Why Does a Video Quote Come in Tiers, and How Do I Choose?
Tiers show you what each extra dollar buys. A good tiered quote gives you a simple version, a fuller one and a full "bells and whistles" version, each a different production with the differences written down, such as more locations, more people on camera or more finished videos. Choose the tier that does the job your video has to do, then ask what you'd lose by going one down.
Key Facts
- Our tiered quotes usually run simple, a little more complex, and the full bells and whistles.
- Tiers can be quite different productions, from motion graphics with no shoot at the bottom to a presenter on location at the top.
- We've quoted three versions of one ad so the client could test them against each other.
- Our podcast packages are fixed-price tiers you can compare side by side.
Why Do Production Companies Quote in Tiers?
So you can find your own number without having to name one first. Tiers turn "how much does a video cost?" into a choice between real versions of your project, each with a price and a list of what's in it.
They also help inside your organisation. The person who approves the spend can see what each step up adds and decide for themselves, without another round of back and forth.
I'll come back with a couple of tiered approaches: simple, more complex and the full bells and whistles. Let me know what you feel comfortable with as far as budget.
What Options Can a Quote Come In?
Tiers are one of four. These are the ones we use most:
| Option | What you get | Useful when |
|---|---|---|
| Half day vs full day | Two prices for the same job at two lengths, each with its edit | You know what you want but not how long it'll take |
| Good, better, best | A base version and two steps up, with what each step adds written down | Someone else approves the spend |
| One clean unit | The price of a single shoot day with one set of deliverables | You're planning several videos and want to multiply |
| Full version, itemised | The ideal version split into lines you can remove | You'd rather start from the top and trim |
What Changes Between Tiers?
The size of the production. These are the usual differences, though every quote is built for its own job.
| Part of the job | Simple | Fuller | Bells and whistles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoot time | Half day, or no shoot at all | Full day | Several days |
| Locations | One | Two, ideally on the same day | Several, or a hired set |
| People on camera | Your own team | Your team and customers | A presenter or actors |
| Finished videos | One main video | Main video and social cutdowns | Several versions, every format, stills |
The planning, the crew's standard and the quality of the edit should be the same in every tier. A cheaper tier has less in it. It shouldn't be a worse version.
How Do You Choose the Right Tier?
Start from the job the video has to do.
- Where will it be seen? A video for a website and LinkedIn needs less than a TV ad.
- How long does it need to last? A film you'll use for three years can justify more than one for a single event.
- Who has to believe it? Customers often trust real people over polish, which can favour a simpler tier.
- What would you lose by going one down? Ask the production company. If the answer is "nothing you'd miss", go down.
You can also mix them. Take the simple shoot and add the social cutdowns from the tier above, or keep the fuller shoot and drop the stills. Tiers can even become a test. We've quoted three versions of one ad so a client could run them against each other.
Should You Buy a Package or Ask for a Custom Quote?
A package suits work that runs the same way every time, like recording a podcast in a studio, because the price can be set in advance and you can see straight away whether it fits. A custom quote starts from what you want to make. We prefer clear prices for clear deliverables over credits or tokens, which hide how much you're actually spending.
Live streaming is a good example of work that has to be custom. It can be one camera into Zoom or a multi-camera broadcast with translation, and the right set-up depends on who's watching and why.
When Does a Retainer Make Sense?
When you're making a steady run of similar videos. A retainer lets an outside team work like your own, without being on the payroll. You hand over the contacts and the brief, and the videos keep coming. It can work project by project against agreed tiers, or as a set number of each tier through the year, paid monthly. We're open to bulk pricing when a client commits to several pieces over a year.