Video Production Budgeting 101 - Out of Town Shoots

In the last couple of months, I shot videos in 13 different states.
So I wanted to break down pricing and logistics for doing out-of-state shoots.
One of the best ways to get higher-end clients is by expanding your reach beyond your local area. Especially if you live in a smaller city.

I’ll also share a few tips on saving a lot of money on travel that I’ve used for the last 15 years.

The cost breakdown of an out-of-town shoot has three parts to it. There is labor, gear, and travel.

You have two options for the way you can bill your client. You can do travel cost as a passthrough cost or you can combine it with your production cost.

Some companies want to pay you for your time and gear and pay separably for travel. I prefer to just do a combined cost. I find it easier for us and the client. So I’ll give you the breakdown for that option.

A lot of my shoots are 1 or 2 days shoots in a different state. This month, for example, I went to small towns like Rome, Georgia all the way to big cities like New York.

Here is the breakdown of the crew cost. I can do these out-of-town shoots with 2-3 people that I fly out and 1-2 people that I hire locally.

A lot of times, I can go as director/producer with my DP and hire everyone else locally.

As far as equipment, you can either rent gear locally or fly with the gear.
I do both depending on the job and how much gear is needed.
I have a pretty good system of being able to fly with 6 cases with just 2 people. That’s 4 checked and 2 carry-on pelican cases. I’ll do a gear breakdown video soon if you are interested.

I always charge for labor and I also charge for gear. The client will most likely not see the breakdown, but I do that internally.

Then, there is the travel rate. I pay my crew a half-day rate for travel.
There is usually a day before the shoot and a day after a shoot that is considered a travel day. You can’t expect your crew to work that day if it’s just a travel rate. The rate for a travel rate is 50% or 2/3 of the total daily rate. It depends on who you hire and what they are used to.

You can fly back after the shoot, the same day, but I prefer not to do that if I can help it.

For gear, it’s usually just the day or multiple days of the shoot, where you charge for the gear. You don’t charge for travel days usually.
A big benefit of renting gear locally is that you can take advantage of a weekly rental rate, which most rental houses offer. This is usually 3-4 days of rental for 7 days.

You should also pay your crew members per diem. This can be $75 to $100 per day. They are responsible for their own breakfast and dinner. You should still provide lunch on the shoot. You don’t have to pay per diem for the local crew.

Finally, there is travel cost. Here are all the different costs that are associated with travel.

Transportation to the airport, airport parking, carts, language fees, flight, hotel, meals, parking at the hotel, car rental, car rental gas, and tips.

Make sure that each member of the crew you are traveling with gets their own hotel room. You also will likely need a standard or large SUV for gear and crew.

Once you add labor rent, gear rental, and travel expenses, you should get a general idea of what it would cost to travel to a different state for a shoot.

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[Filmmakingmentor]

Learn the exact blueprint I used to go from a struggling videographer, to running a profitable video production business, in this one-hour free training.

[IkennaVisuals]

Hi Saj, I just want to thank you for making all these informative videos! They are really valuable. You are the main reason that instead of pursuing a career as a freelancer, I actually started my own video production company. So thank you for that, keep up the great work! :)

[DANAMIONLINE]

Thank you for showing an example of an out of town budget breakdown.

[danielbranam]

Yes, please make the gear video. Great information on this one.

[itstartsmedia]

Extremely valuable and condensed information as always! Thank you Saj!

[codyjacklove]

Love your content! One of the most practical useful channels for my production company!

[babalolaallengege]

Needed this so bad.. thanks for this. ❤️

[ramonbmovies]

Yes, I want to see the gear video. In particular, do you plan for taking backup cameras and other gear? What if the gear is lost for a couple days like when an airline loses luggage? Do you plan for that kind of contingency?

[juwancaesar]

Great insightful video! Do you have a video for a complete breakdown of production costs including pre and post? I feel there are times when I struggle to account for the edit and also planning costs

[cinema_dude]

Hey there! Always appreciate the info you share! When pricing for my own equipment costs, I also look at other rental houses and some will charge a minimum of 3 days whether you rent it for less or not. Is that how you model your price or would you break down the price further and charge just for the days you use it?

[Flamezytheproducer]

Hi Saj, I really found your videos helpful to me. I'm a Video editor from Lagos Nigeria. I'll really appreciate if there's a community or telegram group that we could learn more from your experiences