Set a video budget by working back from what the film needs to achieve and what that result is worth to your business, then sense-check it against what that kind of film costs on the market. Once you have a number, tell your production company. A real figure gets you a proposal built around it, instead of a guess that's either too big to sign or too small to be any good.
I know telling a supplier your budget feels like giving away your hand. I'd still argue it's the single most useful thing you can do at the start, and I'll explain why below. First, the number itself.
Why is a video budget so hard to set?
Most people don't buy video often, so there's nothing to compare against. Quotes for what sounds like the same brief can run from a couple of thousand pounds to tens of thousands, and both ends can be fair. Faced with that, people tend to do one of two things. They pick a number out of the air, or they refuse to give one and wait to see what comes back. Both make the whole process slower and the proposals harder to compare.
How do you work out what a film is worth to you?
Start with the goal. What is one more of the thing you want actually worth? One extra client, one good hire, one sold-out event, one partner signed. Say a typical client is worth £10,000 to you over the relationship. If a film helps your team win two or three more a year, it's easy to see what you can sensibly spend.
Then think about how long it'll work for. A documentary-style film about your founder or your craft can still be doing its job three years from now. A reel built on this month's trend is finished in a fortnight. Spread the cost across the years you'll use it and the number often looks more reasonable than it did at first.
Last, look at what you already spend chasing the same result. Exhibition stands, recruiter fees, ad spend, sales hours lost explaining the same things on every call. If a film takes some of that load, it's really drawing on money you already spend.
You can't tell whether a film paid off if you never set the number, so decide the budget before the shoot and judge the result against it.
Source: Wyzowl, Video Marketing Statistics 2026 (survey of 266 respondents, late 2025)
What does a video budget need to cover?
More than the shoot day. When you set your number, make sure it covers:
- Research and pre-production. Working out the story, who's in it and where. This is what decides whether the film is any good.
- Shoot days and crew. The biggest single cost, because most other costs scale with it.
- Locations and travel. Free on your own premises, which is one reason documentary can be good value.
- Edit, grade and sound mix. Where most of the hours actually go.
- Music licence. Check what it covers and for how long.
- Cut-downs and formats. Short versions, verticals and subtitled versions.
- Distribution. If the film is going to run as an ad, the media money is separate and matters as much as the production money.
Our free film budget calculator walks through those lines if you want to rough out a number before you speak to anyone. For what each budget level typically buys in the UK, I've written a full breakdown in how much a brand film costs.
Why should you tell your production company the number?
Because without it, they have to guess, and guessing helps nobody. Some will design the film they'd love to make and price it. Others will quote low to win the job and claw it back later in extras. You end up comparing three proposals that aren't for the same thing, which means you can't really compare them at all.
With a number, the question changes to "what's the best film we can make for this?" That's a far better question, and a decent production company will make trade-offs in your favour to answer it. One shoot day instead of two, with more time in the edit. Your own premises instead of a hired location. No drone, because it adds nothing to this story. The budget becomes a design constraint, and constraints usually make the creative sharper.
The budget becomes a design constraint, and constraints usually make the creative sharper.
Our Car Planet customer story is a good example of decisions shaped by limits. Everything was captured in a single visit, so the cost sat on one day rather than three. The client didn't want the site on display, so we framed tight on the work and filled the edit with b-roll from previous installs and their own image bank, cut so the joins don't show.
Car Planet customer storyWon't they just spend all of it?
It's a fair worry, and I'd rather answer it straight. A good company will tell you when the job needs less than you've said, because a client who feels stretched doesn't come back. They'll also tell you when it needs more, and why, before anything's booked. That's the trade I want with anyone I work with. Fair to you, clear for us.
To protect yourself, ask for one fixed figure agreed in full before anything's booked, with the deliverables written down. Then you're comparing what's included, not just the total.
What if you genuinely don't know your number?
Give a range and a ceiling. "Somewhere between £8,000 and £15,000, and fifteen is a hard stop" is plenty to work with. If that still feels impossible, tell them what you've spent on comparable marketing, like a trade show or a quarter of ads. Anything is better than nothing, because it stops either side wasting weeks on something that was never going to happen.
And if your number is small, say so anyway. If it's £3,000, a good company will either shape something sensible around it or point you to someone better suited. Both save you time.
How do you stop a video budget creeping?
Most overruns come from decisions made late. Agree the deliverables, the number of revision rounds and the licence up front. Decide who signs the film off before the shoot, because a new voice at the final cut is the most expensive kind of feedback there is. Give your notes at rough cut, while changes are cheap, rather than after the picture is locked. And resist adding a second location or an extra interviewee halfway through. If it genuinely matters, ask for it to be quoted as a change before anyone does the work.
If you've got a number in mind and a business with a story in it, tell us both. Our films start at £15,000 + VAT, and if that's not the right spend for what you need, I'll tell you what is.
