How to Reduce Video Production Costs

1. MANAGE THE LENGTH OF YOUR VIDEO

The sweet spot for most videos is around two to three minutes. 

Most people who look at video online have so much to choose from that the subject better be pretty interesting if it's going to run more than five minutes.

In terms of budget, every minute you add to the video increases the amount of time the video will take to produce. 

Although a video session day will generally be based the filming schedule created in the script/story board during pre-production, the more material there is to created and to be edited, the more time it will take the editor to put it all together in post production.

So the very best way to manage video packaging costs is to keep it brief and to the point. 

The rules of marketing and advertising are the same with video as with print: know what your message is and keep it clear and simple.

If you have a lot of stories to tell, you may want to break them up into several topic-centric short videos. 

If budget is an issue, consider starting with a general video that tells your audience who you are, an overview of the products and services you offer, and what makes what you sell different from everyone else in your sector. 

Then add individual product or service videos as your budget allows. 

2. EDITING

Being involved with the editing of the material is another way for you to keep costs down. 

Clear guidance in terms of content will allow Mark to spend more time on the creative elements of the video. 

Incremental edits based on comments from a number of decision makers will also run up the final costs. It is best to have one person in charge of the final editing process.

Editing can be a slow and technical process and each time a version is completed, it must be rendered out, converted to a compressed version, optimized, and uploaded, where your company can view it,

Mark usually outlines how many rounds of edits a client will get for the budget agreed on, so make the most of each edit. 

Collaborating with Mark will yield a video with better content and a project that stays on budget and on time.

3. USE PEOPLE WITHIN YOUR ORGANIZATION ON SCREEN

Hiring actors lets you choose the faces that will represent your company, products and services. 

There are non-speaking models and background artists (extras) and there are actors. Both models and actors are handled by an agency that collects an additional 20% on top of the talent fee. 

The fee is based on the number of hours the actor works plus the intended usage of the video, where it will be seen, how large the audience is, etc. The contracts for the actors are usually restricted to a specific amount of time, for example, one year.

On larger-budget projects, there will normally be a casting session, especially if someone is going to speak on camera. There is a fee for a casting director and for the studio where the casting will take place.

This process can run into a few thousand dollars, even for casting just one person.

Keep in mind costs of your talent will be made up of a session fee, usage fee, and agency fee.

Alternately, you could either use someone from within your organization to present your products or you could hire someone to do a how yo voice-over that plays over images of your products and services as they are being used by people from your company.

The above decisions need made prior to commencing video production. Waiting to make changes afterwards will only cause the costs to be 200% to 300% higher.