How much does video editing cost?

It's almost always the first question. The answer depends far less on how long the finished video is than most people expect.

What actually changes the price

• How much footage there is. Cutting a two-minute film from two hours of interviews takes longer than cutting it from twenty minutes of b-roll.
• What has to be built. Titles, motion graphics, a logo animation, subtitles.
• Sound and color. Cleaning up dialogue and matching footage from different cameras so it looks like one shoot.
• Music and stock. Licenses from premium libraries are part of the cost, and part of what you're paying not to worry about.
• How many versions. One 16:9 film, or that film plus vertical cuts, a teaser and three languages.
• Rounds of changes. Two rounds of notes are normal. Ten are a different project.

Why length is a poor guide

A thirty-second ad can take more work than a five-minute interview. A short piece has no room for weak moments, so every shot is chosen and timed to the frame. The work is in the decisions, not the minutes.

Hourly or per project

An hourly rate looks simple and makes the final number hard to predict. I prefer to quote per project once I know the details. That way you know the cost before anything starts, and any change in scope is agreed up front rather than discovered on the invoice.

What makes it cheaper

Most of the savings happen before the edit: knowing where the video will run, sending all the footage in one go, and having one person give notes. Commissioning every format at once also costs less than coming back for each one later.

How long it takes

Time and price move together. A short social piece can take days. A brand film with graphics and several versions takes longer, and most of that time is the rounds of notes in between rather than the editing itself. If you have a fixed date, say so at the start, so the schedule is built around it.

What a good quote includes

A quote should say what you'll get, not only what it costs: the pieces and their formats, how many rounds of changes, whether music and stock licenses are included and for which platforms, subtitles and languages, and the delivery date. If something you need isn't on it, ask before you agree, because adding it later always costs more than including it at the start.

Getting a real number

Tell me what the video is for, roughly how much footage you have, where it will run and when you need it. That's enough for a quote. Get in touch and I'll come back with what it would cost.