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How much does a corporate video cost?
It's one of the first questions we get asked - and quite rightly so.
Unfortunately, it's also one of those questions that usually gets answered with, 'it depends'.
But that's not particularly helpful when you're trying to put together a marketing budget.
So, rather than avoiding the questions, let's look at what professional corporate video production actually costs, why prices vary so much, what pushes those costs up or down, and, most importantly, what you should expect to get for your money.
So, how much does an industrial corporate video cost?
As a broad guide, professionally produced corporate videos for Manufacturing, Engineering and Construction businesses, tend to fall into several different price brackets...
Around £5,000 - £7,000 for a relatively straightforward professional company video
Around £8,000 - £15,000 for a more comprehensive corporate video production.
£15,000+ for larger, more complex or high-end productions.
Most of the larger flagship corporate videos we produce at Clayton Creative tend to fall somewhere between £8,000 and £15,000 + Vat.
But we also produce smaller corporate videos for less.
We don't work to fixed packages. We cost each project around the actual planning, filming days, editing and deliverables required.
So, what makes one corporate video cost £5,000 and another £15,000 - or considerably more?
It starts with one question..
'What job does your video actually need to do?'
Before deciding how much to spend on a corporate video, ask ...
'What do we actually want this video to achieve?'
• Is it there to introduce your company to potential customers?
• Show the scale of your manufacturing facility?
• Explain a complex engineering process?
• Help win new contracts?
• Support your sales team?
• Build trust with customers who may never visit your factory?
• Improve recruitment?
• Run at exhibitions?
Or perhaps it needs to do a combination of the above.
This matters because the right budget isn't necessarily the biggest budget.
It's the budget required to do the job properly.
A straightforward 90-second process video doesn't need the same level of investment as a flagship company film covering several manufacturing facilities, multiple interviews, drone footage, animation and several different final edits.
The clearer you are about the job the video needs to do, the easier it becomes to decide what you actually need ... and what you don't.
What drives corporate video costs up?
There are several factors that can significantly affect the final cost.
1. Filming Time
Number of filming days are often one of the biggest factors in the overall budget.
As a very rough guide, a smaller or relatively straightforward facility might require 1-3 filming days, a larger manufacturing operation perhaps 3-6 days, while complex or multi-site productions can require considerably more.
These aren't fixed rules.
The amount of filming required isn't necessarily determined by the physical size of the factory. It depends on how much of the story needs to be told.
Multiple departments, different shifts, specialist processes, interview and different locations can all add filming time.
And quite often, in our experience, everything you need simply isn't happening on the same day.
A particular manufacturing process may only run once a week. A construction project may need filming at different stages. A production line might have to be captured around shifts, shutdowns or customer orders.
We know too well how industrial video has to work around the real business, rather than expecting the business to work around the film crew.
2. Pre-production and Planning
This is one of the most important components when it comes to industrial video.
Before we arrive on site with a camera, the following will , almost certainly, have taken place...
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• Meetings with you, the client
• Site visits or recce
• Story development and scripting
• Interview preparation
• Shot planning
• Filming schedules
• Health & Safety planning
• Coordination with all teams
Good planning costs money.
But poor planning can cost considerably more.
Turning up at a busy Manufacturing facility without knowing exactly what needs to be filmed, when it's happening or where people and equipment need to be is a very good way to waste an expensive filming day.
3. Crew Size
A larger production crew naturally costs more.
Depending on the production, this might include a producer, director, camera operators, lighting specialists, sound recordists, drone operators, assistants and other specialists.
For many industrial projects, however, a huge crew simply isn't necessary.
A small, experienced team can often work far more efficiently in a live manufacturing or construction environment, with less disruption to your team who are trying to get on with their day-to-day jobs.
4. Locations
Filming at one site is obviously very different to filming across five factories around the UK.
Additional locations can mean more filming days, travel, accommodation, planning and editing.
But if those facilities are essential to telling the story of the business, that additional investment may be entirely justified.
5. Drone & Specialist Filming
Drone footage can be absolutely fantastic for showing the scale of your factory, construction site or engineering facility, as well as capturing footage or hard to reach areas which may require special access machinery or may not have been possible at all.
Depending on the project requirements, we may also use gimbals, dollies, action cameras, time-lapse or other specialist equipment to capture processes from different perspectives.
It's not about how much equipment we use, it's about using the right equipment to get the best shots and tell your story properly.
6. Animation and Graphics
Simple titles and motion graphics are very different from bespoke, technical animation or detailed 3D sequences.
For some engineering businesses, animation can be invaluable because it allows you to explain something a camera simply can't show.
In our experience, 3D animation can add around 20-40% to a production budget, depending on its complexity and how much is required.
That's a useful budgeting guide rather than a fixed rule. A few straightforward motion graphics may add relatively little, while detailed bespoke or 3D animation can add considerably more.
7. Post Production
Post production is almost always the most time-consuming component of professional video production, and is also one of the costs that can be easiest to underestimate.
As a general rule of thumb, one day of filming will require an absolute minimum of around two days of editing, and potentially considerably more, depending on the complexity of the finished video.
For the Manufacturing and Engineering videos we typically produce, two to three days of post-production for every day spent filming is quite normal.
So, a three day shoot doesn't mean three day's of work followed by a quick edit. It could easily mean another six to nine day's in post-production.
That's because editing involves so much more than simply putting the best-looking shots together.
There can be hours of footage to review and organise, interviews to work through, a story to construct, music to select, audio to clean and mix, footage to colour grade and graphics, animation and subtitles to add.
There may also be different versions of the finished film to produce, perhaps a main corporate video, a shorter exhibition edit, social media shorts, or version for different platforms.
And then there are several rounds of client reviews and amendments before everything is finally signed off.
For particularly complex productions, post-production can take even longer. As a wider industry rule of thumb, a day's filming can sometimes result in anything up to four or five days in the edit.
Filming captures the raw material Post-production is where all of that material is turned into the finished story.
And, that's why editing time can account for such a significant proportion of the overall video production budget.
What can keep Corporate Video costs down?
Reducing costs doesn't necessarily mean reducing quality.
Sometimes it simply means being smarter about the production.
Good planning makes an enormous difference.
If we know exactly what processes need filming, when they're happening and who needs to be available, we can make much better use of time on site.
Costs can also be kept under control through fewer filming days, a small experienced crew, fewer locations, straightforward interview-led storytelling, simpler animation and focusing the production on the footage that genuinely matters.
But there's another way of looking at this.
Instead of simply asking 'How can we make the video cheaper?', ask ...
'How can we get more value from the filming we're already paying for?'
And that brings us nicely to repurposing.
Capture once. Use it again and again!
One of the biggest opportunities in industrial video is 'repurposing'.
If you've already planned the shoot, organised access, prepared employees and got a professional film crew on to the factory floor, it makes sense to think beyond one finished film.
The same filming project could potentially provide ...
• A flagship corporate video
• A shorter website homepage video
• Individual product or process videos
• Short LinkedIn and social media edits
• Recruitment content
• Exhibition versions
• Customer testimonial clips
• Short vertical video
• Footage for future presentations, tenders and marketing
Not every project needs all of those things.
But it's much better to think about them BEFORE filming.
Capturing an additional process while the cameras are already on site might add relatively little to the production cost.
Realising six months later that you need footage you didn't capture means organising another filming day.
That's often where the real value of professional video lies.
What can you realistically get for different video budgets?
Every production is so different and unique, so we don't believe in asking clients to choose from a predetermined package.
However, it can be useful to understand what different levels of investment might realistically achieve.
Around £5,000 - £7,000 + vat
This could be enough for a more straightforward corporate or company video, particularly where we're filming at one compact site and there's a clear, focused story to tell.
The production might include leadership interviews, factory or facility footage, drone filming where appropriate, straightforward graphic and a professionally edited finished film.
For some businesses, that's everything they need.
Around £8,000 - £15,000 + vat
This is where many of the more comprehensive industrial corporate videos we produce tend to sit.
There may be more time spent on strategy and story development, three or more filming days. multiple interviews, and locations, more extensive coverage of the facilities and processes, drone footage, graphics or animation and additional edits for different uses.
For an established Manufacturing, Engineering or Construction company wanting a flagship film that will represent the business for several years, this can be a very sensible level of investment.
£15,000+
Larger productions can quickly move beyond £15,000.
This could involve multiple locations, extensive filming, larger crews, complex animation, specialist filming techniques or numerous final deliverables.
And there really isn't an upper limit.
Major advertising and brand productions can cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds.
That doesn't mean they're overpriced.
It means they're producing something very different.
Why are some video production companies much cheaper?
Video production costs vary enormously - and a lower price doesn't necessarily mean you're comparing like for like.
One of the biggest differences is experience.
At the cheaper end of the market, the difference is often less about the size of the crew and more about the level of experience behind the camera and in the edit.
A small production team can actually be a huge advantage - particularly in a busy manufacturing or engineering environment where being agile, unobtrusive and able to work around production is highly important.
But a small team still needs to understand lighting, sound, camera work, interviewing, storytelling and editing ... and know how all those elements need to work together to create a professional finished film.
That's where experience really matters.
Industrial filming brings its own challenges. Factory lighting isn't always particularly flattering, machinery and production processes don't automatically look interesting on camera and you're often working around employees, forklifts, noise, production schedules and health and safety requirements.
An experienced industrial film crew knows how to deal with those challenges, and how to find the shots, angles and moments that make a Manufacturing or Engineering business look as impressive on film as it does in real life.
And then there's the editing.
This is one of the areas where the difference in experience can really show.
You can have plenty of footage, even some really good footage, and still end up with a poor video if the editing and storytelling aren't right.
Good editing is about much more than joining clips together. It's about structure, pace, music, sound, interviews and knowing what to leave in and, just as importantly, what to take out.
Ultimately, it's the storytelling that turns hours of footage into a film that holds people's attention and gets across what makes your business different.
So, when you're comparing video production companies and quotes, don't just compare the number of filming days, the size of the crew or the length of the finished video.
Look at the work!
How good is the filming? How well is it lit? Does the editing flow and feel polished? Does the story flow? Does it hold your attention? And, particularly, if you're a Manufacturing, Engineering or Construction business, does the company have genuine experience filming in environments like yours?
A cheaper video can certainly save money at the outset.
But, if the finished film doesn't represent your business properly, or nobody wants to watch it, it can become a very expensive way to save money!
Why are some video production companies much more expensive?
Just as a cheaper quote doesn't necessarily mean you're comparing like for like, neither does a much higher price automatically mean you'll get a better film.
There are perfectly valid reasons why some video productions cost considerably more.
A larger production might involve extensive pre-production, multiple filming locations, a bigger creative and production team, specialist sound and lighting, actors or presenters, location hire, set design, complex animation or a much more involved post-production process.
For a major advertising campaign, or high-end brand film all of that may be entirely appropriate - and the additional investment completely justified.
But more people, more equipment and a bigger production don't automatically result in a better video.
For most Manufacturing, Engineering and Construction businesses, the aim isn't to create a television commercial, or have a large film crew take over the factory floor. It's to create a professional, engaging film that tells the story or your business properly, looks great and connects with the people you want to reach.
That's why it's important to look beyond the size of the quote at both ends of the scale.
Are you paying for things that will genuinely make the finished film better - or simply for a bigger production?
Ultimately, the question is the same ...
'What level of production is appropriate for what you're trying to achieve?'
Where does Clayton Creative sit?
At Clayton Creative, we specialise in video production for Manufacturing, Engineering and Construction businesses.
We are a small, highly experienced production team, which is quite deliberate.
Industrial filming is different from filming in a studio.
We're working around machinery, production schedules, forklifts, health and safety requirements and a team who generally have a day job to get on with.
A lean team allows us to move around a facility efficiently, be agile and minimise disruption while still using professional cameras, lighting, sound, drone and specialist filming equipment where the project requires it.
It also means that the same team are involved from start to finish.
We develop a clear vision for the film during the planning stage, which carries through the filming and into the edit. Because we've planned the story and captured the footage ourselves, we know exactly what we're looking for when we get into the edit - helping us create a finished film that feels seamless and tells the story we set out to tell.
We're not the cheapest way to make a corporate video.
And, we're certainly not the most expensive.
Our aim is to invest your budget where it will make the biggest difference to the finished film.
Is spending more on corporate video always worth it?
No.
There comes a point where additional production doesn't necessarily add additional value.
If you need a straightforward process video for your website, you probably don't need a large crew, multiple filming days and elaborate animation.
Likewise, if your video will only ever be used once at an internal presentation, spending £15,000 on it might be difficult to justify.
But the opposite is also true.
Trying to squeeze a major flagship company film covering several facilities, complex manufacturing processes and multiple audiences into an unrealistic budget usually means compromising somewhere.
The right question isn't 'How much should we spend?'
It's ...
'What do we need this video to achieve and what level of production will achieve it properly?'
A good corporate video isn't necessarily a short-term marketing expense.
A flagship company film may sit on your website for several years.
It might also be used by your sales team, at exhibitions, in presentations and tenders, on LinkedIn and YouTube, in email marketing, for recruitment and when introducing your business to customers who may never have the opportunity to visit you in person.
And, if the filming has been planned properly, the original footage can continue providing additional content over time.
That changes the way you look at the initial investment.
A £10,000 video that's used once is expensive.
A £10,000 video that becomes a core sales and marketing asset and is used hundreds or thousands of times over several years is a very different proposition.
So, how much should you budget for your corporate video?
For a professionally produced Manufacturing, Engineering or Construction company video, £5,000 - £7,000 + vat can be a realistic starting point for a relatively straightforward project.
For the more comprehensive flagship corporate videos we regularly produce at Clayton Creative, £8,000 - £15,000 + vat is a more typical investment.
But don't choose your budget simply because it fits neatly into one of those ranges.
Start with what the video needs to achieve.
Then look at the planning, filming days, locations, crew, animation requirements, editing and deliverables required to achieve it.
As we mentioned earlier, at Clayton Creative, we don't quote from a fixed package or price list. Every proposal is built around the actual requirements of your particular project.
That means you're paying for the production your business genuinely needs, rather than trying to squeeze your requirements into a package designed for somebody else.
Planning an Industrial Corporate Video?
If you're a Manufacturing, Engineering or Construction business considering a new corporate video, and you're not sure what you need, or what you should realistically budget, we're always happy to talk it through.
We'll help you work out where it's worth investing, where you may be able to save money and how to get as much long-term value as possible from the filming.
Because the aim isn't to make the most expensive video we can.
It's to make the right video for your business.
Please get in touch for a no obligation chat about your project.
