Video Production Houses

Quote the shoot, the hard costs, and every version after the edit.

Roadbase drafts a project plan from the brief. Review the crew, equipment, locations, licenses, edit hours, cutdowns, and feedback rounds before you set the price.

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Crew Plan roles, days & rates

Hard costs Add gear, talent & licenses

Post Estimate edits, ratios & rounds

Actuals Track time against the estimate

ONE PRODUCTION, TWO COST MODELS

Shoot costs and post-production hours need different treatment

A video budget combines fixed bookings with time-based creative work. Crew, camera packages, locations, travel, talent, and licenses sit alongside editing, color, sound, motion, review rounds, and versioning.

Those categories change in different ways. An extra shoot day affects the crew and equipment plan. A new 9:16 cutdown affects post-production. A music change may affect both edit time and licensing.

When the quote reduces all of that to "production and post," it is hard for the client or producer to see what has been allowed for. Named deliverables, ratios, cut lengths, licenses, and feedback rounds make the estimate much easier to review.

"One master, three cutdowns, and two feedback rounds is a clearer promise than 'final video assets.'"

Roadbase drafts the first set of phases, tasks, roles, hours, timing, costs, and assumptions from the brief. The producer reviews those suggestions and adds the real vendor quotes, rates, and contingency before exporting the proposal.

Keep vendor costs and team hours in the same estimate.

Roadbase time tracker with estimated and recorded hours

Track post-production time against planned tasks.

A CLEARER PRODUCTION QUOTE

Three details that reduce expensive ambiguity

Every production is different, but these details help clients understand where the budget comes from and what the final delivery includes.

"Separate booked costs from estimated hours, then name each deliverable that will come out of post-production."

Separate crew and hard costs from post hours

List crew day rates, equipment, locations, travel, talent, and other vendor costs separately from editing, color, sound, motion, and delivery work.

Name each master and cutdown

State the length, aspect ratio, captioning, language, and version count for each output. A 16:9 master does not automatically include 9:16 and 1:1 edits. Use the video editing hours calculator to test the post-production allowance.

Define feedback rounds and licenses

Say how many feedback rounds are included and what can change in each one. List the territory, channels, and term assumed for music, footage, talent, or image licensing. See our guide to handling unplanned work.

STRUCTURED BREAKDOWN

Example estimate for a commercial video

This illustrative $13,450 estimate keeps the shoot-day booking separate from time-based pre-production, post-production, and cutdown work.

Production Milestone	Deliverables	Planned Hours & Rates	Line Total
01. Pre-Production & Treatment	Concept, storyboard, script, casting, and location planning.	18 hours @ $150/hr	$2,700.00
02. Live-Action Shoot (Day-Rate)	One 10-hour filming day with director, DP, camera and lens kit, sound, and location permit.	One shoot day, flat crew and kit fee	$5,500.00
03. Editorial Post-Production (A-Cut)	Ingest, rough cut, fine cut, color, sound, and two consolidated feedback rounds.	30 hours @ $125/hr	$3,750.00
04. Social Media Aspect Cutdowns	Reframe the 16:9 master into one 9:16 and one 1:1 cutdown, with motion adjustments.	12 hours @ $125/hr	$1,500.00

"If the client needs to reduce the budget, the breakdown shows which shoot, post, or delivery choices can change."

Read how to keep the production plan and quote connected as deliverables change.

ROADBASE FEATURES

Build the production estimate, then track the work

Roadbase keeps the draft plan, vendor expenses, labor model, visual timeline, quote, and tracked hours together. Your producer reviews every suggestion before it reaches the client.

Draft the production plan

Paste a brief or upload a PDF. Roadbase drafts phases, tasks, roles, hours, timing, and reasoning. The producer reviews the estimate and adds the real vendor and project expenses.

Review the timeline

Arrange pre-production, shoot days, edit blocks, feedback, and delivery on a visual timeline. Move tasks as the plan changes.

Combine labor and hard costs

Set role rates and labor costs, then add crew fees, equipment, travel, talent, licenses, overhead, margin, and contingency.

Track post-production time

Run approved work in the Kanban workspace, keep notes and comments with each task, and compare editing, motion, sound, and review time with the estimate.

PRACTICAL RESOURCES

Practical guides for video and production pricing

Use these guides to think through post hours, production costs, licensing, equipment, and deliverables.

Guide

Motion Design Projects

How to plan and price style frames, storyboards, animatics, rendering, and licensing.

Read guide →

Calculator

Video Editing Calculator

Estimate editing hours from the finished length and amount of source footage.

View calculator →

Guide

Commercial Photography Pricing

Estimating day-rates, post-processing, image licensing models, and equipment rentals.

Read guide →

Guide

Estimating Project Hours

A practical method for estimating active studio hours before sending the quote.

Read guide →

Build the quote from the production you actually plan to deliver.

Paste the brief, review the shoot and post-production plan, add real vendor costs, and export the proposal when the numbers are ready.

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