Why Music Videos Don’t Cost $100

So often we as upcoming directors get many inquiries regarding music video production pricing and many times are asked to low-ball ourselves— now— when you are first starting out, there is absolutely nothing wrong with charging a low cost, as you have to build a portfolio and a following—but as an experienced videographer we often come across artists who are looking to shoot music videos for little to nothing, while wanting tons of extras, cool locations, dope effects, models—the whole nine, you name it. Now don’t get me wrong, sometimes you are able to acquire some of these things at a low cost, but a low cost usually means you get what you pay for.

Too many are looking for high quality production, at a discounted or free rate, which is not always possible—as directors invest hundreds if not thousands of dollars on equipment, programs, effects, etc and need to be able to cover the costs for your video— This is why a budget may be discussed between you and your videographer. So this article is going to break down just some of the cost for basic production of a video.

I wrote this article to hopefully give others a little education who may not fully understand or may be new to the business.

How much does production cost?

Typical video pricing can run you anywhere from $500 all the way up to $100,000+. You may ask yourself “why?"

Location, location, location.

Locations are one of the biggest factors that go into the pricing, as you may want to shoot in a cool hotel, a dope house, or even a really huge studio. Depending on where you are located, or what type of connections your videographer has, any of these can cost anywhere from $150-$1,000+ just to use for a few hours. Or you may want to take the lower cost route, and shoot somewhere outside, for example, a gas station, outside of a home, a park, etc. Where ever you choose to shoot, remember to always get creative, as this will be the biggest factor to your video.

Models or Extras, anyone?

Extras are extra people who are placed in your video as either actors or placed in the background of a scene to give your setting more depth. Now, there is nothing wrong with having friends or people you may know as your extras, but it’s almost never the case that the people you know are decent or believable actors. A professional video more than likely uses professional models as well as extras, and this also costs. For example, a model may need her makeup, hair, and nails done—along with an outfit to match what type of vibe your video is giving off. This can cost alone anywhere from $300-$1,000+, also remembering that the model or extras need to be getting paid as well.

Look it’s a bird..it’s a plane.. It’s a prop!

Props!! One of the single most important things that can make your video great, is a great prop. Now, a prop can be anything, there isn’t any specific rule for a prop except make sure it looks real or believable. Props are things such as cars, smoke grenades, jewelry, guns, money, supplies, you name it. Average cost for props can be anywhere from $10-$1,000+, depending where you are shopping at.

Time is money.

Time is another factor that goes into production. Will you be filming all in the same day? Or will it take multiple days? Most of the time a videoshoot will have to be shot on separate days, and this can be due to many factors such as the weather, location issues, or people not being on time, etc. Or you may just not be able to have enough time to get all scenes shot on the first day, but keep in mind due to uncertain situations you may need to book another day or two.

So..what about the actual videographer?

Your videographer is the one putting all of this together for you, writing up what Is called a treatment, which is a plot or script for how your video should flow. Treatments are what will be discussed between the client and videographer, which determines your budget. So after the budget is spent on what your video needs, the rest goes to the videographer. Planning, directing, editing takes time, as it is a creative art and process that in order to represent the artist well, we need to be able to cover costs and make sure we can get what is needed for your video. This in no way means that you can’t shoot an awesome video for a lower cost, but once you start getting into the public eye and want to be taken seriously, you have to invest in yourself and brand.