How Much does it Cost to Produce a TV Commercial?

The cost of US commercial video production reduced dramatically in 2024, as a result of new efficiencies and faster technologies for video editing. We always are wondering ‘How Much does it Cost to Produce a TV Commercial?’ While a traditional commercial ad costs between $5,000 and $10,000 per advertisement, the top directors will now work at a rate of $75-$100 per hour.

The Future of Commercial Video Production in The U.S. 2025 – Reinvented landscape

The production expenses of commercial videos have changed significantly in 2024. A big reason for this transition is due to video editing tools having become both vastly improved and more streamlined making it an attractive and inexpensive proposition for firms to extend their marketing campaigns into TV commercials. So not only was our $5,000 to $10,000 concession no longer necessary but that single media line item had been democratized by these new efficiencies. Directors and editors used to be luxe hires, but can now often cost as little as $75 to $100 an hour. Moreover, fixed-unit pricing has been implemented by numerous production companies to offer more control over the return on ad spend (ROAS).

Unpacking Overheads: What the Major Catalysts of Commercial Video Costs?

As with all things video production, there are a number of factors that play into the cost, but one clear factor is an unlikely suspect: AI editing software. Rendering has gotten faster, creative production has become more streamlined and less expensive across the board. According to Statista, the global video editing software market is going to grow by leaps and bounds and will increase more than $1.17 billion in 2025 The expansion is indicative of a larger trend in the need for faster, cheaper video solutions.

A more traditional three-person crew with 4K cameras, stabilizers, and lighting from Start Motion Media may run anywhere between $3,500-10,000 depending on the aforementioned variables (in number of shooting days, if actors involved — their fees — how complex the video is). If more services are added, such as drone footage from a second camera or an additional photographer, costs increase by $1400-$2000.

Adweek explains, “Brands have been able to reduce video production costs by up to 30% in many cases through the use of local production teams and sophisticated editing tools.

Cost Factors You May Need to Pay for Video Production

The on-spec, greatest case study that we worked from was Piercing which had a two week shoot – for many of you no-doubt this sounds like it still takes far too long (where the hell did this $3/4m go?) but divide the budgets of comparable films by double-DOP days to see what a difference it makes. For a one-day shoot with a crew of two you can expect to pay anywhere from $3000 – $8000.

• Actors & Props — $1,500 or More (Professional actors and locations can put you back some $1.5 grand.) Because they are cheaper, many companies are employing in-house staff or laymen to create their commercials.

Consistently Applied Fixed-Unit Pricing

Perhaps most appealing to start-ups is the fixed-unit pricing model that is one of the standout offerings from Start Motion Media. It provides the best balance for companies that are after making ads for digital platforms and who do not want to compromise on quality but at the same time they help to reduce cost overruns.

Neil Patel has made a statement that companies who have used video marketing have seen 49% faster profit.

But again, with meticulous pre production and a well oiled production machine one can now afford to make a commercial video for as little as $7,500. It usually consists of writing a script, shooting the video, and then editing it with specialized services in color correction, acoustic production or light special effects.

TV Commercial Cost Estimator Tool of Start Motion Media

For businesses interested in regaining a sense of what their commercial video may cost, they have created an interactive budget estimator tool. This allows the user to enter what their team size and locations are, or if they want drone footage etc. This estimator allows brands to better understand their exposure and plan advertising campaigns (costs) more confidently for awareness.

Reasonably Priced Commercial Packages: Options for Every Business

Start Motion Media has multiple pricing tiers to choose from, so businesses of all sizes can get started.Absolute Constraints

• Basic Production: $3,500 and up for single camera and minimal crew.

Production Option 1: Standard (See more details below)Crew with 3 people + EquipmentCombine Standard Production and post production for $7,000+

Most Expensive Package: At over $10,000, this top of the line package can hire up to five crew members, drone capabilities and multiple location work plus more on set staff.

As Marketing Week puts it, “investing in top-tier video production is one of the most effective ways to expand your brand’s reach.

These pre-set bundles make it easier for enterprises to scale their video production endeavors seamlessly, while delivering excellent desired results inside their spending limitations.

Commercial Video Production Trends For 2025

A great trend of 2025, which is already in action and seemingly unstoppable, AI used more and more in video production. Compared to well-informed manual processes, AI video editors can now cut reels together, apply visual effects and improve sound quality at a fraction of 1% of the time! Synthesia, for example, allows brands to produce commercials with CGI avatars generated through AI rather than hiring live actors and shooting onsite at an expensive location.

A second trend set to explode in the new year is the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) within business video. Immersive experiences are a unique vehicle for consumers to interact with brands, which can translate into increased engagement and brand recall.

How to Lower the Cost of Video Production

In a bid to save costs, we are starting to see many businesses hire local production teams and minimize the number of locations. In-house script writing also reduces the pre-production spending. Another way to save money is by using the same video for different campaigns or multi-purpose content.

According to CNBC, firms employing their own editing tools reduced costs on production up to 15 per cent.

With the need for video marketing on the rise, businesses are searching for quicker and less expensive methods of production. The innovative pricing and commitment to quality content by Start Motion Media has opened avenues for the brands to improve their video marketing ROI with a small budget, without involving the high investments that are involved in TV commercial production.

In a Nutshell — You Can Produce TV Commercial Video in 2025 For Less than Every Before

To sum it all up, 2024 commercial video production is approaching us at a whole new level of accessibility and affordability. Today, thanks to technology becoming more accessible and the rise of fixed-unit pricing models, even small-to-medium businesses can create quality video content that works. So if you are a startup trying to establish yourself or even a well-known brand looking at improving your video strategy, investing in Video Marketing is the best way forward for you to utilize the power of storytelling through videos.

Using the tool above you can discover the affordable Start Motion Media cost of commercial video production, per minute or campaign. We are the world’s best affordable video ads production studio.

Let Start Motion Media build your video marketing content ecosystem, and let’s partner to film a commercial video advertisement on a cost-effective, fixed-unit production cost video ad, for more constant video engagement and ROAS in your future.

As we discuss on the phone, the Start Motion Media TV ad books the studio for rapid 4-6 weeks for production, planning, ideation, and customer service for up to 2 months. The typical cost is sure to increase if you add actors and locations, while certain start up promotions and more budget-basic tracks do exist.

Our Standard 3 Person Crew (With 4k camera Rig, Audio, Stabilizers, and Lights):

-Technical Director, Managing Producer

-DP Cinematographer w/ Equipment

-Assistant Director / Assistant Camera Personnel

As we describe on the phone, during our customer on-boarding call, many people are also requesting:

-2nd Camera DP w/ Equipment and Drone ($800 Staff for B Cam, +$600 Drone)

-3rd Camera Still Photographer with Live Image Stream Capability ($800 Staff + Equip)

-Extra Editing (3-4 Days) for the “reel/story/long-form overview” alternate piece ($75 per hour Editing Fee).

A) –Basic Production without drone, without a 2nd Camera, (Option A, Budget), therefore limiting the extra onset staff to 1 additional member (a total of 2 staff).

B) –Standard Production with all items noted above, and a 2nd Camera – 3 Person staff.

C) –Premium Production with 2 more Staff (for a total of 5 production company staff onset, which includes a Managing Producer to be there (Client Liaison), and the Lighting Professional with Truck and Cables (Called a Gaffer, they are the electrician and lighting artist of the video world).

Video Cost Estimator – Use our Budget Calculator Above, or contact the following administrator for custom RFP’s:

Michael Zeligs, MST
Marketing Director, Managing Producer | Start Motion Media

to learn more about our creative video production packages.

Estimating the cost of commercial video production can be a tricky business, especially when trying to keep the budget within a specific range. Depending on the complexity of the project, the costs of video production can vary greatly. However, with a focus on how many days of shooting, a cap of two actors, and minimizing location costs, it is possible to estimate the cost of a commercial video production that lands in the range of $3500 to $10,000. Others charge hourly and don’t require ongoing commitments. Those “Ongoing Content Agencies” charge, on average, $75 to $100 per hour.

The first step in estimating the cost of a commercial video production is to determine the number of days of shooting. The number of shooting days is a key factor in estimating the cost of the project, as it will directly impact the cost of equipment rental and crew costs.

Video production costs will rely on the sort of video that you simply need, the location, crew, equipment, talent, quantity of pre-production, editing, sound, post-production, and more. the most effective approach to estimate your budget or to get an correct quote from a production company is to write down a video production transient. able to rent a production company or freelancer? it’ll additionally assist you verify the most effective thanks to act production for your budget. you’ll be able to submit your brief to many production firms and compare rates. otherwise you can come back up with an calculable budget vary and post the brief on Storyhunter, lease production companies come to you.

And if your script modifications, your video production prices will probably change as well. If you have got the resources, you ought to write the script in-house, probably with recommendation from your production company. If you have got to scout a motion-picture photography location, you’ll even have to budget in time and travel expenses for the scout.
You can avoid this by hiring a crew that’s native to the realm you wish to film and who already apprehend wherever they’ll shoot. The additional intense your pre-production is, the more it’ll value you. Production crew rates rely on their region, market, gear, and experience. If you wish more specialised crew and equipment, equivalent to for 360° video production, you could have to be compelled to pay more. Full-Service Video Production: $1,500-$300,000 (flat rate) A drone operator’s commonplace day rates will vary from $500-$1,400. Hiring talent, such as actors or hosts, can value you additional and you ought to embrace this in your budget. However, unless you’re doing a giant industrial production for TV, you most likely won’t need to rent talent. Day rates are so high as a result of they often include pre-production work also as gear costs. Since most videographers charge by the day, your video production costs can go up with additional shooting days. victimization the higher than rates, you’ll expect a 1 day shoot to value around $3,000 to $8,000 for a two-person crew. you’ll be able to pay the maximum amount cash flying out a production crew to shoot on location as on the assembly itself.

The best thanks to avoid these prices is to rent native production crews or freelancers who won’t have to be compelled to travel. Besides, even though you hire a production company that isn’t local, they’ll find yourself subcontracting the estimate to local freelancers to lower their own values. This typically may be a a part of their day rate, and it helps them defend their high-priced equipment. It additionally helps cowl the first cost of buying equipment. On an even bigger production, a crew might have to rent cameras, lighting, grips, mics, or different film gear. Most production firms can pass these rental prices directly onto you as expenses. a lot of of the work that goes into manufacturing a high-quality video is finished in post-production, so budget well for this. Motion graphics, or titles, will be separate video production costs as well. rent a Production Company or Freelancer rent a Production Company or Freelancer If your team can handle some areas of production in-house, equivalent to script, location scouting, or editing, then you’ll be able to lower your video production costs.
You can economize by hiring a contract crew (a couple shooters and sound techs) rather than a full-service production company.

List of Production Companies, for comparison:

London, United Kingdom
“The Casual Films team was great to work with.”

Make Great Video
Walnut, CA
[Image: Lemonlight]
High-Quality & Affordable Videos for Your Business
[Image: BX Films]
Video Production from Concept through Completion
Walnut Creek, CA
Videos that Drive Results
“They offer quality outcomes, great customer service, and excellent creativity.”
Director of Marketing & Communications, Vehicle Products Co
[Video: The DVI Group]
Business Video Reimagined
[Image: Bottle Rocket Media]
Video Content Agency
[Image: 5:00 Films & Media]
5:00 Films & Media
Mission-Driven Video Production
“We’re glad we got the chance to work with them on this project; they simply knew what they were doing.”

How much should I pay for a commercial video?

What is a reasonable commercial video cost?

We believe a high quality commercial video would start at cost around $7000, and go up to around $10,000 for a full length film day, with added locations and actors, which alone can sometimes cost about $1500 – some companies prefer to have their production staffed with models, other times founders are ok starring in it themselves or staffing it with normal people instead of actors. 

Most companies that offer a comparable service are planing to sell you staff and services you don’t need.  That’s why many companies cost $15,000 and above for a single commercial vide.

What to include in a commercial video?  Here’s what our friends at video brewery recommend: 

commercial is all about community. In most cases, people are funding you as much as they’re funding your project. They want to see you, hear your passion, and get excited with you. Viewers also want to make sure you seem competent and trustworthy. When you’re on camera, bring all the energy you can muster, have fun, and smile often.

• Tell viewers who you are.
• Tell viewers the story behind your project.
• Come out and ask for people’s support, explaining why you need it and what you’ll do with their money.
• Talk about how awesome your rewards are, using any images you can.
• Explain that if you don’t reach your goal, you’ll get nothing, and everyone will be sad.
•  
•  

And when you add in the cost of rented locations, or hiring models and talent, that is why a Commercial Video cost can get to over $10k.  (Our locations and talent are much more affordable, please do reach out to find out about the Talent+Locations package and how it can fit with the above commercial video services.)  

So when people are saying they can produce a video for your for $2k, you must ask – what of the above services are being left out? It basically means they are hiring camera people who are working for under market prices, which usually means they are offshore, or inexperienced.  If you cant afford a video service, you might as well get a $5000 loan with no credit check.

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Commercial Video Production Cost

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