How Much Do Music Videos REALLY Cost | Challenging a Hollywood Producer
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 มิ.ย. 2019
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Our friend and music video producer, Moses, shows us how music video budgeting is done and what are things to keep in mind while producing films.
We invite Moses in and set up a little challenge - produce three music videos on three different budgets. We show him three music videos that he hasn't seen before and see where they potentially spent money. Moses creates a mock budget breakdown on Airtable and talks through the numbers and why he makes certain financial decisions for the production.
You can watch the full music videos we reference here:
Tessa Violet - Crush:
• Tessa Violet - Crush (...
Wallows - These Days:
• Wallows - These Days (...
Shawn Mendes - If I Can't Have You:
• Shawn Mendes - If I Ca...
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Hey There, I was actually the DoP / Producer for the Crush Video.
Its fun to imagine being able to pull off the video for $400, but I never like to ask cast or crew to work for free. If it's their livelihood you need to pay them. Here's how it actually breaks down.
- LOCATION: while letting us shoot for virtually free it was owned by a larger corporation and required us to shoot overnight as well as requiring pretty substantial insurance coverage considering the size of the production. We had to pay for as well as the employee's wage to stay late and give us working access to the building.
- EXTRAS: Since we had to shoot overnight we had to provide extras to fill the space, and while much of their shots were cut from the final video, they were still paid for their time.
- LIGHTING: Lighting wise you pretty much hit the nail on the head; we were primarily rocking a 2k into beadboard to give her a soft fill and keep some highlight in the eyes, but other than that it was primarily lit naturally in the space.
- CAMERA SUPPORT: 90% of the shots are on a doorway dolly. We wanted a more shopping cart feel as opposed to floating.
CREW: 5 in total. (Director, DoP, 1st AD, 2 PAs)
- No 1st AC, I both operated and pulled.
- Director doubled as a Dolly Grip
- No Art
- No HMU | Artist provided wardrobe and did her own makeup
- I produced
- 2 Production assistants that would step in for grip on moving shots for lights
- Craft /Catering / Post all spot on of about 300/400
- Edited in house
Burget looked more akin to this:
+ Location Fees (Employee wages & Insurance) = $1000
+ Crew / Editor = $2000
+ Extras = $750
+ Crafty / Catering = $200
+ Hard Drives = $200
+ Camera Rig (Modified Personal Setup)= $150
+ Grip / Electric Rentals = $200
+ Emergency Reserve = $500
____________________________
=$5,000
All this said, I genuinely love seeing the video getting professional critiques though! Keep up the good work.
Awesome! Pulling focus and camera with your own rig and producing. You should earn a medal.
This is great thanks for sharing Isaac
Really fascinating to see the break down! The real takeaway is that all those things exist and need to be accounted for.
It would have been amazing if the real cost breakdown (or close to) was also sourced for the video. Moses's assessment (after just watching the video for the first time) versus real life cost break down. Would be a fun idea.
Kennui Muffins I think the Shawn Mendes one was produce by Casey Neistat. Maybe he would share some numbers with us. We would then only miss the insight of the "5000$" one
hey there! Amazing work Issac, we loved the video. It was actually our favorite of the three. Definitely hear you on the breakdown -- just location or crew or insurance by themselves hit the $5k budget. Very impressed to hear that you pulled focus by yourself and that talent was MUA. You guys are amazing!
This is one very optimistic producer.
haha he's being tasked with the impossible. he def knows what it costs
ik like there is no way some of these people would do this for a day for only 500 dollars
Is not optimistic the word the I’m thinking
@@blainpolishak imagine living in south africa where we have a booming film industry but we almost always work for much less than this per day due to our currency
Didn’t find that camera package for 400
Damn.. I never knew I was a director, DP, editor, art director, production designer & wardrobe guy 😅
well shit . might want to ask for a raise on your next project
@@TrocasMX lol right! 😭
IKR!
New Trap Soul on ma!!!
*GGG* or get hired by Moses for a whopping $178 a day!
Something my dad always told me was that yes clients are paying for our skills but they are also paying for the YEARS of work we've put into perfecting our craft. Filmmaking has a huge learning curve and clients need to understand just how long it takes to be even somewhat adequate at music video production.
i had this epiphany in recent months that all the time i've been investing into myself = compensation
This is why I quit shooting videos. Everybody wants a free video
word...who the hell do we call a favor when buying our gear....fuck them...
@@AREA726FLIMZ Exactly!
don't have to quit. just set standards. the right clients will come around.
Imagine somebody making a song flexing their money but they ask for the camera crew to do it for free 💀
@@F-xcry sounds like some of the money might go missing at the end of the video
I’ll tell you right now, and I’m not entirely sure I want to say this; but I believe people who watch this video should be told what the budget actually for post production. Keep in mind; this is only pertaining to the editor budget.
Lets take Shawn Mendes music videos for instance, and I can speak on this from actual experience of editing a few Shawn Mendes videos myself. Again, I’m only saying this because I feel the music video world really gives post production the short end of the stick a lot of the time. But the rate, again this is just for editing, on any video I cut for him, or any other artist, was at LEAST 3k a video.
Favor jobs are priced at 1k-1.5k at the minimum.
with your expertise. how much do you think it cost to edit this video?
th-cam.com/video/n5bqzXD4WTc/w-d-xo.html
Audio engineer here from Detroit (United Sound Systems Recording Studios). I must say that this is very eye opening for those looking to get into some form of media production. I've worked with mainstream networks, clothing companies, labels, etc that have used our studio as a location for their projects. One thing is for sure: Be nice to everyone on set, because you never know who's working for free and/or donating their time in the name of making a name for themselves. A lot of those time, I may have been the highest paid on set via the location fee for playing the "recording engineer role" in a few shots that might not even get used. On one of those projects, I literally have a three second cameo in a single episode of a Netflix series. I was paid my regular hourly rate multiplied by the 8-10 hour location shoot. With all of that being said, it made me respect the entire crew and their dedication to MAKING IT HAPPEN. I've gained a few friends over time and glad to report that they are so good at what they do, that they've moved on to bigger projects or have started their own successful companies. Sometimes, it takes $1M to produce five minutes of content. So, the next time you want to complain about the price of certain media, just remember: aside from the artist, it may have taken one hundred people to produce the movie, song, video, etc that became someone's all-time favorite that they cherish as a memory/moment in time.
from my experience it really just all depends on who you know and how excited they are to work on the project. i've worked on incredible videos that cost less than $500 that are shot with a RED or cinealta, steadicam, ronin, nice drones, etc. without paying for location - shooting guerilla style and everyone was down to just work for food because they were stoked on the song and the artist. they look like $20,000 videos but basically cost nothing. a lot of crew i know in LA spend long days at shoots for lame songs or commercials so when they get invited to be part of something dope they are down to do it as a passion project.
An Arri package for $400???!! I need to check this share grid out.
Fuck sharedgrid go to kitsplit and u can find arri, bmpcc, c300, sonyfs7 or red camera package for 200 for the weekend.
+Indy Mogul It would be awesome if you guys actually replicated some of these Music videos using the same budget you guys planned!
Amazing video! Just the info I needed to help me plan better while I transition from animated music videos to filming live action music videos!
well hello there
Really dope concept for a video, BUT these rates are super low. It's like they're pulling favors from everyone. The producer could at least explain that these aren't the going rates for most of the positions.
he does
Once or twice he did say the real budget it would take but to his point, "if you really want to keep the $500, $3000, $10k-20k budget this is what you have to do."
The "Celebrity" in wallows is actually the one of the guys in the band.
He also plays Clay on 13 Reasons Why.
@@JacobStoneFilms smh
A so called freind of mine finished watching music videos of 20k budget and wants me to shot for free. Now they haiting on me because I said sorry dude this shows you not my freind.
I have already done a 0 budget video for him before. Now I am labeled as a bad person who dosent want to help out and praying my work falls.
your friend ain't sh%t
Yea just go find someone else to work with... this also happened to me so I feel your pain
@S4k films fuck that guy . obviously he has no idea how things work in the real world . trying to leech off you just because youre his friend . i understand doing it for free the first time but now you have to put him in his place right now or hell never want to pay you for a job. remember this : business and friends dont mix . we aint friends when it comes down to money .
S4k films I’ve been through that same situation over 5 times. All 5 of the artist and their friends hate me to no return because I won’t shoot and edit a music video for under $300. It’s sad! Funny thing is, the music videos they recently put out are terrible & I don’t even blame the camera guys they are now working with.
@@KhariConception stand your ground bro. Better artists and offers will surely come. What I do now is if I don't have any in a month, i just go out and shot so I can sell the clips as stock footage.
This actually puts a new perspective for me on how things cost. This is just for music videos. This is crazy how expensive things can get.
I mean, some of the more expensive TV shows cost around $300k/minute, whereas even cheaper proper shows might cost $40k/minute.
Proper films do higher, with some of the most expensive films clocking in a like $3-4M/minute.
Seriously one of the most useful and one of my favorite videos ever on this channel and in the last YEAR! Thanks for the incredible information. Taught us not only how to work and put stuff together but also what a legit budget and crew should look like!
Bro this was hands down one of the most helpful videos on charging and what not even if it was just a fun activity. PLEASE DO MORE OF THIS STUFF WITH PRICING AND WHAT NOT--I would say do something like this but on a more realistic level not trying to fit in a budget.
Agreed. Very helpful, even for filming things that aren't music videos. I wonder if there's some back-of-the-envelope formula for the amount of time it takes to make 1min of film, yanno?
Yeah, but please be aware that this is pushing it towards the very low end. Definitely charge more.
Yeah bro...please don’t follow someone’s suggestions like Moses. Aka don’t be a bottom feeder.
One of my favorite videos. Thanks dude. Always coming in clutch.
This is a side of filmmaking that has always seemed mystical to me. So having a video like this that demystifies the process is greatly appreciated. I love what you guys have done with this channel.
probably one of the most informative, to the point videos on the subject. big thanks!
10:43 That's a $10 camping cot from walmart, not a real hospital gurney
Magic Plants damn good eye!
@@cah88 thanks haha I've slept on them damn things more than I want to admit!
Calling in favors means giving them, too. I've shot some interesting videos for under $500, but I also edit my friends' videos, help them scout locations, set up, etc. It's doable, but you gotta be a team player.
This is one of the most helpful production videos out there. I've never seen anyone else do a budget break down like this. I would love more of this sort of content. The filmmaking aspects you don't see often.
the name fits the comments! :)
You two should do this as a regular segment on the show. As an aspiring filmmaker who tackles a lot of music videos on the way to chasing the dream it was super interesting to see how you guys break it all down.
One of the best episodes to date. Keep it up guys
"Dancing Dude" = priceless
Probably one of the best episodes yet. Need more of this in my life.
This was so enlightening!! Love the total transparency and honesty about what things actually cost, and what’s doable.
You guys should do another one with Moses, but talk about the role of a Producer vs. a Director. Who reports to who? How often do they talk and who is in charge of doing what?
I’d also be SUPER interested to see another one on scheduling a whole production, not just the shoot day!
I enjoyed learning and hearing his perspective. It helped put things in greater perspective for me. Can you do more of these types of videos? Thank you for your help.
This right here is gold knowledge 👌🏼
I have learned so much in this video, just starting up in this industry and this video alone taught me a lot! Thank you so much, such a great video. Please do more videos like this with different members of the crew so that we can learn everyone's roles and responsibilities! The video has also taught me to find appropriate budget, because I have no idea what to charge artists
Probably one of the most in-depth videos I've seen on this topic so far... nice moves ya'll
"This crew is gonna hate us!" :D Amazing, thanks)
If possible. Could you reach out to the artist's labels to get the actual numbers? It would make the guessing game pretty cool.
I'm interviewing for a record label as a producer, this was the EXACT exercise I was gonna do (look at music videos & try to break down their budgets), this video helped a LOT.
Thanks so much
That was awesome. I know nothing about production, cameras, or really even money- but it's always amazing to see an expert put in work!
oh my god. I haven’t seen indie mogul in over 8 years! I thought the channel shut down and this is what I came back to?! crazy! lol
haha nice to see someone who watched during that time too. I still miss the old guys tho.
What on earth? An Alexa Package for $400?
I'll dp your video for 0 if the idea is cool and everyone is all in
Ted, may you share a link the spreadsheet budget you made in the video, thanks
Checked out Share Grid. Wow!
So is the producer working pro bono on these videos?
brehhhhhhhh, how is that 4hunna? he aint Yg. No.
This video was insanely insightful and then Isaac, the producer of the crush video commenting is amazing. Keep it up ;)
Bro I'm so glad you've come over to this channel!!! I love the content!
I have been hearing horror stories of how amazing creatives like directors get paid almost zero to do such amazing pieces of art that helps artists get millions of views (and sell festival tickets, downloads, and millions for labels). Directors and other music video professional need to unionize like the DGA to make sure everyone gets fairly compensated when working with artists signed to major labels.
this was a very good breakdown .. people do not realize what it takes to get "quality media" on to even youtube
thanks for tuning in! - Ted
This was an awesome video. Always love it when you bring professionals like this to give some insight.
Probably one of my favorite videos on TH-cam Ever. THANK YOU. Even down to the software sponsor plug!
Really insightful! Please do more budget related content! Thanks :)
Will do our best to keep the budgets low!
great video! Can we get another? Maybe a fashion photoshoot budget video?
Your videos are so useful!! Thank you for always sharing 🙏🏽🙏🏽
This is such an incredible showcase of what a producer does and also a great model of how to approach budgeting. Would love to see more Producing videos from you guys in the future! :)
60-70k for that mendes vid is ridiculous and thats probably an understatement
i wonder how much a video like sicko mode would cost
60-70k is nothing for big budget music videos. All the prices in the video are way under quoted from reality.
A video like sicko mode would probably be upwards of 500k, probably closer to a million. Remember, these are creative crafts you're dealing with; the technical assets are only one piece of it. It's the unique vision, talent, and years of experience from the director/DP/operators/designers/editors/animators etc. that you're really paying for. And let's not forget a feature from Drake which is probably 200k+ alone.
Interestingly, I realize that in USA prices are too low. Every time I talk with production houses in USA, they dont have big enough budget. Rest of the world, comparable prices - USA low wage.
I am in Serbia, Europe (non EU) low standard country, and prices are: Art director 1500USD, Aleksa with crew and lenses 8000 USD, CC 1500USD, director 2000USD, animation 200USD per second, etc. I worked on commercials, movies around a world and never had any success with USA companies primary because a low offers (usually I think they are joking) but I see a pattern here. You guys need to form some kind of a workers Union because this prices are just ridiculous.
Was looking for this, the wages in the USA are apperently way too low.
There is a union, but this video is about going indie. You can work independently or for a union.
Such a good episode with some great advice. Comparing and working with 3 different budgets and associated costs gives video producers and directors a solid foundation to figure out how to make things happen. And - Moses is right... Feed the crew, respect the crew and they usually do their best to feel part of a team to make the project a success. Well done!
This video was sick! Loved the way the sound edited and went all like he was passing out when the pricing came up.
As a professional Commercial Producer, I can tell that is one very optimistic producer.
I love how Deakins pops up every time he mentions the DP... No way you can budget cut him
Thumbs up from me. Very very educational video, this guys really knows his stuff. Thank you IM, my favorite YTube channel
This is soooo helpful man. Its so nice to see the insight into all of this
You: Here is the amount of money to create the music video ($18, 987)
Client: Oh but our budget is only $200
God dammit you do your own music video then 🤦♂
I charge $500 for 2 hours just to shoot (no editng) real estate videos with a mirrorless camera! Exactly I why I stopped doing music videos!
@@RobertCondol Yea dude, I sold my soul to for corporate those checks are fat! It really sucks how much they "producers" tend to cut down on the crew budget. Like if food pays rent.
@@justshady Marketing budgets are nice ;) Then I can use that to sustain my artsy stuff :) Last thing I hate dealing with is some broke ass artist and musician... Believe me I used to be one!
Syarifuddin Shanudin exactly 😂😂😂I have said this to a client beofre
this is the best video I've seen on Producing here on youtube since the T2i came out.
I love this so much, I didn’t want it to end. Please do more in the same style!
Wow, this video was so fun to watch. Producing seems like a blast.
Amazing breakdown this was a dope episode.. it's crazy to think how big those budgets are and how quickly it can be spent...
honestly the low budget style of music videos has become so standard that its spoiled alot of artist and labels into thinking they can give creators peanuts and expect $20k quality...
Yeah man, that is for people learning...unless you are super into the project/artist/connection its not possible to live on that. I'm a still photographer in ATL and in the still world I can't even get a second assistant for less than 350! They are basically a gaffer on a much smaller set! Those rates were insanely low on the 5k...that would ALL be favors, and thats a lot of favors! However, the result was totally worth doing it for the reel, even if you had to come out of pocket!
@@mikecolletta7527 shit is tough man..but like you said when your really into the project and doing it for the love the end result is always worth it..
@Temple of Ridicule yeah I bet it would pal.. I can only imagine
Just to be clear, this is production cost and not how much the client was charged right?
*I got excited when I heard Wallows! The guy from 13 reasons why. I love the song ”Are you bored yet”*
This is awesome!!! Thanks Moses and Ted for sharing all this info. Very insightful.
Can you guys do a breakdown of the full 60-70k budget video as well? It would be great to see what else gets added and what full rates/prices would be like. Going all out
300 dollar budget. Isn’t that that boy from thirteen reasons why
yup, Dylan Minnette
He's in the band tho
Dang, I didn't realize how much multitasking I've been doing lol
This is awesome insight!!! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Honestly, this was a fun creative concept. From the comments, it's evident that this isn't realistic but it's a fun creative topic to discuss when forced. Coming from a city with very little production environment, learning a lot about constraints and the ins and outs of the game. Much appreciated for the content and fully aware now on what it takes to be a professional in this tier.
I realized from this video that the most important thing when you're making a music video is food.
Wow I would've never guessed how much work actually goes into music videos
SOS by Steve Lion there is sooooooooooooooooooo much effort put into the entertainment industry
Oh my word! Mosses is so knowledgeable!!! Great video here Ted!
This is now one of my favorite videos on the internet.
You guys seem to have forgotten to factor in a stunt coordinator for the second video, as a fall is considered a stunt, and such a Stunt Coordinator is required
Them: producer gets $.$$$, director gets $.$$$, cinematographer gets $.$$$, editor gets $$$, asistants get $$$, the scouts get $$$, the rest gets $$$ or $$. All adds up to $$.$$$.
Me, a producer, director, cinematographer, editor, camera operator, audio guy, scout and my own assistant all in one: doesn't even get $$$ :/
On God, I do literally everything for $400, this video makes me not only feel stupid, but look stupid 😂
Super interesting stuff, thank you Moses!
Very interesting, I have never heard this broken down before. Learned quite a bit. I also saw the post Isaac White made on the cost of the Crush shoot. Glad he chimed in too. Thank you for posting.
Bro you can't cheap out on the hard drives. That's like the MOST important piece of equipment. Last thing you want is the video files getting corrupted.
who else was disappointed when you realized they weren’t gonna remake the videos
One of your best videos so far!
Thanks for these type of videos. Inspiring and informative!
Noob question: Do you need to buy new hard drives for every new project? Do they get sent to the editor? To the label?
At my level (very very low budget) I bought good hard drives to keep my files from all the projects I work on...
MouraLive I work alone and that’s what I do, but when you get more people on your team it probably is beneficial to buy drives for each project
You're shooting so much that you'll fill up a hard drive easy
I also never thought about buying hard drives for each project. But from now on I'm going to add it to my budget.
@@SoundSpeeding I have a dozen hard drives in my office right now (mostly 2TB), filled with video. It's better to charge an HDD or SSD to the customer up front and it becomes theirs at the end of the project. Back in the tape days, I charged for the tapes, so why not HDDs too?
They keep the raw material, not just the end product. Hard drive is cheaper than cloud.
Really cool breakdown. Worth mentioning you didn't budget for the director, the talent, or yourselves (producers).
This has been such a good insight, I really appreciate this video.
Thank you for this Knowledge coming at the right time. Much love.
dammn.... putting a picture of the man Roger Deakins describing a $500 music video camera dep .... tisk tisk
Where on earth do you get an Alexa Mini with all the lenses for $400?
on sharegrid like he said haha
@@James-yr5wv just checked that sharegrid, saw ARRI alexa mini for 750 /day. very interesting
@@mindsindialogue not sure where you live but i'm looking right now and there's at least 5 available in LA between $399-500
@@James-yr5wv la is famous for videoclips but other places / country you cant find that
You call your friends between legit shoots. When a shoot is cancelled because of rain, you have a camera for a day. I've been there.
That famous actor you mentioned at the beginning of the Wallows' video is Dylan Minnette. He plays Clay on 13 Reasons Why.
I love this! This is really helpful!
Now you NEED to make these 3 videos on that budget and show us the results! NEED!!!
This will serve 2 purposes for us
1) Can it be done?
2) Why it actually cost $$$ to do productions
I'm trying to get into the business myself and getting my head wrapped around the costs. Sometimes I think I can do something for cheaper, only to find that it cant be done. So success or failure on your task, I think there will be a lot to be learnt for your views! So for the channel, its a win!
In the interest of spreading accurate knowledge on rates, in my experience as a DP I would have shot the first video for $850 (similar to Chainsmokers-Hope), the second for $1500 (Josie Dunn-oh la la dance video), and the third for $2500 (electric guest - play with me) minimum, and that’s per day. No DP who is as talented as the ones who shot these should be working for $400.
Definitely a great video! Insight was impactful!
This was a good instruction video. The information was presented in a clear & understandable layout. Good mixes of shots and the visual & audio emphasis effects used for various statements keeps a viewer interested and can really help make what's being said more understandable & rememberable.
The next time someone offers me 100-250 for a music video I might slap them in the face. 😂
Jae lmOo
For real!!
Yeah that's too much for a low quality camera
1st AC on a budget? Nah they were using Sony autofocus!
on GOD
More of this! This was dope!
Wow! Great information, guys!
19:04 definitely said Western Digital lol
But what about the pizza lunch? That will break the $500 budget lol 😂
Super Dope !! Thank you for this vid Tim!
man that was a really great episode! i feel people don't talk numbers enough. thanks for this!