Most guides to video production cost in the UK give you a price range with no workings. We think that is the wrong way round. A brand video is a bundle of days: crew days, kit days, studio days, edit days, plus music and talent rights. Price the days and the budget writes itself. In this guide we use published UK rate cards, live hire prices and survey data to show what each line really costs in 2026, then build a worked budget you can copy.
The short answer: on current published rates, a lean one day shoot with a small professional crew and three days of editing sits at roughly £3,400 before VAT in people and kit alone. Every extra crew member, studio, actor or deliverable moves that number, and so does the margin, insurance and planning time a production partner adds on top.
The short version
- Price the days, not the video. Crew, kit, studio and edit are all sold by the day, so your budget is a count of days multiplied by published rates.
- A standard crew day is 11 hours. On the APA crew terms that is 10 working hours plus an hour for lunch, with overtime after that.
- Editing is often the biggest line. Bectu's short form card puts an editor at £435 a day, and a three minute brand film can easily need three to five edit days.
- Rights cost money. Music licences, actor buyouts and usage terms are where cheap quotes quietly get expensive.
- Add 20% VAT and a contingency. VAT is 20% at the standard rate, and we plan around 10% contingency for weather, reshoots and extra versions.
What drives video production cost in the UK?
Five things set the price of almost every brand video: the number of shoot days, the size of the crew, where you film, who appears on camera, and how many finished versions you need.
UK crew day rates in 2026
The most useful public benchmark for brand and advertising shoots is the APA Recommended Terms for Engaging Crew, effective 1 September 2025 and hosted by Bectu. It sets minimum and maximum basic daily rates for each grade. A basic working day covers 11 hours, made up of 10 working hours and a one hour lunch. Saturdays are paid at 1.5 times the day rate and Sundays and bank holidays at double the hourly rate, so weekend shoots cost noticeably more (APA crew terms).
APA recommended basic day rates for UK commercial crew, top of range (£, excluding VAT)
Corporate and documentary work often runs leaner than commercials. Bectu's 2026 sound card sets a corporate, factual and documentary rate of £50 an hour, or £500 for a 10 hour day, against £649 for a sound mixer on commercials (Bectu sound rates 2026). Bectu's live events guidance for corporate and venue work lists a camera operator at £380 for a 10 hour day as the ask rate and £360 as the professional minimum (Bectu London Live Events 2025/26). If a quote looks far below these numbers, ask who is doing the work and for how many hours.
Kit, studio and location costs
Kit is cheaper than most marketers assume. A Sony FX6 cinema camera kit, including cards, a microphone, headphones and three batteries, is listed by Wex Rental at £145 a day or £580 a week, excluding VAT and a 10% damage waiver if you do not have your own insurance (Wex Rental). Lighting, lenses and grip add to that, but on a small shoot kit is rarely the biggest line.
Space is where costs jump. A drive in infinity cove studio in Park Royal, London, is listed on Tagvenue at £750 plus VAT for six hours, £950 plus VAT for 11 hours, and £175 plus VAT per hour of unplanned overtime (Tagvenue listing). Shooting at your own office or store saves that line, but budget for a recce, permissions and the extra time it takes to light a real space.
Talent, voiceover and music rights
People on camera and the music under them are where usage rights come in, and usage is priced by where, how long and how widely the film runs. Equity's published audio rates for commercial voiceovers give a session fee of £200 an hour, with a recommended UK internet use minimum of 400% of the basic session fee for one year on one website, and advise negotiating a higher flat fee or buyout for social media (Equity audio rates). For on camera actors, Backstage UK estimates that a typical commercial for a known brand pays in the region of £2,000 to £4,000 for a few shoot days and image rights for two to four years (Backstage UK).
Music libraries are cheaper but read the licence. Artlist's Music and SFX Pro plan costs $16.58 a month billed yearly and covers websites, client work and paid ads, while its Social plan covers one channel per platform and does not list paid ads (Artlist). Epidemic Sound's Business plan covers marketing, social and paid ads for online campaigns, but not out of home, livestreams or radio (Epidemic Sound). If your film might become an ad, license it as one from day one.
Post production and editing costs
Editing is the line brands most often underestimate. Bectu's Short Form ratecard for promo and online content, the latest published card and headed 2023 to 2024, sets minimum day rates of £435 for an editor, £315 for a junior editor and £260 for an assistant editor, with basic After Effects work at £65 a day on top (Bectu Short Form ratecard). For TV commercials the editor rate rises to £565. In house, the National Careers Service puts a video editor salary at £24,000 for a starter and £48,000 for an experienced editor (National Careers Service).
Every extra deliverable adds edit time: a 16:9 film for YouTube, a 9:16 cut for Shorts and Reels, subtitles, a 6 second bumper. Plan versions before the shoot so you capture what each one needs, and see our guide to repurposing long form video for a clip workflow that does not double the edit.
A worked video production budget
Here is an illustrative budget for a one day interview and b roll shoot on location, edited into a three minute brand film plus short cuts. It uses published UK rates only and excludes production company margin, insurance, travel and pre production days, so treat it as a floor, not a quote.
| Line | Basis | Cost (ex VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Director or producer, 1 day | APA maximum director rate | £933 |
| Camera operator, 1 day | APA minimum camera operator rate | £514 |
| Sound recordist, 1 day | Bectu corporate sound rate, 10 hours | £500 |
| Camera kit, 1 day | Wex Sony FX6 kit hire | £145 |
| Editor, 3 days | Bectu short form editor rate, £435 a day | £1,305 |
| Subtotal | Lean location shoot | £3,397 |
| Studio, 11 hours (optional) | Tagvenue infinity cove listing | £950 |
| Gaffer, 1 day (optional) | APA maximum gaffer rate | £568 |
| Subtotal with studio | Studio shoot | £4,915 |
| VAT at 20% | GOV.UK standard rate | £679 or £983 |
Illustrative Advertain worked example built from published rates checked 18 October 2026. Music, talent, travel, insurance, contingency and producer margin are not included.
“Focusing on what your ad says and how it makes people feel is more important than the way your ad looks.” Think with Google
That line from Google's creative guidance is worth holding onto when budgets are tight (Think with Google). Google's UK review of the best storytelling ads of 2024 also noted that creator ads often lean on a stripped back, DIY feel that fits naturally next to the YouTube content around them (Think with Google UK). Spend where the audience will feel it: the idea, the hook and the edit.
How to budget video production cost in the UK: 7 steps
- Define the job and the placements. Write down where the film will run, for how long, and whether it will be paid. This sets the rights you need to buy.
- Choose the production level. Decide between a lean creator style shoot, a corporate crew shoot and a full commercial crew. Each one changes the crew list.
- Count the crew days. List every role and every day, including prep and wrap, and price them against the APA or Bectu cards. Check for weekend or overtime days.
- Price kit, space and locations. Get hire quotes for camera, lighting and sound, and decide between studio, your own premises or a hired location.
- Price talent, music and usage. Agree buyouts for actors, voiceover and presenters, and pick a music licence that covers paid ads if there is any chance the film becomes one.
- Price the edit and every version. Count edit days per deliverable, including vertical cuts, subtitles, colour and sound mix.
- Add contingency, margin and VAT. Add about 10% contingency, your production partner's fee and 20% VAT, then compare quotes line by line rather than on the total.
In house or outsourced?
Most businesses now do at least some video themselves. Wyzowl's 2026 survey of video marketers found 59% create video in house, 32% use a mix of in house and external, and 10% rely on an external vendor (Wyzowl 2026). Among businesses not using video, 24% say it is too expensive, the joint top reason alongside not feeling it is needed.
How video marketers create their videos (%)
In house works well for volume: weekly social clips, behind the scenes and quick explainers. Outsourcing earns its fee on the films that carry the brand, such as launches, series and paid campaigns, where strategy, craft and distribution decide the return. Our work for Formula E has driven more than 7 million views across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok by pairing that craft with a clear platform plan; see our work for more. If you are weighing partners, read how to choose a YouTube production company first.
Video budget checklist
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Placements and paid use agreed in writing | Sets music, talent and usage costs |
| Crew list priced against APA or Bectu cards | Exposes quotes that are too thin or too padded |
| Day length and overtime rules confirmed | An 11 hour day with overtime after is the APA norm |
| Weekend and bank holiday days flagged | Saturday is 1.5 times, Sunday double time |
| Kit and studio quotes include VAT and waiver | Hire prices are usually shown ex VAT |
| Every deliverable and aspect ratio listed | Edit days scale with versions |
| Music licence covers paid ads | Social only plans often exclude ads |
| Contingency of about 10% added | Covers weather, reshoots and late changes |
Advertain guidance.
Frequently asked questions
How much does video production cost in the UK?
On published 2026 rates, a lean one day shoot with a director, camera operator, sound recordist, kit hire and three edit days costs about £3,400 before VAT in people and kit. Add a studio and a gaffer and it passes £4,900. Agency margin, talent, music and extra versions come on top.
How much does a corporate video cost?
A simple corporate interview film is usually the cheapest kind of professional video because it can use one location, a small crew and corporate rates, such as Bectu's £500 for a 10 hour sound day. Costs rise with locations, actors, animation and the number of edits.
What is a typical video production day rate?
On the APA crew terms, a camera operator earns £514 to £637 for an 11 hour day and a director of photography £908 to £1,516. Bectu's short form card puts an editor at £435 a day.
How much does a YouTube video cost to make for a brand?
It depends on the format. A talking head series filmed in batches can cost far less per episode than a one off film, because crew and kit days are shared across several videos. Plan your series and cadence first, using our guides to branded content series and YouTube scripts.
Is it cheaper to make videos in house?
Per video, often yes, which is why 59% of video marketers in Wyzowl's survey work in house. But salaries, kit and time add up, and brand defining films usually justify specialist crew. Talk to us via our contact page if you want a second opinion on a budget.
