Asking how much it cost to make a video is very similar to asking how much it costs to make a house. It depends! Does it have 3 bedrooms or 4? Does it have 2 bathrooms or 3? What is the cost of land in the area? Does it have a pool? Are you using granat in the kitchen? Marble in the bathroom? What about the garage? Videos are like that too. Will you use actors? Do you need to develop a script or are you going to improvise? Are you shooting in a studio? Do you have to travel to get there?

The ultimate costs can range enormously.  With expectations come price.  Some videos can be made very, very cheaply.  It can be as simple as shooting a speaker, making a clean fade in and out, maybe animate a logo and use some music to sting in and out — then BAM! You have yourself a corporate video. However, this may not be the best way to show off your company or get your message though.  

The old adage ‘you pay for what you get,’ can be true here. Maybe you can find someone on Craigslist to videotape what you need shot and then do a basic edit on their laptop for $500. However, you could be out $500 and time. Amatures everywhere soon discover that it’s easy to buy a camera and learn what to do to make a video. Learning the 10,000 things NOT to do, however, only comes with experience. So sometimes it’s better to work with a experienced professionals who can help you create the video that you will be proud of.

In short, in most major markets, plan on paying no less than $2,500 for a basic, fairly short video of a company event or keynote.  And just as anything else, prices go up from there.  Add in actors, special effects, 3-d spaces, script development, multi-day shooting etc,  and the prices can rise considerably to $10K and above.