Recently I spent a day video recording the entire production process in a manufacturing plant, starting with the raw materials and following the production line to the finished product, ready to ship out.

Video was actually shot at several manufacturing plants and production companies in New York, Kansas City and here in Little Rock were working on the project. The result will be a video for use as part of this company’s effort to show a major client that not only are they doing an excellent job with the contract they have, but they should also be entrusted with a continued and expanded contract.

The shoot itself was fun, as the plant manager gave me very free range to record anything that struck my fancy on the production line. I found impressive wide shots as well as intriguing details of product, machines and the workers that make it happen.

Driving home from the shoot, I got to thinking about the effort this company is expending to secure future contracts from one client. Shooting video at several locations around the US and having a team work around the clock to edit it for the formal presentation does come with a significant price tag.

The company could have decided to just do a PowerPoint presentation and a quick walking tour of one of their plants. In fact, I am sure they will do all that, but they wanted a video too. Because the video can, in just a few minutes, show what would take much longer to explain and also take the client into places that would not be accessible or particularly visible on a plant tour. Obviously the folks at corporate decided that spending some money to expand their business with this client will be well worth it.

Many companies don’t have have nearly the resources that this corporation does, but that doesn’t mean that a video of the production process or service isn’t needed or a good investment. Because a well-crafted video will convey more, with greater emotional impact, in a few minutes, than most meeting presenters will manage in 20-30 minutes. Even for a small business, gaining just one new client can quickly more than pay for the cost of producing a quality video that tells the company’s story or shows off the product or service. As a bonus, the video can be shown again and again, maybe with some customization for a particular new potential client.

How much is that video I imagine?

The question always comes up when talking about a potential video project. At times it’s even the first question.

Budgets for theatrical movies cover reams of paper. Even a detailed budget for a much smaller production can go on at great length. There are so many items to include: Preparation, location scouting, script research and writing, talent, makeup, crew, camera(s), lights, travel, food, lodging, film or other recording media, editing, computers, music, narration, graphics, stock photo and video, distribution media and copies. And that is just a partial list. Not every production needs all of those items, but the point is that it is very hard to give a $$ number when what will go into the video hasn’t yet been determined.

You may have heard people mention numbers, like $3000 per finished minute, or was that $2000 or even $1000? Actually, those numbers can be helpful in finding a ball park figure to base further refining on. Certainly there is a difference between what can go into a video that costs $3000 per finished minute to produce and one that can only cost $1000 per finished minute.

Part of what I provide my clients when we talk about a potential project, is my experience at bringing excellent value to the production at a reasonable cost. I look for the very best use of the client’s budget.

It is important to not stare blindly at that per minute number. Consider how the video will be used. Is it going to facilitate sales to the tune of $10,000 or $1,000,000? How long will it be used? Is it for a one-time event or will it be the face of the client company/organization for years to come?

In conversation about the potential project, it is quite helpful if the prospective client, knows the scope of his/her budget. It is a very quick way to break the whole process when client and producer have wildly divergent ideas of what this project should cost.

Ultimately, creating a good video has a lot to do with vision — shared vision among all the involved. Only then can we together tailor a project that will truly deliver a video that meets the client’s communication needs at a reasonable price.