Anatomy of an $8,000 Film: A Transparent Pricing Breakdown

Documentary-style brand films that don’t hide behind vague packages or “call for pricing.”

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Most video companies won’t tell you this.

Here’s what an $8,000 documentary-style brand film actually costs to make:

The total investment: $8,000 Our profit: $2,400 (30%) Everything else: Direct costs to create your film

Most companies hide this math behind “packages” and “investment levels.” We don’t. Here’s exactly where your money goes—and why it’s worth it.

What $8,000 Actually Buys You

Week 1-2: Discovery & Strategy ($1,600)

What you’re paying for:

• 8-12 hours of pre-production planning
• In-depth interviews with key stakeholders
• Location scouting and logistics
• Script development and storyboarding
• Equipment preparation and testing

What you get:

• A clear narrative direction
• Shot list tailored to your story
• Timeline and production schedule
• Risk assessment and contingency planning

Why this matters: Most “quick turn” videos skip this step. That’s why they produce content that sounds like everyone else’s.

Week 3: Production Days ($2,400)

What you’re paying for:

• 2-3 days of professional filming
• Cinema-quality camera equipment (RED Komodo, professional lenses)
• Professional audio recording equipment
• Lighting and grip equipment
• Crew (director, camera operator, sound technician)

What you get:

• 8-12 hours of broadcast-quality footage
• Professional audio recording in every location
• Multiple camera angles for dynamic editing
• Backup footage for security and creative options

Real cost breakdown:

• Camera/equipment rental: $600/day × 3 days = $1,800
• Crew wages: $200/day × 3 people × 3 days = $1,800
• Travel/accommodation: $600
• Total production costs: $4,200

Week 4-5: Post-Production ($3,200)

What you’re paying for:

• Professional editing (40-60 hours of work)
• Color grading with cinema-quality standards
• Professional audio mixing and sound design
• Music licensing (or original composition)
• Graphics, titles, and motion design
• Multiple revision rounds

What you get:

• Final film (8-15 minutes depending on scope)
• Social media cuts (30-second, 60-second versions)
• Graphics package for future use
• All raw footage and project files

Detailed post-production costs:

• Editor time: $50/hour × 50 hours = $2,500
• Color grading: $200
• Audio mixing: $200
• Music licensing: $300
• Total post-production: $3,200

Business Operations ($800)

• Project management and client communication
• File storage and project archiving
• Insurance and business licenses
• Equipment maintenance and updates

How This Compares to the Market

The “Cheap” Option: $2,000-$4,000

What you get:

• 1-day shoot
• Basic editing
• Stock music
• 1 final video
• No discovery process
• Minimal audio quality

What you don’t get:

• Strategic story development
• Professional audio in every environment
• Multiple cuts for different platforms
• Cinema-quality visuals
• Revisions that actually improve the film

The “Premium” Option: $15,000-$25,000

What you pay for:

• Brand-name recognition
• 5+ days of shooting
• Multiple crew members
• Extensive post-production timeline
• Custom music composition

What you get that we don’t provide:

• 2-3x the production time
• More people in the room
• Higher overhead costs
• Brand premium pricing

Our sweet spot: $8,000-$15,000

What makes this work:

• Efficient process without shortcuts
• Documentary-style efficiency
• Direct communication with decision-makers
• Equipment we own vs. rent
• Streamlined workflow from 65+ films

The Hidden Costs Most Companies Don’t Mention

Time vs. Money

Your time investment:

• Discovery interviews: 4-6 hours
• Production days: 1-2 days (you’ll be available for questions/approval)
• Review and feedback: 3-4 hours spread over the process

Our time investment:

• Discovery phase: 15-20 hours
• Production: 25-30 hours
• Post-production: 50-60 hours
• Total: 90-110 hours of professional work

The Real Cost of “Free” Revisions

Companies that include “unlimited revisions” are lying.

Here’s what unlimited revisions actually costs:

• Project timeline extends by 2-4 weeks
• Additional editing time: 10-20 hours
• Actual cost: $500-$1,000 per revision round

Our approach:

• 2 rounds of revisions included
• Changes focus on content, not endless tweaking
• Clear feedback deadlines keep projects on track
• Result: Higher quality, faster delivery

What Makes Our Pricing Work

1. We Own Our Equipment

Camera bodies: $40,00 investment Lenses: $25,000 investment
Audio equipment: $15,000 investment Lighting/grip: $10,000 investment

Total equipment value: $90,000

What this means:

• No rental markups (saves $1,500-$2,00 per project)
• Equipment we know intimately
• Immediate availability
• Maintenance built into project costs

2. Streamlined Workflow

65+ films since 2019 means we’ve refined every step:

• Discovery interviews that actually uncover your story
• Production planning that maximizes efficiency
• Post-production workflow that maintains quality without waste
• Client communication that keeps projects moving

3. Documentary-Style Efficiency

Traditional corporate video:

• 5-8 days of shooting
• 8-12 weeks of post-production
• Multiple approval gates
• Extensive revision cycles

Our documentary approach:

• 2-3 days of shooting
• 2-3 weeks of post-production
• Streamlined approval process
• Focused revisions

The Psychology of Video Pricing

Why $8,000 Feels Expensive (But Isn’t)

You can’t see the work.

Unlike a physical product, video production feels abstract:

• You can’t hold the footage
• You can’t see the planning process
• You don’t witness the post-production expertise

Real comparison:

A professional website: $5,000-$15,000

• 40-60 hours of design/development
• Content strategy and copywriting
• Photography and graphics
• Ongoing maintenance

A professional brand film: $8,000-$15,000

• 90-10 hours of professional work
• Story strategy and development
• Multi-day professional production
• Cinema-quality post-production

The difference: A website helps people find you. A film helps people care about you.

The Cost of Choosing Cheap

$4,000 video vs. $8,000 film:

Month 1:

• $4,000 video gets 200 views, 2% engagement
• $8,000 film gets 2,00 views, 12% engagement

Month 6:

• $4,000 video: Still 200 views, forgotten content
• $8,000 film: 15,000+ views, 200+ shares, 15 qualified leads

Year 1:

• $4,000 video: Minimal impact, potential brand damage
• $8,00 film: Ongoing engagement, recruitment benefits, sales support

The real cost of cheap video: Opportunity cost.

What’s NOT Included (And When You Might Need It)

Additional Services Available:

Extended Interview Access (+$500-$1,000)

• Access to executives/stakeholders not available during main shoot
• Additional filming days
• More locations or scenarios

Custom Music Composition (+$1,500-$3,000)

• Original score composed specifically for your brand
• Licensed exclusively to your organization
• Perfect brand alignment

Multi-Language Versions (+$1,000-$2,000 per language)

• Professional translation
• New audio recording
• Updated graphics and text overlays

Additional Platform Cuts (+$500-$1,500)

• Custom versions for specific platforms
• Optimized aspect ratios and durations
• Platform-specific captions and graphics

When you don’t need these:

• Single-language audiences
• Standard interview scenarios
• Licensed music that fits your brand
• Focus on one primary use case

The Value Beyond the Numbers

What $8,000 Actually Gets You:

Strategic Clarity

• A story that makes sense to your audience
• Messaging that differentiates you from competitors
• Content that works across multiple platforms

Professional Quality

• Equipment and expertise that matches your brand standards
• Audio that sounds professional in every environment
• Visuals that don’t look amateur

Measurable Results

• Higher completion rates (our average: 73% vs industry 37%)
• Better engagement metrics
• Improved brand perception
• Enhanced recruitment and sales efforts

Ongoing Value

• Content that works for years, not months
• Assets you can repurpose and reuse
• Professional footage for future projects
• Brand consistency across all video content

Common Pricing Objections (And Why They’re Wrong)

“We can do it cheaper with our iPhone”

You’re absolutely right. iPhone videos are cheaper.

Here’s what you won’t get:

• Professional audio quality
• Consistent visual quality across shots
• Strategic story development
• Post-production expertise
• Multiple platform-optimized cuts

Real cost comparison:

• iPhone video: $0-$500
• Coalbanks film: $8,000
• Difference: $7,500
• Value difference: Immeasurable

”Our marketing agency can do it”

Marketing agencies can definitely create videos.

Here’s what they typically deliver:

• Generic templates and approaches
• Basic editing skills
• Limited equipment access
• Marketing-focused storytelling vs. documentary-style narratives

When agency video works:

• Simple explainer videos
• Event coverage
• Internal communications

When you need specialists:

• Brand films that represent your company to the world
• Recruitment videos that attract quality candidates
• Investor presentations that build credibility
• Customer testimonials that drive sales

”We don’t have the budget right now”

This is the most honest objection.

Here’s our perspective:

• Quality video is an investment, not an expense
• $8,000 spread over 12 months = $667/month
• Compare that to your monthly marketing budget
• Consider the ROI: 1 extra qualified lead = ROI achieved

Our recommendation:

• Start with your most important use case
• Scale up as you see results
• Prioritize quality over quantity

The ROI Question

How do you know if $8,000 is worth it?

Simple calculation:

• Current cost per lead: $200
• Coalbanks film cost: $8,000
• Number of qualified leads needed to break even: 40
• Timeframe: 12 months
• Leads per month needed: 3.4

If you need more than 3-4 qualified leads per year from video content, the math works.

Additional benefits:

• Enhanced brand perception
• Improved employee morale
• Better recruitment outcomes
• Content for years, not months

Making the Investment Decision

Questions to Ask Yourself:

About your current video content:

• What’s your current video completion rate?
• How many qualified leads came from your last video?
• What do employees think of your current brand materials?

About your goals:

• What would achieving your recruitment goals be worth?
• How much is closing one additional sale worth?
• What’s the cost of missing your growth targets?

About your brand:

• How important is first impressions to your success?
• Do you want to look like everyone else or stand out?
• What message do you want to send to customers and employees?

The Decision Framework:

Choose Coalbanks if:

• You need content that represents your company professionally
• You want to stand out from competitors using generic video
• You need results, not just content
• You value the story behind your brand

Consider other options if:

• You need simple explainer content only
• You have unlimited time to create content yourself
• Professional quality isn’t important to your success
• You only need content for internal use

Ready to Invest in Your Story?

$8,000 isn’t just buying a video. It’s investing in how your story gets told.

It’s ensuring that when someone decides whether to work with you, they see you the way you see yourself.

It’s creating content that works for years, not months.

Most importantly: It’s making sure your story gets told at all.

The companies that succeed aren’t always the ones with the best products. They’re the ones with the best stories.

Ready to tell yours?

Get a custom quote for your project →

During our consultation, we’ll:

• Discuss your specific goals and use cases
• Review examples of films in your industry
• Walk through our process step-by-step
• Provide a detailed proposal with exact pricing

No pressure. No generic packages. Just honest conversation about whether we’re the right fit for your story.

The Bottom Line

$8,00 breaks down like this:

• 90-110 hours of professional expertise
• 65+ films of refined experience
• Documentary-style storytelling that connects with real people
• Cinema-quality production that represents your brand professionally
• Measurable results that justify the investment

Most importantly: Content that works for years, not just weeks.

That’s what $8,00 buys you.

The question isn’t whether you can afford to invest in professional video.

The question is whether you can afford not to.

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Ready to see what $8,000 can do for your story?

Get Your Custom Quote →

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Coalbanks Creative: Documentary-style films for brands in Southern Alberta. Starting at $8,000. 65+ films delivered since 2019. 73% average completion rate. Transparent pricing, no hidden costs.

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