YOUR IMAGING AND VIDEO PRODUCTION SPECIALISTS

Many factors come into play when pricing a Kamara Commercial Video and here, we would like to outline the main issues affecting pricing and to educate by raising awareness of areas requiring consideration when choosing a video provider.

First of all, apologies for the lengthy document – Reading it is not essential but if you are considering a commercial video then it may provide some insight into factors affecting your decision and our pricing.

You may be wondering what we have to hide by not offering package prices for our Kamara Commercial Video services? The answer is absolutely nothing. The reality is simple – EVERY commercial video commission we have undertaken at Kamara has been different. Due to the diversity of our client’s requirements we are not prepared to compromise on delivering the content required in order to squeeze services into a fixed package price. We would much rather discuss options and find a solution that meets our client’s need.

We are here to advise and guide you through the process and if after doing that you feel we are not the right fit for any particular project, no hard feelings, it may be that we decide that you are not the right fit for us and will do our best to point you in the direction of someone who may be able to help. We understand that this is sometimes the case and Kamara are in the business of doing what is right for our clients – all we need is the opportunity to chat.

Equipment costs have tumbled in the last 20 years making video much more accessible to anyone wanting to shoot their own movie or film. What hasn’t changed is the skill of the operator. Even though modern equipment is extremely good, there is no substitute for a skilled operator. An operator who understands and controls the light rather than letting the light control the shot, an operator who understands the camera and tools he is working with and who uses this understanding to control key elements of the shot in order to incorporate it into the final edit, someone who understands the whole process and uses his knowledge of the total process in order to maximise the situation and deliver to a client brief, an operator who understands that good sound can add significantly to an edit and an operator who understands, framing, focus, depth of field and composition – a PROFESSIONAL.

What makes offering a video package so difficult? What affects the pricing? And what things should be considered?
Here we highlight a few of the major components of a shoot and offer a short explanation as to why they will affect the budget.

Pre Production / Planning

Planning
How much involvement do you want Kamara to have – we can guide your project from the beginning or we can integrate as required – it is up to you to decide just how much involvement you need.

What message you are trying to convey and…to who (Audience)
This affects shooting style, format, and most aspects of a shoot and is one of the primary considerations when commissioning a video. WHO is your target audience? What is their demographic? WHAT are you aiming to achieve and HOW are you going to use this video to achieve your aim. Kamara are on hand to guide you through the process right from these early stages. We will even offer guidance as to how we feel you can use video and stills across a wide range of marketing and general communication pillars – just ask and we will send the relevant person to discuss options

Finished edit length
The complexity and length of the final edit/edits will obviously dictate the editing time required and also the length of clips we shoot. It may also be that you require different length edits from the same footage for different applications, such as teasers or different applications. This basic information is crucial from the start of your project

Finished use – EXPO’s, Educational, Induction, training, H&S, Internal comms, web site,

Marketing?
The style and feel of your edit will also be dictated by its intended use and we are here to advise you, different applications require different considerations for example, voice-overs, text size, style and positioning, music, resolution and output format – all are dictated by the final requirement and therefore affect the means by which we reach this goal

Output size and formats
You may be questioning why this is in the Pre-Production and Planning category. The final requirement affects so much of the whole process.
You may require multiple edits in multiple formats. File sizes can vary tremendously and this also affects file handling even when using the latest technologies

Shooting complexity
Obviously the more complex the shoot, the more time, cameras, crew, organisation, logistics, pre-production planning, direction and post-production are required – At Kamara we can cope with productions ranging from just a few hundred pounds up to tens of thousands

Location
Cleanliness, product levels, H&S requirements, vehicles, branded clothing etc – What is required to present the environment as YOU wish to portray it.

Studio
Lighting – What style and ‘feel’ are you looking for? Our experienced, professional operators understand lighting and it is crucial to the overall feel of your production. Lighting can be very simple or extremely complex and this complexity obviously comes at a cost

Importance of acoustics
Does your sound need to be clear and crisp or do you prefer it to be recorded in the working environment?

Kamara Logistics
Equipment requirements for the job can vary tremendously and if specialist equipment needs to be sourced this has an impact on price

Staffing requirements
Pretty self-explanatory – more staff require bigger budgets and support staff can be required for any number of roles from Health & Safety, spotters, runners, lighting techs, sound engineers, drivers, grips, riggers etc. Most of our client’s requirements are relatively straightforward and are completed with one or two staff but these are things requiring consideration at an early stage to avoid escalating costs.

Client Logistics
Ensuring vehicles are cleaned/positioned and the filming area is prepared for the shoot. Ensuring personnel are available for shooting, especially when shooting to a tight schedule, ensuring the relevant releases are signed by personnel shown in any shoot – all need to be considered within your overall planning and budget and adhered to in order ensure an efficient shooting schedule

On-Site and Company specific H&S requirements
This may require the use of additional staff during the production to ensure individual industry H&S requirements are met– especially when working in hazardous or potentially dangerous environments for example, docks, transport yards or factories. Our camera operators need to concentrate on their filming and quite often a ‘spotter’ or ‘look out’ is required.

Flexibility
When working on projects where elements are beyond our control we often need to build in a degree of flexibility for our operators and crew – this is often the case when working on transport projects or shipping where tides, weather and port operations all come into play and where the consequences of same are dictated by factors outside of anyone’s control.

Scheduling of logistics/processes.
Depending on the complexity of the shoot the planning and logistics are key to running an efficient production – particularly where large numbers of personnel are involved. Time taken at the planning stage will inevitably lead to an efficient shoot

Production

Cameras
And number of operators required to ensure your brief is met. Sometimes your process can be a one-shot deal so requires multiple cameras and operators to ensure multiple angles are captured – at Kamara we tailor to your requirements

Spotters/ On-site staff
All of the items considered at the Pre-production stage have to be carried on to the Production stage and all have an impact on cost. Once we know what is required, we can plan and quote accordingly.

Number of visits to site/s
Many of our productions require multiple visits to site for a number of reasons and again, this all needs to be accounted for

Teleprompter
For many, speaking to camera is a daunting experience. You don’t want to be seen to be scanning notes and you don’t want your piece to camera to be full of ‘umm’s and errr’s’. We have a solution in the form of a Teleprompter or Autocue. The text is directly in front of the lens and reading from the autocue makes you forget totally that there is even a camera there. The speed and size of text is adjustable to suit your delivery speed and although there is a set up time involved, many of our customers find this invaluable particularly when delivering Senior Management speeches. Teleprompter is also particularly useful for those unaccustomed to being on camera delivering ‘knowledge-bank’ and instructional videos.

Greenscreen
We can provide greenscreen services for situations where various backgrounds are required and obviously this increases set-up and edit times

Post Production

Overall feel
You may require ‘treatment’ to give your footage a certain ‘feel’ associated with your Brand. You may require something simple for education, something soft and warm for your product/service, or something punchy for a new brand or more modern feel – these questions all require consideration prior to filming or even selecting your preferred supplier – again, we are here to advise and guide you through the process.

Voice Overs
These can be done by a complete amateur with zero experience, a competent person with a specific understanding of a particular process or system, a business owner or Senior Manager, or by a V/O Professional or celebrity – all have their own uses, challenges and cost implications.

Music
Cost for music depends on the choice, length and music source as does the time for selecting the right music to accompany your production.

Complexity of edit
Edits vary in complexity and quantity of footage gathered, inclusion of text, logos, Voice-overs, animations etc all add to the edit time required

Animation
Animations can vary from simple “off the shelf’ versions to bespoke and very complex works requiring specialist expert input – we can deal with either but as you can imagine, the cost implications vary tremendously.

Text
Can be overlaid, have its own slides, be added as spoken or in blocks

Translations
Some multi-nationals require translations especially induction videos for transport Companies where drivers of different nationalities need to be aware of site specific regulations, processes and safety requirements. We can provide these both as text and Voice-over for your application.

Number of edit amends (usually increases with length of film and complexity)
Your video may be required for multiple applications which demand different edits and outputs – for example one version for your web site may be relatively low resolution for speed of download and require a Voice-over where the same video used at a busy/noisy Trade show on a large screen may need to be higher resolution and have text to match the Voice-over. If these things are considered at an early stage, it is much easier to deliver than if it decided after the final edit has been approved.

The Bottom Line… is YOUR Bottom Line

We don’t simply want to create a cool video because that’s what you feel you should be doing. We want to ADD VALUE and if we feel that video is not right for what you are seeking to achieve…we will advise you and not only that, we will advise what direction we consider to be right for you. We want you to see a RETURN ON YOUR  INVESTMENT and through discussion we can incorporate your expertise of your product, service or environment with Kamara’s expertise as to how to gain a competitive advantage over your rivals with the use of video no matter what your corporate goals. They may be internal training, a message from the CEO, a message to your customers or potential customers, an induction, form part of a knowledge-bank or any number of uses, but rest assured, video is becoming more important as a marketing and engagement tool than many businesses realise.

Click here to check out our post on top ten considerations when choosing your video content provider