Shoot days
Every extra day repeats the crew, kit, location and talent costs. Tight scripts and batching save the most money.
Free video production cost calculator
Five choices. An honest range, line by line, and the AI-made alternative beside it.
In short
Most video costs come down to shoot days, crew size and edit days.
A 30-second product video with a lean crew is roughly $3,000–$9,900; a directed AI film from VARE is a fixed $450.
Ask three studios how much a commercial costs and you will get three numbers that are impossible to compare. That is because a video quote is just days multiplied by day rates, and every studio assumes different days.
This free video production cost calculator shows the method. Choose what you are making, how long it runs, how many you need and the crew, and it builds a planning estimate from published assumptions. Beside it is what the same brief costs as a directed AI film from VARE, the production studio of iBrand Identity.
The traditional figures are a planning range, not a quote. VARE’s own prices are fixed and published on AI video production; for a single hero film see product video production or brand video production.
Run your numbers
The estimate updates as you choose. Nothing is sent anywhere until you ask for the budget.
Traditional production, planning estimate
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Built from typical US day rates, listed below. Real quotes vary with city, crew and union rules.
The same brief, made by VARE
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Get the line-item budget
Every cost behind your estimate, line by line, plus the five questions to ask before you sign a video quote.
Your line-item budget
Five questions to ask before you sign a video quote
Next: see what a directed AI film looks like on AI video production, start with a $450 Pilot Film, or book a free 30-minute call.
How the calculator works
The estimate is days × day rates. These are the rates it uses; change any of them in your head for your own city and crew, and the method still holds.
| Range (USD) | Unit | |
|---|---|---|
| Producer / director, pre-production | $500–$1,200 | per day |
| Lean crew shoot (2–3 people, basic kit) | $1,500–$3,500 | per shoot day |
| Standard crew shoot (4–6 people, lighting and sound) | $4,000–$9,000 | per shoot day |
| Full commercial crew (10+ people, grip, art department) | $12,000–$30,000 | per shoot day |
| Edit, colour and sound mix | $500–$1,000 | per day |
| Animation and motion design | $800–$1,500 | per day |
| On-camera talent (two people) | $1,000–$5,000 | per shoot day |
| Location or studio hire | $300–$3,000 | per shoot day |
| Licensed music | $50–$1,000 | per video |
Pre-production, shoot and edit days scale with the type, length and number of videos you choose; four videos share one shoot day, as most studios batch them. Rush adds 25%. These are planning assumptions, not market data or a quote.
What moves the number
Every extra day repeats the crew, kit, location and talent costs. Tight scripts and batching save the most money.
Two people with a camera and twelve people with grip and an art department are different budgets for the same idea.
Actors, usage rights and locations add up fast, and talent buyouts can outlast the campaign.
A 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9 set with 15 and 6-second cutdowns is several edits, not one.
Traditional or AI-made?
| Traditional shoot | Directed AI film (VARE) | |
|---|---|---|
| Real people and places on camera | Yes: your team, venue, customers | No: cast, light and sets are generated |
| Typical cost of one hero film | $6,400–$33,000 (standard crew) | $450 Pilot Film |
| Monthly content | $6,200–$22,000 for four videos | $650 for four films |
| First delivery | Depends on the studio’s schedule and shoot dates | Within 7 working days |
| Best for | Testimonials, events, documentary, your real product in use | Product, brand and social films that need a consistent look |
VARE films are AI-made and directed, up to 60 seconds. VARE does not make animated explainers, long-form or live-action video; for those, a traditional studio is the right choice.
Straight answers
It depends mostly on crew size and shoot days. Using this calculator’s day-rate assumptions, a 30-second commercial with a standard crew, one or two shoot days, actors and a location comes out at roughly $7,800–$44,000. With a full commercial crew the same spot is about $16,000–$86,000. National TV campaigns with agency fees, talent buyouts and media spend sit on a different scale altogether.
A 30-second product video with a lean crew is roughly $3,000–$9,900 on these assumptions, and a 60-second brand film with a standard crew roughly $6,800–$35,000. The biggest variables are the number of shoot days, the size of the crew and whether you need actors and locations.
Because the same brief can be shot by two people in a day or by twelve people over three. Crew size, shoot days, city, union rules and how much the studio marks up all move the number. Ask every studio to quote the same line items so you compare like with like.
Media spend, talent usage fees and buyouts beyond the first year, extra revision rounds, broadcast music licences, travel and re-shoots. The checklist that unlocks with your budget lists the questions to ask before you sign.
Usually, because there is no crew, location or shoot day to pay for. VARE’s prices are fixed and published: a Pilot Film is $450, four films a month $650, eight films a month $1,200. The trade-off is real: AI films have no real people or places on camera, so if you need your actual team, venue or customers filmed, budget for live action.
Yes, it is free, and the estimate and the VARE comparison appear straight away. The line-item budget unlocks when you add your name and email; you will only get occasional emails if you tick the box.
One step
Start with a $450 Pilot Film from VARE, or book a call to talk through the brief before you choose.
In this topic
Written by Martina Boshra, founder of iBrand Identity and creator of The Transmutation Method™. Brand strategist for founders and service businesses across the US, Europe and the Gulf.Last updated: September 2026
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