What actually sets the price of a music video?

The first question about a music video is almost always the same: how much will it cost? Before giving a number, something needs saying: two quotes for the same song can differ by a factor of two if the scope differs. Below are the items that actually set the price, so you know what you are looking at when a quote arrives.

Locations and shoot length

This moves the price more than anything else. The difference between a three-hour shoot in one place and a full day across three locations is not only time: travel, setup, striking the lights and rigging them again all come into it. Each additional location adds roughly an hour and a half to the day.

Crew size

A performance video shot with one camera and one operator does not sit in the same budget as a set with a director, a cinematographer, a gaffer and an assistant. Videos that tell a story and need direction of actors call for a larger crew.

Equipment

Gimbal and drone are standard in most packages. What really shifts the price is this:

• Night shoots that need cinema lighting and a generator

• Haze, RGB and special effects kit

• Specialist lenses or a second camera

• Location hire fees

Edit and delivery time

Editing, sound design and colour grading take as long as the shoot, and revision rounds sit on top of that. If you need it quickly, the work is pulled forward rather than queued, and that shows in the price. We put the number of revision rounds and the delivery date in writing in the quote, so nothing appears later.

Additional deliverables

Everything beyond the video itself is separate work: vertical cuts for Reels and TikTok, a YouTube thumbnail, Spotify and Apple Music artwork, behind-the-scenes footage, a photography session. Agreeing these up front makes both the plan and the price clear.

So why is there no figure on the site?

Because any figure we posted would mislead either you or us. "Starting from X" is a meaningless promise for a job whose scope we do not know. Instead we ask you to describe what you want to make; we work out the scope together and prepare an itemised quote for you.

Get in touch to talk your project through.