DEMYSTIFYING THE COST OF VIDEOGRAPHY
From time to time, we meet people
who want to know how we arrived
at our pricing. This is certainly
a fair question and one we enjoy
answering since an informed consumer
makes a great client!
This document addresses that
question in a couple of ways. First,
you’ll see line-by-line the average
amount of time we spend on each
wedding. Remember, our work is
just getting started when your
wedding day ends! Second, you’ll
see just how that work breaks down
to an hourly rate and how that
hourly rate compares to the going
“industry standard” for videography
services in the commercial and
corporate realm. You’ll also see
how it compares to the hourly rates
of other local professionals with
similar education and experience.
We hope you will find this informative
and enlightening
Task |
# of Staff |
Hours Each |
Total Hours |
Contact
w/bride & groom
(calls, emails, etc.) |
1 |
2 |
4 |
Meet
w/bride & groom (incl.
burning and providing demo
DVD) |
1 or
2 |
2 |
4 |
Execute
contract & associated
admin. work (database, invoice,
etc.) |
1 |
2 |
2 |
Rehearsal,
contact coordinator & photographer,
address location rules/restrictions |
2 |
3 |
6 |
Videotape
wedding and reception 2 8
to 10 16 to 20
Locate or select music for video, convert from MP3 or WMF to AIFF |
2 |
8-10 |
16-20 |
Locate
or select music for video,
convert from MP3 or WMF to
AIFF |
1 |
3 |
3 |
Upload
raw footage at 1:2 time ratio
(i.e., 1 hr. of tape = 2
hr. to upload) |
1 |
12 |
12 |
Select
“stills” from video, apply
two filters to make suitable
for viewing, apply special
effects (b&w, sepia,
etc.) |
1 |
4 |
4 |
Layout & Edit
“Your Moments” piece with
stills and music
|
1 |
5 |
5 |
Select
footage for “Highlights”
Video |
1 |
5 |
5 |
Layout & edit
“Highlights” video incl.
special effects and color
correction |
1 |
5 |
5 |
Select
footage for Natural Sound
piec |
1 |
5 |
5 |
Layout & edit
Natural Sound piece including
“marrying” a/b roll audio
and video to match (i.e.,
synch two-source audio to
two-source video) |
1 |
8 |
8 |
Quality Control
all video elements from beginning
to end and make any adjustments |
1 |
4 |
4 |
Post Production:
custom menus, credits, cover
art, author DVDs |
1 |
4 |
4 |
Compress
and encode video |
1 |
8 |
8 |
Build
DVD menu, burn finished video
to DVD (at least 3 copies)
1 |
1 |
5 |
5 |
Package
and send DVDs 1 1.5 1.5 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
Archive
raw tapes and master DVD,
backup entire project on
external hard-drive |
1 |
3 |
3 |
Total |
|
|
110 |
* Wedding package only.
Does not include time spent on
photo montages, Love Stories
or other custom options.
PUTTING IT IN PERSPECTIVE*
The current rate for commercial
and/or corporate video production
is $125 per hour. That hourly rate
applies to shooting, editing and
graphic creation and production
meetings. If we charged our wedding
clients the same rate we charge
our commercial clients, the average
wedding video would cost approximately
$14,125!
The table below shows you how our hourly rate compares to other professions
that require similar experience, education and technical skill.
| JOB
TITLE |
EXPERIENCE
LEVEL |
EDUCATION
LEVEL |
AVERAGE
HOURLY RATE |
| Camera
Operator |
at
least 5 years |
at
least Associates degree |
$33.62 |
| Software
Engineer |
8
to 10 years |
BA |
$40.60 |
| IT
Manager |
8
to 10 years |
BA |
$46.24 |
| Communications
Executive |
10
to 15 years |
BA |
$90.12 |
* Job descriptions
and rates courtesy monster.com.
Based on current rates for
Virginia Beach, VA.
| OUR
JOB TITLE |
OUR
EXPERIENCE |
OUR
EDUCATION OUR |
AVE.
HOURLY RATE |
| Videographer |
15
years& 16 years |
BA,
Journalism &
BA, Communications |
$16.37
(divided between 2 people) |
