We get asked how much a brand film will cost a lot. It’s a fair question, but it takes us firmly into the realm of bits of string and tape measures.
Put simply, there is no single price for a brand film. There are plenty of things that have a real impact on the price and outcome, and you could spend anything from £15,000 to over £250,000. So let’s take a look at where that budget might go.
Why is there no standard price for a brand film?
Because the term covers wildly different amounts of work, and not always where you’d expect. More on that later, but first, our film for Fender Next was an interview and a live set at The Great Escape festival in Brighton. It took one camera for the conversation, two handheld cameras in the crowd, and three weeks to finish.
Contrast that with our film for Scope, which was two shoot days in Stratford with a cast, an art department and a Chemical Brothers track. It took ten weeks from start to finish.
Both are successful brand films but had very different budgets.
What decides the budget?
Several things directly impact the final cost, and we’ll start with the obvious ones:
- Shoot days: Every extra day brings the whole crew back and increases the spend on equipment hire.
- Who is on camera: Using staff, a founder, or customers could be free. A cast of actors or a recognisable face probably won’t be.
- Locations and set builds: One set dressed three ways is a different bill from three cities, and a simple location shoot has costs to a studio setup.
- Music: A track everyone knows is licensed, whereas a composed score is commissioned.
- Post-production: Edit, grade, sound and any animation or effects.
- Deliverables: The hero film plus every cutdown, ratio and version the plan needs.
- Broadcast and reach: A film shown on TV or backed with high media spend can double costs associated with music and talent.
Notice that length is missing from that list? A minute of film can take an afternoon or it can take a fortnight to produce.
Why more complexity doesn’t always mean more spend
Yes, a complex shoot across several days and multiple locations will cost more than something more straightforward. But the overall cost of the project might not move much. Creative development and pre-production can and does take time. A so-called ‘simple’ concept might involve a ton of ideation, planning and script writing. And that’s before you factor in hiring a recognisable face or VO artist.
Where should the money show?
On screen, and nowhere else. Ask one question of any quote: is this money going in front of the lens? Ambition does not need a luxury budget, and a strong idea delivered by people who know where to point the spend can be just as effective.
For example, Studio Underd0g wanted a surreal watch factory on a tight budget, and nobody went looking for more money. We used a sliding flats system, repainted and redressed overnight. We also locked the frames, so that we only built what the camera would see.
Several worlds came out of one studio.
Likewise, art direction can transform any production for minimal spend. On one recent shoot, £50 spent on some paint and yellow school lockers from Facebook Marketplace went a long way.
Where could a brand film burn cash and where can it be saved?
There are plenty of ways to burn through cash, but some will bring more value than others. For example, hiring a well known voiceover artist can cost a significant amount, potentially even as much as the rest of the production combined. Whether that’s worth it is up to you.
The same goes for camera, lens and lighting choices. We love making films, and like magpies, we’re naturally drawn to shiny things like motorised sliders, anamorphic lenses and full lighting setups. But are they always necessary to make something that looks great? Investing the budget into a cinematographer at the top of their game instead can yield something just as special.
Lastly, organisation and consistency cost nothing but deliver a lot. Our Creative Director Tom points out that:
“It’s a lot easier when a client has their ducks in a row. Whether it’s during planning, production or for feedback, delays cost money. We know a lot of people want to input on the process and are excited for the finished product, but collating feedback into a single document or meeting can save on rounds of comms and re-edits.”
Is a brand film cheaper than a commercial?
Not by default. The production can be every bit as involved, but the difference comes afterwards.
A commercial needs media bought for it, and that is a second budget. A brand film mostly (but not always) lives on channels you already own, and it goes on working for years.
Divide the cost by the months it will be in use, and the sum looks different. If it is the broadcast route you are weighing up, we have written separately about what a commercial costs in London.
Likewise, consider the costs of getting it wrong, or not doing it all. What does 2-3 years of slow growth and missed opportunities look like?
How do you get a number you can trust?
Share a budget band with the brief. Treat it as a shape to design within, more than a target to hit.
A production partner who knows the band can tell you what it buys, where to be bold and what to leave out. One who does not will guess low to win the job, or write a film you cannot afford.
Not sure yet whether this is the film you need? Start with what a brand film is for.
Tell us what the film has to do and roughly what you have to spend. As a proven brand film production company, we will tell you honestly what that could get you.