Corporate video cost: what 1, 2 and 3 minutes really change

Why running time is the wrong unit

Most of the money in a corporate film is spent before anyone opens an edit. The shoot day pays for the crew, the kit, make-up, transport and lunch, and none of those care whether the finished film runs 60 seconds or three minutes. You still need someone behind the camera, someone on sound and someone lighting the interview.

Length mostly changes post. More minutes means more edit days, a longer grade and a longer mix. Those lines are real, but they are a fraction of the budget. That is why I never quote a corporate video per minute, and why the per-minute prices you see online swing so wildly between sources.

The same film at 1, 2 and 3 minutes

Here is a real-shaped budget: a company film with interviews and b-roll, one shoot day at the client's offices, two cameras, a gaffer and a sound recordist. The rates are illustrative, in euros, and your market will differ. It is the same budget as our corporate video budget template, where every line is spelled out.

Above the line, the shoot costs the same at any length:

Below the line is where length shows up. I keep music and stock at €600 and a pair of social cutdowns at €300 in every version:

Then the production fee, 10% on production costs only, and insurance at 2% of the subtotal:

Three times the running time costs about 10% more. If a client wants a 1 minute version "to save money", the honest answer is that they will save around €1,200 on a €13,000 job, and they will lose the material that made the long version worth watching.

What a second shoot day does

Now keep the film at 3 minutes but shoot it over two days, because the story needs a second site or more people on camera. Pre-production stays as it is. Crew, kit, make-up, transport and catering double:

One extra day adds 53%. That is the line to talk about with the client, not the minutes.

What actually moves a corporate video cost

In rough order of weight, from my own quotes:

1. Shoot days. Every day carries the whole crew and kit. A half day rarely saves half, because people book the full day anyway.
2. Crew size. Second camera, gaffer, sound, make-up, a production manager. Each role is a day rate times days.
3. Locations. Each move costs time on the day, transport, sometimes a location fee and a second recce.
4. People on camera. Actors and voiceover come with fees and usage rights. Staff interviews are cheap; scripted scenes are not.
5. Versions. Cutdowns for social, 9:16 reformats, language versions and subtitles. Each one is post time, and clients rarely count them.
6. Post finishing. Motion graphics, a proper grade, sound design. This is where length matters most.

How I answer "what do you charge per minute?"

I answer with a number for their film and the two levers that move it. Something like: "With one shoot day and four edit days this is €13,300 net. A second shoot day takes it to about €20,300. Cutting it to one minute saves around €1,200."

Clients understand days far better than per-minute rates, and it stops them comparing your quote with a motion graphics studio that really does charge per finished minute. Animation is priced per minute because the work there grows with every second on screen. A filmed corporate video is not.

I send the client the version with one shoot day and a second option with two, side by side, so they choose the scope instead of haggling over the rate. I build both from the same budget in Vidaset, so the two prices always come from the same lines.

What we charge in Warsaw

For context from my own market: at Solvo Film in Warsaw, a corporate or brand film with a script, 1 to 3 shoot days and full post usually lands between 12,000 and 40,000 zł in 2026. A compact interview or social piece with a few hours of filming is 3,000 to 8,000 zł, and a testimonial or case study 4,000 to 15,000 zł.

Your rates will be different, and so will your clients. Take the structure above, put your own day rates into it and you will get your own corporate video cost for 1, 2 and 3 minutes in a few minutes.

Common mistakes

Quoting post as a lump sum. "Edit: €2,500" invites the client to ask for one more version for free. Quote edit days, grade and mix as separate lines, and list the versions included.

Letting the client set the length before the scope. Agree the story, the people on camera and the locations first. Length follows from them, and so does the budget.

Forgetting the cutdowns. A 60s LinkedIn version and two 15s clips can add a full edit day. Put them in the quote or in the options, never in a later email.

FAQ

How much does a 2 minute video cost?

For a filmed corporate video with one shoot day and a small crew, the example budget above comes to about €12,800 net. Most of that is the shoot day, so a 2 minute video costs only slightly more than a 1 minute one. Animated explainers are priced differently, closer to a rate per finished minute.

How much should I charge for a 3 minute video?

Charge for the days, not the minutes. Work out the shoot days, crew and kit, then add the edit days a 3 minute film needs, typically one or two more than a 1 minute cut. In the example above, going from 1 to 3 minutes adds about €1,200 to a €12,000 budget.

How much does it cost to edit a 2 minute video?

It depends on the material and the number of versions rather than the running time. In the example, a 2 minute interview film takes 3 edit days, a day of grading and a mix, which is €2,450 at the illustrative rates. A heavy b-roll piece with graphics can take twice that.

Is a 1 minute version always cheaper?

Only by the edit and grade time it saves. The shoot day, crew and kit cost the same, so a 1 minute film usually costs 90% of a 3 minute one. If budget is the problem, cut a shoot day or a location instead.