and a concept. Then each action is described in detail. If the project is planned to involve actors, then you need to prescribe their actions and phrases. The script for corporate videos is prepared by the producer. A creative team of the art director, project administrator, and producer works on commercials. Besides, the pre-production involves the following expenses:
- Script creation and adaptation;
- Storyboard creation;
- Selection of footage;
- Location search and selection;
- Search and selection of actors.
Casting is carried out when the script involves the participation of actors. The casting manager is engaged in the selection of characters for the future video. This specialist finds appropriate models according to the database, or searches for the necessary types.
Stage 2: Production costs
Depending on the project, the team includes a director, an administrator, an aerial camera specialist, a camera technician, a lighting engineer, etc. For the simplest tasks, the minimum crew is a cameraman and an assistant. If an external location is not required, or it is not possible to shoot there, everything takes place in studios. A standard shooting day lasts five hours and involves paying for rent on an hourly basis. Additionally, the work of actors, stylists, make-up artists, and other personnel is calculated.
Stage 3: Post-production costs
Editing costs depend on frame rate and plans, as well as the quality of the sources (HD, 4K, 6K). A 4K video takes longer to edit than an HD video because ultra-high resolution requires more resources. Depending on the tasks or budget, there are several types of graphics – 2D, 3D, and 3D rendering, which have different prices. The final step of the work on the project includes: inserting sounds into the video, mixing the announcer and pictures, and processing the audio track by the sound engineer.
Now you know why it is so difficult to calculate the production costs. These costs cannot be predicted in advance, so the price is calculated based on a specific request.