{
  "slug": "video-production-cost",
  "title": "Video Production Cost Calculator",
  "heading": "Video Production Cost Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/video-production-cost",
  "summary": "True cost per finished minute, including your own time.",
  "description": "Cost per finished minute is the metric that decides whether long-form is worth it. Once editing runs past 8:1, outsourcing almost always pays for itself.",
  "formula": "Cost = (Shoot hours + Edit hours) × rates + gear amortisation + hard costs.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=video-production-cost",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "minutes",
      "label": "Finished video length (minutes)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 12,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0.5,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "shoot",
      "label": "Shoot hours",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 4,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "edit",
      "label": "Edit hours",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 9,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "rate",
      "label": "Blended hourly rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 45,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "hard",
      "label": "Hard costs (props, music, travel)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 120,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "gear",
      "label": "Gear amortisation per video",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 60,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "total",
      "label": "Total cost per video",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "perMinute",
      "label": "Cost per finished minute",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "labour",
      "label": "Labour cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "ratio",
      "label": "Edit-to-finish ratio (min per finished min)",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "hours",
      "label": "Total hours",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "monthly4",
      "label": "Cost of 4 videos a month",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Finished video length (minutes): 12",
      "Shoot hours: 4",
      "Edit hours: 9",
      "Blended hourly rate: 45 $",
      "Hard costs (props, music, travel): 120 $",
      "Gear amortisation per video: 60 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Total cost per video: $765.00",
      "Cost per finished minute: $63.75",
      "Labour cost: $585.00",
      "Edit-to-finish ratio (min per finished min): 45",
      "Total hours: 13",
      "Cost of 4 videos a month: $3,060.00"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter finished video length (minutes).",
      "Enter shoot hours.",
      "Enter edit hours.",
      "Enter blended hourly rate ($).",
      "Enter hard costs (props, music, travel) ($).",
      "Enter gear amortisation per video ($).",
      "Read your total cost per video on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "minutes": 7.199999999999999,
        "shoot": 2.4,
        "edit": 5.3999999999999995,
        "rate": 45,
        "hard": 70,
        "gear": 40
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "minutes": 12,
        "shoot": 4,
        "edit": 9,
        "rate": 45,
        "hard": 120,
        "gear": 60
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "minutes": 19.200000000000003,
        "shoot": 6.4,
        "edit": 14.4,
        "rate": 45,
        "hard": 190,
        "gear": 100
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How does the video production cost calculator work?",
      "a": "Cost per finished minute is the metric that decides whether long-form is worth it. Once editing runs past 8:1, outsourcing almost always pays for itself. The underlying maths is: Cost = (Shoot hours + Edit hours) × rates + gear amortisation + hard costs."
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "6 values: finished video length (minutes), shoot hours, edit hours, blended hourly rate, hard costs (props, music, travel), and gear amortisation per video. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the total cost per video result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/creator-hourly-rate",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/content-cadence"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Video Production Cost Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/video-production-cost)"
}