The money discussion
One of the most popular trends we see these days is that our clients are looking to get more 'mileage' out of their video content. Since Cisco predicted in 2017 that by 2021, 80% of the world's Internet traffic would be video, squeezing as much video content out of a production is an excellent idea! And given the challenges in keeping up with social media posting. For example, with Facebook, studies show that posting once a week is the bare minimum, three times a week is pretty good, but the optimum is once a day.
In this post we’ll explain how you can multiply the amount of videos on your next video project and save thousands of dollars. But first, let’s take a look at how video production cost is calculated and why it may cost more than you expect.
We receive a number of inquiries per week and the single most asked question is, ‘what does it cost?’ We may answer cheekily; “how long is a piece of string?” or “What are you after, a Maserati, BMW or Kia?” These are certainly cliche answers but as with most cliches, they really do reflect the reality. It all depends on what level of outcome you’re aiming for and what budget you have. As experienced video producers we prefer to craft videos that give you the winning edge in a competitive market place.
The Three Price Tiers
Over the years serving in the video production industry, we've observed different tiers of quality vs. price. From our perspective, it can be divided into 3 tiers starting with the basic level from the bottom (reversed):
Tier 3: One videographer (industry term: Cinematographer): Basic skill level with little emphasis on quality and the art of film-making/technique. Poor lighting with low aesthetic value. $300-700 per filming session (up to half a day (4 hrs)).
Tier 2: Solid quality that meets corporate video production standards, experienced crew with mid to high level of technique. $750-$1500 per filming session (up to half a day (4 hrs)). Many production companies in Sydney will approach a filming session like this with a 2-3 man crew. One videographer, an assistant and/or sound recordist.
At Shakespeare, we often do this with just one videographer. With many years of experience under our belt, we’ve specifically trained and developed the skills to operate with one videographer.
Tier 1: Top-level production crew aimed for TV commercials, programs and films with budgets from $50k to over 1 mill. Overkill for the corporate market.
We operate mainly on tier 2. Most of our equipment is Tier 1 gear as well as our technique and artistic approach. But to meet popular budget ranges we often operate with one videographer and with often limited time for each filming session the end result is in the tier 2 realm. The preferable configuration for a basic corporate shoot is a 2-3 man crew as we then can ensure high-level cinematography across the board. This means that composition, lighting, equipment use, camera movement, visual effects and so much more can be more deliberately executed in order to have the maximum effect on the audience.
How it works
We’ve found that good preparation helps meet deadlines.
If you do choose to employ only one videographer to do the work of a 2-3 man crew, there are a few things you should consider:
Because we can't control room layout, size, design etc. the aesthetic value may not be satisfactory, especially with only one crew member and limited time. With a larger crew one can do a lot more to manipulate light, props etc. to improve the look of each shot.
Unless you request one, we won't have a make-up artist on location. That means we have little control over the talent’s look i.e. shiny skin, untidy hair, etc.
Unless you decide to book our professional audio recordist (which is often needed for high-level production quality) the audio quality may vary due to noisy location, clothes worn by the talent that is hard to control (i.e. noisy fabric due to movement, a top that is hard to fix a lapel mic to etc.), lapel mic visible due to what the talent wears. This is often hard for the one-man production option to ensure.
The B-roll (refers to all footage taken that is not interview footage i.e. ‘lifestyle’, talent(s) doing tasks in office etc.) tends to be of lesser quality. The composition, lighting, equipment use and camera movement is more limited with a one-man-band type production.
The ‘one-man-band’ option is developed to help businesses with limited budgets to still achieve high production value. We use the same skilled videographers as in any other production with state-of-the-art production equipment, but he works 'solo' (sometimes assisted by a production assistant) on location without a director.
However, the more popular option among our clients is the 2-3 crew solution. This results in more high-end marketing solutions that match the tastes and preferences of their clients.
When people watch a high-quality video that's been carefully crafted, it leaves a lasting impression. Viewers not only respond better to it but have come to expect it. Especially today with a smorgasbord of online video content available.
At Shakespeare Media we aim to dive deep into your brand, to ensure your message is communicated seamlessly. With an engaging concept, stunning cinematic imagery and the time needed in the editing suite to create a compelling video, this is without a doubt our finest offering.
With more set-up time for each scene, more time to enhance lighting, and talent performance this results in a stunning production that can be enjoyed by viewers for years to come. This package includes unlimited changes to the video edit at no extra cost.
Our director, production manager and cinematographer will work together in pre-production discussing shot ideas, camera movements, angles, staging, lighting, and various production techniques to ensure we bring the best results on production day.
Depending on what you want to achieve, the ‘one-man-band’ option may work well for you.
Multiply your video content and save thousands
Now let’s come back to the topic of how you can get a lot more out of your next video production with only a fraction of the costs of the ususal approach.
How the usual process works:
When hiring a crew for your videos, you usually pay for their hours on the job. During those hours the camera crew will often film a lot of different content, more than you'd expect. By the time the footage is edited, only a small part ends up in the final cut. This ratio has its reasons, of course.
A cinematographer is always trying to capture as much as possible within the limited time on location. The most popular videos are only 2-3 minutes in duration, so naturally, only the most suitable shots end up in the cut. But that doesn't mean the other clips aren't usable, many of them are great!
How to exponentially increase your video output:
Although this is the nature of video production - that a certain amount never gets used - it still means that you might not be using it to your full potential! That's why we encourage our clients to think ahead and see what additional content could be captured so it can be used later. Even if your budget only covers the editing of one video at the outset, you can plan ahead and capture content that can be edited later down the track.
Does it cost more?
In terms of filming cost, no, it doesn't. Since you're paying for the time the crew spends on location, they'll be there shooting anyway so you might as well have them capture as much as they can while there.
In terms of post-production, you will have costs for additional video assets, but the amount will be exponentially decreased compared to a single-video production. Especially if this is purchased as a package upfront, you'll only pay a small portion per video snippet in comparison.
How does this apply:
Case Study Video: These usually contain a mix of interviews and overlay (b-roll) footage. Most often, the interviewee (talent) says a lot more than what makes the final cut. They may touch on topics that's not meant for the case study but sound really great! That's a perfect opportunity for a short standalone video snippet for a different page on your website. And of course perfect for posting on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Testimonial Video: Similar to above, we usually end up with more content from the interview than needed. Instead of leaving on the cutting room floor, it can be made into short video snippet or a full video that covers other topics than the main video.
Promo Video: A lot of great footage is captured for these types of videos, but again a certain amount ends up on the floor, never to be used. This footage can be edited into other videos for different purposes and give you ten times more content than initially planned.
We could continue here with lots more examples, but I think you get the point. Actually, whatever type of video you’re thinking of producing, (by the way, check out this article on what kinds of videos to should consider) most likely it’s possible to squeeze more than one video out of it.
Here are some examples from previous productions where clients have made more use of the production: