What Pro Visuals Actually Cost (and Why)

As an independent artist planning your own visual shoots, it can seem impossible to get transparent pricing, clarity on what you actually need, what it actually costs, and why. This document changes all of that.

We lay out what filmmaking personnel, equipment, and post-production you can afford and expect according to your budget.

The four budget tiers

Tier 1 — No budget $0–$500 · Tier 2 — Small budget $500–$4,000 · Tier 3 — Medium budget $4,000–$10,000 · Tier 4 — Big budget $10,000+

If you're here, we're going to assume you fall into the first three categories, but 4i Productions can help you no matter what budget you're working with.

Three things every music video needs: an artist, a camera, and an editor. You can be all three.

Here's how that looks.

Tier 1 — No budget

• Filmed on iPhone or camera at home
• Edited by yourself with tutorials and free assets you can find online (like 4irecords.com/resources)
• Grab a friend to film for you, or set up a tripod
• Get super creative and have fun

If you're operating with a bit more money, you can get other creatives involved who want to work on passion projects for their portfolio. Collaborating with other talented independent creatives can increase the production value and make production go by way more smoothly.

Tier 2 — Small budget

• Get together a crew of volunteer filmmakers and use the equipment you can find or afford
• Set up a real shoot day with crafty on set
• Edit yourself, or find a volunteer editor
• Minimal lighting, camera, costume, and location, sourced through sites like Facebook Marketplace and Peerspace (see the resource list below)

At this stage, you can wear fewer hats and have fun with a more experienced group of creative professionals while keeping other costs (location, costumes, etc.) lower — or spend more budget on more expensive equipment with fewer people involved. It depends on your level of comfort, knowledge, and experience with filmmaking.

Tier 3 — Medium budget

• Hire a real DP and director with a good camera and lighting package
• Secure some locations at a well-priced day rate
• Secure volunteer filmmakers and extra actors who can help on set at a discounted rate
• Hire an editor to cut the finished video, and/or cut clips for social media promotion
• Hire a professional BTS photographer or videographer so you have great content for socials
• Splurge on costumes, maybe a makeup artist
• Make sure you're following permit and filming laws in your local area

At this level, you can realize a grand-scale vision with lots of qualified professionals to handle the logistics of planning and executing your visual music project.

Tier 4 — Big budget

• Experienced professional director
• Professional assistant director to keep the shoot running smoothly
• Director of photography with a professional camera package
• Other camera operators for multicam shooting
• Catering and crafty for grip and lighting crew
• Professional set design and lighting equipment
• Location, prop, and costume rentals
• Makeup artists

What are expected rates?

For production roles, most creatives charge via day rate — the amount of money they'll want per day of shooting. If you only shoot for one day, you pay them for one day, but most large-scale music videos shoot for two days or more.

What you can expect:

• Professional DP or director — day rates range from $200 (someone starting out that you struck a deal with) to $1,000+ (working professionals).
• Camera package — you can rent a great camera for a few hundred dollars a day, but keep in mind that to get the beautiful cinematic shots you want, you'll also need to rent the specific lenses, lighting equipment, and silks or screens to achieve the look.
• Grip and gaff crew — you'll want people on set to move lights, set up safe rigging, help operate equipment, or even just hold lights by hand for guerilla setups. The day rate for gaff and grip crew varies by budget tier: $100 to $2,000 is a low-end to high-end range.
• Assistant directors — the same range applies. ADs are very helpful for managing the flow and scheduling of crew, and tracking shot list and coverage progress.
• Editors charge hourly or per project, not by the day. An entry-level editor doing this project for a portfolio credit could charge a couple hundred dollars for a finished music video, or could charge hourly. Editor hourly rates range from $20 to $200+ an hour.

PRO TIP — 4i Productions works with creatives in Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, and New York, and editors from all around the world, to get you the best rates for your project in any budget tier. →Get a free quote

Where to get the most bang for your buck

1. Lighting

A lot of people think a more expensive camera equals better production value, but it's not true. Most filmmakers will agree the best investment you can make is in lighting — or in creative professionals who are trained to see and arrange shots according to natural lighting.

PRO TIP — Weapons was shot on an iPhone for $60 — the cost of an iPhone stabilizer from Amazon.

Even if you can't afford expensive lights, training the eye to see composition and good lighting helps elevate the perceived production value of your visual project dramatically. In that case, hiring an experienced DP may be worth it even without an expensive camera or lighting package.

2. Editing

Others might argue your best investment is in editing. Taking even poorly-lit iPhone footage and adding color grading, graphics, and some VFX in post can make your visuals look intentional and creative. Editing is also where you have the most creative freedom to try new visual directions, hooks, effects, and more.

3. Creativity

One thing that money can't buy: creativity, passion, and authenticity. A music video at any budget can be an incredible piece of art by being an honest expression of you, the artist. Remember to enjoy the process — the best music video is one made by you, with the tools you have available, while authentically expressing yourself.

It can be overwhelming to watch hours and hours of filmmaking and editing tutorials. If you'd rather focus on making music, 4i Productions works with talented editors all over the world to get you the most qualified editor for the job at a price that fits within your budget. →Get a free quote

Build your own budget

Pick a level for each role. Costs and your estimated total update as you go.

Free & cheap artist resources

Filmmaker vocab