Most people don’t ask us this directly. However, I think it’s safe to assume that most business owners are always cost conscious. And if you are throwing an event, then you may be thinking about your own budget as well.
When factoring the costs, you’ve likely already determined the importance of video and how much you should plan to budget for. You might also be worried that it might cost too much and that your marketing plan will fall apart and leave you empty handed.
I’m going to give you a rough idea of what you can do to minimize costs overall, and hopefully enlighten you as to where these costs are established from.
DIY - Free
Yes, I’m starting with the freebie. Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook and plenty more are all flooded with videos that are super successful. This is primarily because of cell phones, and what we associate the quality with. When a cellphone video is relatable, the content’s success is almost directly a result of the story or the information that it tells. The quality of the video is not what sells this kind of video. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s easy to make great content on your phone. Timing, aesthetics and tone all have a huge influence in how relatable your content is. If you can make your audience/ideal clientele feel connected to your brand, then this part will be easy.
Have a plan - We’re not necessarily making a Hollywood blockbuster, but you do need to have an idea for your video. First, decide your goal, then think creatively. What in life reminds you of this goal’s outcome? And what may remind others of it too?
Don’t drag it out - Cut to the chase! Only show the important parts of your video. Don’t make viewers watch the extra 6-7 seconds that you took to cut the ending of your Instagram story. If you bore the audience for even a brief second, you lose the effectiveness of your video.
Be patient - Don’t rush to post your newly created content immediately. I know you’re probably thinking, “Holy HubSpot Batman! We’ll never have time to make all of this content!”. And while that might be true, the important thing here is to not panic. Focus on quality of your content, and not necessarily on the quantity. If you need to, try posting less frequently.
Edit, edit, EDIT! - There are plenty of free programs out there like Davinci Resolve, iMovie and Wondershare’s Filmora. And unless you are telling stories that are carefully planned and timed out, you’ll likely benefit from cutting it in post. Acting requires lots of practice, and not everyone is going to nail their take on the first try. You can easily run the risk of either spending way too much time on your video, or compromising with an inferior product.
Put your video together with a few simple cuts, that are timed to tell your story. There’s an illusion of time you can create using cutting and lots of other little tricks can progress a day, months or years into even a 15 second video. If the idea of sitting at a computer for a few hours and developing severe nerd neck seems dreadful, you can always hire a video editor to help out with some of the heavy lifting.
Record Clean Audio - My audio buddies are most likely smiling while reading this. Audio plays a massive roll in video. Bad audio can ruin a good video, as much as a bad video can ruin good audio. Make sure that your audience hears what you want them to hear, and don’t become too distracted by the background fuzz or any passing cars. Practice yelling “QUIET ON SET! “ at your neighbor mowing his lawn and then record yourself clearly telling your dog that they’re a good boy. Because then people will know who’s a good boy.. he is. But it is always worth investing in a decent microphone, if you plan on doing this alone.
Add Music - Unless it’s a montage, the music should be mixed into your video, in order to not drown out any dialogue. Music can be extremely moving, so make sure that it’s moving people in the right direction. Hopefully that direction doesn’t result in hard work being removed, for copy right infringement or worse, penalties and fines. Be sure to purchase or acquire royalty free music, with an appropriate license whenever necessary.
Bonus - Beef up the video quality with a DSLR or Mirrorless camera and a decent lens. Below are some good entry level options.
Hire A Team
Be a video producer and create a team. Be sure to have a plan fleshed out for your content. Ultimately you, or your marketing specialist should be guiding the content that you need efficiently. If you just need to make engaging content for your businesses’ social media page. It may be most efficient to do most of this yourself, and hire professionals to fill in the gap. All of these positions can be learned by yourself, but the key take away here should be that you are in the business of your industry. So focus on your industry and not necessarily learning a new one. However, it’s always helpful to have the knowledge needed in order to guide the team efficiently.
I reccomend using Fiver if you are looking for affordable services. It’s a gamble to use people without a trusted referral, but you can search for services that compliment potentially existing strengths.
Timeline Visuals - Video Editing “Battle-Station”
Video Editors
Editors can cost between $75 - $150 per hour or more. The amount of time that they take depends greatly on the direction you’ve given them. If you want to cut costs, try to give good direction. Write out a paper edit, with what clips you want included, how long you want them and in what order. Pick the music ahead of time. The less that the editor needs to think, the faster they can turn around. But also consider the rendering and exporting times. If you deliver massive video files to your editor, it will take them a lot longer to render them, compared to a simple 30 second video from your cell phone. Though the mp4 files probably look pretty sweet from your new a7III, any experienced editor is likely going to transcode them to an editing format. And depending on your resolution, this process and the amount of time that it takes to export can vary. It’s likely going to add an hour or two by default.
Production Behind the Scenes by Timeline Visuals
Videographers / Cinematographers
A good video guy is going to cost between $100-$150. But they may also want to book a guaranteed 2-3 hours, to ensure the time was worth lugging all their expensive gear to the shoot location. Be considerate that this is their profession, and they often invest a large amount of money into quality gear. If you are looking for cheap work, than you’re likely going to have a lot of hit or miss projects. If that’s okay with you, then ask away. Personally, I believe that paying people a fair wage and being considerate is the best way to bring quality help. Be collaborative, and form strong working relationships. You will find that it will go a long way in the quality of your content.
Yves - production sound guy - for Timeline Visuals production company
Sound Op - This is often a dedicated person. Like cameras, there is a lot of complex functions of microphones and recorders. Hiring a good sound guy helps ensure that there are no missed sound bites, just because the camera guy was to busy pulling focus to notice that the levels were peaking. Or while fixing their lighting setup, they didn’t notice that the lav mic battery was low and ended up missing a whole take. Do yourself a favor and avoid putting too much pressure on a single professional. It will eventually burn them out.
Hire a Production Company
This is more of a premium concept. It might only be worth hiring a production company, when you need a premium video. Like a branded video, that needs to stand the test of time demonstrating your company values for your website. Or when you’ve grown your company to the point that you want to leverage your business as being of higher value, through beautifully crafted videos. Investing in your image, is investing in your brand. Hiring a production company, giving them a goal, allowing them to a source write and handing off creative control, can give you the freedom to focus on your business. Or even on just enjoying your personal life. Allow an experienced team like us at Timeline Visuals handle the production end of things, so that you can sit back and relax!
Timeline Visuals Production Company
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