THE COST OF MAKING VIDEOS: PART 5

By Michael Goldstein 

When it comes to the cost of editing and polishing of video there is a lot that can cause confusion as well as miscommunication of expectations.  My goal today is to try to help explain why one production company might quote you much higher or lower on editing hours than another and how to make sure you are only paying for what you need.

Post Production/Finished Product:

The process of taking raw footage and turning it into a finished project can take varying amounts of time.  The main factors that go into making editing hours add up are how polished the final product looks and the amount of revisions you have for your video.
 
When I say “polished” I am referring to just how far you want to take the video from a basic editing of clips together to something that should be up for an award.  Some videos only need basic editing, color correcting, and simple graphics; where others might require motion graphics, special effects, green screen keying, etc.

If your finished project was a car, do you need a Chevrolet or a Bentley?  It’s important to let your video production company know your expectations before hand so they can best estimate the cost of your project.  If this video is for internal training, chances are you won’t need fancy custom motion graphics, so why pay to have them made?  If you are looking to impress your customers, however, some entertaining post production effects and graphics might give your video the extra spice it needs.

Finally, revisions… This can be the cause of the largest discrepancy between your initial estimate and final invoice.  When your video production company sends you your video for the first time, this is your opportunity to review it and request changes that you would like.  Maybe you don’t like a certain take, or perhaps you want it cut down a little shorter.  Whatever the changes; here is the key:  Do everything in your power to give ALL of your changes to your production company at once (or in as few revisions as possible).  The more frequently you go back and forth between reviews and additional changes, the faster the post production editing hours will add up.  It’s not always possible to get it just right on the first review, but keep this mindset of giving them as much as you can at one time, and you will save a lot of money in the end.