You tell them what
you do for a living and they just don’t get it or see the point.
You’d think that in my industry, video production, that people
would have a pretty good idea what it is that I and other
craftspeople do day to day. They can visualize the camera, some
lights, the concept of editing. After all, there is a 100+ year
history of movie making and more than 80 years of TV for them to have
formulated an idea of what it’s all about. Unfortunately though, I
don’t produce multi-million dollar budgets and I have yet to work
with any Hollywood A-listers. So when I tell them the actual details
of the productions I make they often don’t get the reason or the
purpose. My go to quote is that “I make rich people richer.”
What do I mean by
that?
Well, as another
saying goes “It takes money, to make money”. So generally, I work
for business owners and companies that want to promote what they do
and what they sell. They have the deep pockets to afford the
services I provide, which the average person can’t fathom. When
people ask what a typical video may cost I’ll usually say that it
generally ranges from about $5,000 to $15,000 or even quite a bit
more depending on the details. That’s certainly more than what the
average “Joe” would be willing to part with.
A challenge for
producers, such as myself is that I no longer work in a walled garden.
Nowadays, people have the ability to put together videos themselves
thanks to lower cost equipment like smartphones, DSLR cameras and
affordable editing software. Back when I first started in the
business, dropping $50,000+ on editing equipment was normal and a
decent broadcast quality video camera would set you back $20-$50,000.
Add lights and other tools and your initial investment could easily
climb to $150,000. It’s still that way if you want to work with
the best equipment doing high quality broadcast work but the entry
barrier has dropped now to $5-10,000 for decent tools that get the
job done. Want the job done right? You need to trust a professional
like myself who has the experience, skills and time to get it done
effectively, with quality, and in a timely manner.
Getting back to the
cost, people will ask “Why so expensive?” Well, if the video
requires a professional actor to host the video, that usually costs
$1,000+ per day. Want professional narration? $500. Need a script
written? $500-$1,000. Editing - $3-5,000, The actual shoot $1,500+ Needs
some animation? $2,000+ Those are very rough numbers and the actual
price can vary widely depending on the details, so don’t quote me
or hold another producer to these prices. It just gives you an idea
of how things can add up. Why does a Hollywood drama cost $30
million but an action flick costs $150 million? It’s all in the
details.
So then, the next
question is “Well, what kind of videos do you do and why would
somebody watch them? Typically, it’s all about education. I point
my camera at subject “X” and you the viewer will become educated
on what it’s about, why it’s important, how it works, why you
want it, need it, CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT IT.
Sometimes, the sales
message isn’t SO strong but usually I’m trying to convince the
viewer that the message IS important and worth watching. The why, as
I said previously comes down to money, spending money to make money.
