How much does a brand video cost? Our price, and what changes it

Quick answer: our brand film costs $8,500, one price, all in. Quotes we see from other companies run from about $5,000 to $50,000, and some price by the minute. Shoot days and editing move the price the most.

A brand video from Focus Films costs $8,500. Across the market, the quotes we see run from about $5,000 to $50,000, depending on who's making it and how big the shoot is.

I'm Graham Kuhn. My team and I make brand films for established companies around Atlanta, out of Woodstock. I'd rather give you the number up front than make you book a call to find it.

What do brand videos cost in Atlanta?

Most published price ranges put a brand video somewhere between $5,000 and $20,000, with bigger productions going well past that. Here's what the quotes we see run:

• INDIRAP puts a 2-minute brand video at $8,000 to $20,000.
• Storyteller Studios gives a range of $5,000 to $50,000.
• Vidico prices by length, at $1,000 to $10,000 per minute.

Those are national numbers, not Atlanta-only ones.

Ours is $8,500. That covers the Deep Dive interview before film day, the film day itself with our crew, cameras and lights, and the edit. It also includes licensed music, and we don't cap revisions. The finished film usually runs 2 to 3 minutes.

How much does a 2-minute video cost?

A 2-minute brand video costs about the same as a 3-minute one, because the length isn't what you're paying for.

You're paying for the planning, the film day and the editing. Those take the same work whether the final cut runs 90 seconds or three minutes. Honestly, shorter can take longer to edit, because every sentence has to earn its spot.

Per-minute pricing is fine for a rough idea. It's a bad way to compare two quotes. We charge one price for the film, and the length is whatever the story needs. Most of ours land between 2 and 3 minutes.

What changes the price of a brand video?

Shoot days drive most of the price, and the edit drives the rest. We don't itemize any of this. You get one price. But it helps to know what's behind a quote when you're comparing.

Start with the crew. One person with a camera costs less than a director and a camera operator with someone on sound. We shoot interviews with two cameras and real audio gear. People will sit through average picture. They won't sit through bad sound.

Most brand films need one shoot day. A second day doubles the crew and gear costs.

Every location move means packing up the lights and setting up again, so more locations means more hours.

The edit is where a lot of the hours go. Pulling the best answers out of an hour or two of interview and building a story from them takes time. So do graphics in your brand's colors and fonts.

A licensed music track costs more than a free library song, and it sounds like it. Licensed music is included in ours.

Then there are revisions. Some quotes include one round of changes and charge for every round after, so ask before you sign. We don't cap revisions, because it rarely gets out of hand. Most clients are happy after one or two rounds, and some after none.

Scripts, actors and animation add cost too. We don't use scripts. Your people talk about work they know, the way they'd tell it over lunch.

What should you get for $8,500?

You should get a film your sales team will actually send.

A week before film day, we sit down with your people with no cameras and walk through every question, so nobody reads lines. On film day our crew brings the cameras and lights to you, and your people tell your story with no script and no teleprompter.

Then we cut it down to what a buyer needs to hear: who you are, why you do this, and what to do next. You put it in proposals and on your website, and your sales team sends it the day a buyer asks.

What does a cheap brand video leave out?

A cheap brand video usually skips the prep, and you can see it on screen.

Without a real interview beforehand, people read lines or freeze up. Without a story, the edit turns into a list of services with stock footage and upbeat music. It looks fine. Nobody sends it.

Anybody can hit record on the camera. What you're paying for is the conversation that gets your people comfortable, and the edit that turns it into something a buyer wants to watch.

When is a brand video worth the money?

A brand video is worth it when one new client from it pays for it many times over.

A luxury basement remodeler gave us two hours on film day for his brand film and a process video. That project was $7,500. A new lead came in, and instead of booking a meeting, he answered with his brand video. The prospect signed a $150,000 project within days. Deals like that usually take weeks of meetings and back and forth.

A few years back, a personal injury attorney paid $5,000 for her brand film. A new client watched it and hired her. Her fee on that one case was $89,000.

That's the math I'd run for your company. If one new client is worth $50,000 to you, the film only has to bring in one to pay for itself several times over. If your average sale is small, or nobody on your team will send the video, I'd spend the money somewhere else.

Can you get a brand video as part of a monthly plan?

Yes. Our brand film is included in month one of The Partnership, our done-for-you social media for established companies.

The Partnership is $5,000 a month with a 3-month minimum. You get the brand film in month one, a film day every quarter, and about 20 posts a month: reels, carousels, image posts and text-on-video. We plan them, make them and post them. The first month's posts come mostly from the brand film footage.

So it's $8,500 once, or $5,000 a month with the brand film included and your social handled. If you want the film working in front of buyers every business day, The Partnership is the better deal. If you only need the film for proposals and your website, buy the film.

Common questions

How much does a brand video cost in Atlanta?

Our brand film costs $8,500, one price, all in. Quotes we see from other companies run from about $5,000 to $50,000. Some companies price by the minute, at $1,000 to $10,000 a minute.

How long does it take to make a brand video?

We do the Deep Dive interview about a week before film day, then film in one day, then edit. You'll usually have the finished film about two weeks after film day.

Do we need a script for a brand video?

No. We do a Deep Dive interview a week before film day, so your people know the questions. On film day they talk about work they know, with no script and no teleprompter.

What if our people hate being on camera?

Almost everyone says that. Because we talk it through a week before, film day feels like the same conversation we already had, just with cameras.

Is a brand video worth it for a B2B company?

It's worth it when one new client covers the cost. A luxury basement remodeler signed a $150,000 project within days of sending his brand video to a new lead. If your clients are worth tens of thousands of dollars, one is enough.

If you're weighing a brand video and want a straight answer on whether it makes sense for your company, book a 15-minute call with me. No pitch deck. We'll just talk it through.

Talk soon, Graham