FAQ for media communications.

FAQ's Video Production, 3D Animation, and Photography

Video Project FAQ's

What the cost to product a video?

This is the number one question that we’re asked, but the answer isn’t easy to give. Our business model never let’s cost stand in the way of producing a video, but there are some caveats. A video, like a diamond, can vary in price. A five-second logo stinger will cost about $300. A 30-minute safety video would require about a $25,000 investment, however here are some line items, where you can get a basic understanding of the cost.

The number of shooting days: We offer a half-day shooting option for around $950, which includes a camera, tripod, and camera operator. The most advanced shooting day option includes a camera, camera operator, camera crane, dolly, boom mic, lavalier mics, and full lighting with light modifiers for around $3,200.

Editing Hours: You can typically count on approximately four hours of editing ($120/hr.) for every finished minute of footage. If your video has green screenshots, or if you want the exterior of your manufacturing facility to have green grass in the wintertime, of the shoots captured by the drone then those hours will add up quickly.

Number of cameras: This is self-explanatory. The more equipment, the more crew members, the more the cost. Add about $600 for each additional camera and operator. (((Side Note: more cameras are typically not needed unless you need to capture a rare moment from different angles. Many of your favorite TV shows were shot with one camera.)))

Talent: Voiceover artists, Presenters, and Extras all add to the final invoice. The cost of these added personnel isn’t as expensive as you’d think. We can get C-level Hollywood actors and A/B Hollywood voice-over artists for $150-$300 per project.

A three-minute video for your local, average-sized company, shooting for one day, with one camera, lighting, mics, using a voice-over artist and 12 hours of editing is in the ballpark of $4,200.

Other Items: Other ancillary items include, storyboarding, scriptwriting, scouting-both locations and talent, craft services, makeup artist, studio rental, translation services, and travel expenses.

How Long Do Videos Take to Produce?

A typical one, full-day shoot, will take about three weeks to complete. A couple of components are out of our control and may, but not likely, lengthen the delivery of the final cut, including voice-over artist and client changes and approvals.

Our core voice-over artists routinely turn around a script within 48 hours. When a voice-over artist that’s chosen by a client, whom we have not worked with previously, the voice-over delivery timeframe may be increased.

When the first rough draft is uploaded, it’s important for clients to respond within 24, so that our three-week schedule remains manageable. Delays in changes or approvals will delay the final cut delivery date.

How Much Should I Pay for My Video Project?

This question is difficult to answer. It’s similar to the question: how much should pay for a car? It depends. Remember that you get what you pay for. Thumbtack reports that the national average is $800-$1,200 for a video, however, to be fair, Thumbtack is notorious for allowing anyone to sign up for a business account, without completing due diligence on the company’s credentials.

We’ll take you through each of the major elements involved in the video production project. We’ll explain each and give a range of potential costs involved with each. After we explain each, we’ll give a range of cost-which can range widely-and after, we’ll summarize the equipment requirement and give a typical, averaged-cost synopsis of the expected cost of producing a high-quality video.

A more educated answer to this question is as follows:

Video Project Components

  1. The number and quality of cameras: Consumers are lucky today because camera prices have fallen tremendously. What once was a $75,000 camera is now less than $15,000. Some video production companies rent cameras, while others own their equipment. Both can have pros and cons. Those who own their cameras, may not be using the latest and greatest, however, for longer shoots, this can be most cost-effective. For short timeframe shoots, renting equipment will provide the highest quality, but at the expense of cost. Multiply this cost by the number of camera angles required, and you’ll arrive at the beginning cost of a video project. The camera cost (owned or rented) ranges from $300 – $1,200 per day, per camera package (you can see camera rentals at Borrow Lenses)
  2. Camera support: This can simply define a tripod or a camera crane. Based on the desired look and feel, some camera support systems may include a shoulder mount, a gimble, a dolly, a Steadicam, or a Jib arm (camera crane). The Jib may be a straight horizontal and vertical type or one equipped with a remote-controlled pan/tilt head, which produces more of a feature film result. The camera support cost can be $20 per day for a tripod, to $1,100 or more for a jib arm, depending on the type and size.
  3. Actors/Presenters: Surprisingly, hiring talent isn’t as costly as you’d think. We can normally acquire experienced talent for a couple of hundred. Now, if you want some A or B actors, expect to blow your budget.

How To Produce a Budget-Friendly Video

Sometime people may want to try to create their own video, so the below suggestions will get you started. After the recommendations, we’ll discuss crew positions, and how to “cut the fat”.

Producing a Video on a Budget

1. Make a budget: It’s important to determine the budget before starting a video project. Figure out how much money is available for equipment, talent, locations, post-production services and any other necessary costs.

2. Establish a concept: Create an overall idea of the story you’re going to tell and create a rough outline or script that captures the general flow of events in the video.

3. Choose your talent: Depending on the size and scope of your video production, it may be necessary to hire professional actors and actresses or use non-professional people as actors who are willing to take direction from the director.

4. Get the right equipment: The type of equipment you’ll need will depend largely on the type of video you’re producing but basics like cameras, lighting, tripods, audio recorders and editing software are typically necessary for most projects. Consider buying used or renting instead of purchasing new items if possible in order to keep costs down.

5. Select appropriate locations: Scouting potential filming locations can help make sure that everything fits with your story concept and will also help determine whether permits or fees may be needed in order to shoot there.

6. Finalize post-production needs: Now that all the footage has been captured, decide what type of post-production services you may need including color correction, sound mixing and animation in order to bring your project to life before it’s released publicly.

7. Promote your video: When your video is complete, think about how best to get it out into the world so that viewers can watch it by creating a marketing plan with strategies such as email campaigns or advertising through social media platforms like YouTube or Vimeo in order to promote it.

Crew PositionsFilm crew in miniature form.

Any video production project, especially a professionally-produced one, has lots of movement parts and lots of tasks to be complete. The hierarchy of a production crew-historically-has been:

  1. Production Supervisor: Someone who keeps the schedule moving along and acts as a liaison between the crew and the client.
  2. Director: The person who’s in charge of matching his/her vision, with that which is recorded.
  3. Cinematographer/Director of Photography (DOP): This crew member sets the mood through lighting and shadows and is typically the lead camera operator
  4. Grip: Any supporting camera or lighting setup is performed by the Grip.
  5. Camera Operators: Self explanatory.
  6. Sound Recorder: It is what it says, a person who records the audio of the environment and talent.
  7. Talent: Could be a person acting as a spokesperson, or an actor performing certain scripted actions.
  8. Makeup Artist: Make the talent look good.
  9. Production Assistant (PA): The go-get-this person on set.

Other positions for larger video projects may include a Set Designer, Drone Pilot, Wardrobe, Drivers, Assistant Camera Operators, Gaffer, and many others. For the sake of this article, let’s assume our video is a corporate, about us video, which is around 3-minutes in length. Let’s also assume that it will take place in one location, require only one camera, one Spokesperson, lighted interviews of three staff members-separately, and no special camera movements, other than a dolly.

Let’s cut the fat. If only one camera will be used to film, then a stand-alone Director isn’t needed. A Director is only needed if two or more cameras are being used. We’ll, instead, use:

• A cinematographer and because we’re only shooting in one location, we can cut the Grip, and cinematographer will run the camera and set up the lights with a little help from the PA.

• We’ll use a PA since there’s always something needed on set that wasn’t planned. It’s just part of the process, it can’t be helped, so a PA is valuable. Remember what you just read…THE PA IS VALUABLE!

• Let’s cut the sound recorder, since most cameras have two xlr inputs, we can monitor the sound and use lavalier mics.

• The Talent, if a female, may or may not need a makeup artist. Typically women like to use their own makeup, so if you need to save money, have them put on “evening makeup”. If the talent is male, just have the Production Supervisor put a little translucent powder on his face.

Budget Crew

Out of the nine people, which historically make up a film crew, we’ve narrowed it down to four-FOUR. It’s very possible to handle most corporate projects with a three-person crew, plus talent. We operate this way most of the time, in fact, during a film festival, we were asked how many people we used to produce one of our documentaries. When we told the festival promoter that we used four, she couldn’t believe it.

Now you know.

Do you Archive Video Footage

Yes, we do. Repurposing video footage is a great way to reduce costs without compromising on quality. By archiving clients’ video content for two years, companies are able to save time and money when making changes or repurposing the video content for other videos. In this blog post, we will discuss the benefits of archiving video content and how it can help to reduce the cost of making changes and repurposing the footage.

Why do We do it

At Episode 11 Productions, we understand the cost of creating video content can be high. That’s why we archive all our client’s video content for two years – to help them save money by not having to re-create the same content again and again. By archiving their video content, we can reduce the costs associated with making changes and repurposing the content for other videos. This saves our clients time and money as they can use the existing content for different purposes.

Our archiving system also allows our clients to easily access and view their past video footage quickly and conveniently. We store our client’s video content in a secure, cloud-based storage system so it can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. Clients can then simply search through our archives to find what they need without having to spend time and money on creating new content.

We also ensure that our clients have their footage available when they need it. This helps them save money on costly production times and fees associated with creating new content while allowing them to quickly access their existing footage whenever they need it.

How it helps

Archiving video content is an important step in reducing costs when making changes or repurposing video content. Keeping video content on file for two years, it eliminates the need to pay for expensive video editing and re-filming. This also allows the client to repurpose the existing video content without having to start from scratch.

By archiving video content, the client saves money on the cost of editing and re-filming, as well as time. This also allows for greater flexibility in creating new videos. If a project requires a particular shot or scene that has already been filmed, it can easily be accessed and reused instead of having to re-film it. Additionally, clients can take pieces of existing footage and edit them together to create new, engaging content.

Archiving video content is an invaluable tool in reducing costs and repurposing content. It allows clients to access their previously filmed material quickly and easily, which saves both time and money.

How to get started

1. Reach out to our team to discuss your content needs.
2. Our team will then work with you to determine the best way to capture and store your video content for up to two years.
3. We will provide you with secure access to the stored video content.
4. If you need to make changes or repurpose the content, simply contact us and we will provide you with updated video files quickly and cost-effectively.
We are committed to providing our clients with the highest level of service and support, and our team of experts is here to help you every step of the way. So, if you’re looking for a simple way to store and access your video content, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

3D Animation FAQ's

What the cost to create a 3D simulation video?

We thought the first section was hard to answer, and then we received this one. Three-D animation isn’t a new technology, but it is fairly new to the corporate, product-producing world of Industrial, manufacturing, and medical, so media companies have had to re-think the pricing structure.

The typical method of pricing 3D simulation videos is to request the CAD files for the product being digitized. Having a CAD file reduces the overall cost, by not duplicating efforts of drawing products in 3D space.

Once the CAD file is inspected, our artist will create the scene, by creating lights, textures, shading, and animate the product. There are a couple of things that will exponentially cause the cost of a 3D project to explode. One of those things is requiring real-world physics to be applied, i.e. gravity, wind, force, liquid, etc.

It’s very difficult to anticipate the needs of each customer, however, we can show you two different projects with two different price points, to give you an idea of the project cost.

The first project is an air piping manufacturer showcasing the hidden features of the connectors. The 3d video shows a basic product being illustrated without physics applied. The investment in this video was around $8,200. Watch the video.

The second project required adding the physics of water, gravity, and particles, which resulted in the video costing more because of render times. The investment in this video was around $18,500. Watch the video.

The more features needed for your 3D animation video, the more investment that will be required.

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