Pre-production is all about planning.
“An hour of planning will save you 10 hours of doing.” - Dale Carnegie
“A goal without a plan is a wish.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, writer and pioneering aviator
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Pre-production is arguably the most important phase to getting a finished video project that accomplishes your original vision and goal. A video project deserves planning. What is the goal? What purpose does the video serve? How will we use it? Who should be in it? What story should we tell? Those are questions you can answer yourself or with your team.
The more work you do on those questions, the lower your pre-production costs are likely to be. Most production companies are happy– a lot even prefer– to be involved in helping you answer those questions. Once that’s decided, then it’s the production company’s job to set up everything needed to achieve that vision. Here are a few of those things–
>>Jump straight to the cost
Planning Meetings - All the logistics. Talking about what you want to do, who will be involved, what your goals are, where you can shoot.
Script Writing - Some companies will only operate from an approved script, some are more off-the-cuff. A skilled interviewer can get natural, real stories, emotion and moments out of an interviewee you could have never scripted. Ask about their interview experience. Whether specifically called out or not, make sure you have any requirements for wording clearly stated. Should interviewees say the full name of the organization/program/product? Is the acronym okay? Any slogans or buzzwords that should definitely be used or definitely avoided?
Location Scouting - This is getting eyes on the environment for the shoot ahead of time. Does the interviewee’s desk need to be cleaned up? Are extra lights needed? A background? What props/furniture is needed? Is there construction on the street outside the building? An experienced scout will look for and find the unexpected and be ready for it!
Hiring/Coordinating Crew - Does the production company have in-house staff or do they hire subcontractors? See the article on Production to delve more into that topic. Coordinating schedules of the crew with the production schedule can be a challenge. More subcontractors equals more pre-production cost.
Renting Gear - The gear used on a shoot could be an article all on its own. You may see the cost of gear included specifically on an estimate or it may be rolled into other rates.. Frankly speaking, you do not need a RED or ARRI camera for most videos destined for the internet. Period. There are Super Bowl commercials that are shot on cell phones. Are there reasons to use the higher end gear? Certainly. However, put simply, the camera isn't what's going to make your project great. A trustworthy company will have professional quality gear and use the level of gear necessary for the project.
Cost of Pre-production
Pre-Production is usually billed either hourly or at half-day/day rates.
Individual - The hourly pre-production rate for a solo Producer/Videographer generally ranges from $25-$100 per hour. So two 1-hour planning meetings and an 8-hour day to set up everything else might cost you $250-$750.
Small company, in-house staff - With in-house staff involved, you may get a flat estimate– a specific number of hours with an hourly rate. That could range from a flat rate of $1,000-$2,500 or an hourly rate of $150-$300. That’s based on their perception of what it might cost based on similar projects. If you get a flat rate, you can usually divide it by the individual rate ($25-$100) and the number of people involved to get an idea how much time they think pre-production will take.
Larger Production House, primarily freelance staff - When a company uses mostly freelancers for crew/producing needs, pre-production costs are usually quoted based on the role and the number of hours in their “day” (usually 10 or 12 hours). For example, a Producer might charge 2 12-hr days of Pre Production at $1000/day; a Director of Photography might charge $500 for a 5-hour half day for scouts and meetings; a Grip might charge $350 for 2 hours to prep the truck carrying the lighting gear; and a Production Assistant might charge $200 for a 10-hr day to assist the Producer with setting up a location. The person in charge of quoting your project will usually try to get availability/estimates for crew during the discovery process to get the most accurate estimate. These costs can vary widely based on your local market, crew availability, and the complexity of the project, but you can expect upwards of $3,500 for prep if multiple freelancers are utilized during pre-production.
Retainers - Some companies may operate like a lawyer using an upfront payment (‘retainer’) and charge against it using ‘billable hours’. Put this at about $4,000 to start. They will generally estimate your pre-production up front and then give you an hourly rate if it goes beyond the estimated hours. If billable hours are used, most will (and all should) track when time is spent on your project, what was accomplished, and be able to report it back to you. Always ask how hours will be reported to you and how you will be notified for approval of additional hours.
