Videography pricing guide for independent freelancers

As an independent videographer, you set your rates however you please, which can be liberating if you’ve ever felt undervalued in a 9-to-5 job. But if you pick numbers at random, you risk setting your rates too high or low, deterring clients and needlessly capping your income.

To strike the right balance, start with industry benchmarks then adjust for factors like the type of project, video production costs, and your experience level. Use the pricing guide below to calculate your ideal ranges.

How much does a videographer cost?

Videographer pricing varies according to your experience level and the project’s complexity, and you might opt to charge by the hour or provide flat rates for individual projects. 

You can use resources like Glassdoor or Indeed to research average rates in your area. Glassdoor cites the average hourly range in the U.S. at $28–52 per hour, with urban centers often commanding higher rates than smaller towns.

You'll also need to account for production costs, including:

• Shoot scope, such as the location, video length, delivery timeframe, and end use (YouTube versus a corporate TV ad)
• Equipment and crew
• Pre-production planning (scripting, location scouting, and set design)
• Post-production tasks (editing, music licensing, voiceover, and deliverable format conversion)
• Usage rights (the video’s copyright requirements)
• Travel expenses
• Rush delivery fees

Scaling your rates alongside your experience level

Your freelance videographer rates should reflect your current career stage, accounting for your technical skill, portfolio quality, and industry reputation. 

Consult typical videographer rates by experience level to understand what may be right for your background. Some online salary databases, including Glassdoor, allow you to filter results by years of experience. 

As you become more established, here’s how you can scale your rates:

• Starting out (0–2 years): When launching your videographer business, prioritize relationship building over high margins. Introductory day rates are an entry point you can increase as you upskill.
• Established (2–5 years): After a few years of experience and a proven portfolio, you can specialize in a niche to justify more premium pricing. Review your rates regularly and raise them in accordance with your growing career, so that your prices always reflect your value. 
• Expert (5+ years): At this stage, your deep videographer expertise and referrals network allow you to take on higher-end contracts and reduce your overall client volume. Focus on earning those top-value clients to yield better revenue and move firmly out of the feast or famine phase of your career. 

Common videography pricing models

When pricing videography services for potential clients, consider using one (or a combination) of these common rate models. 

Day rate/hourly rate

While hourly billing works well for small tasks, day rates are more predictable when you’d like to charge based on the level of effort involved, not the time it takes to complete the project. Some videographers use a combination, such as a $700 day rate for shooting footage and a $50 hourly rate for post-editing.

Project-based packages

Flat-fee packages also prioritize outcomes over time and simplify your accounting. They provide one rate for the entire project, from planning to delivery (and sometimes even post-delivery updates). 

This pricing method is ideal for high-demand projects where you have a strong sense of the full video production budget involved. For example, you might charge $2,000 for product demos, $500 for real estate listings, $4,500 for corporate videos, or $3,000 for wedding videography packages. 

Monthly retainer

If you have recurring clients, especially in the corporate or social sectors, a monthly retainer can work well. It’s a more reliable source of income compared to hourly projects. Just make sure to clearly define the terms of the retainer (such as how many hours or projects are included). 

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What to include in a videography package

If you opt to offer videography packages, you’ll come up with one price that reflects all of your efforts across pre-production, shooting, post-production, and asset delivery. To inform clients what they’ll get, you can design your packages to clearly outline relevant tasks for every stage, such as those listed below.

Even if you choose not to display every line item to your clients, check that you’ve accounted for each step of the process when you set your prices. 

How to calculate your minimum viable rate

To determine freelance videography rates that cover your overhead, you should calculate your minimum viable rate. It’s the lowest amount you can charge to cover your expenses and salary, and still break even. 

Here’s how to calculate your baseline rate: 

• Determine your monthly overhead: Include costs such as business insurance, studio rent/materials, gear maintenance, software subscriptions (video editing tools, delivery platforms, cloud storage), marketing spend, bookkeeping, website hosting, etc. 
• Include a 30% profit margin: Add a 30% margin (or similar) to cover taxes and unexpected costs.
• Divide the total by the number of expected shoot days: Estimate how many days in a month you expect to shoot for clients. 

MVR = (Monthly expenses + monthly salary) × 1.3 ÷ expected shoot days

Let’s say you pay $3,000/month in overhead, and expect to shoot eight days a month. 

$3,000 x 1.3 ÷ 8 = $487.50

In this scenario, you’d need to charge at least $487.50 per shoot day to cover your costs.

When to raise your videographer rates

Career milestones like skill certifications, high-end clients, better equipment, or launching a new niche often warrant price hikes. If you reach full capacity and have zero bandwidth to take on more clients, that’s another sign you should increase your rates.

To maintain transparency with your clients, include price increase language in your videography contracts (e.g., approximately every 6–12 months), and clearly define your scope, revisions, and licensing in your proposals. 

How HoneyBook helps cinematographers run a profitable business

A simple way to approach rate-setting is by looking to competitors at your growth stage. Focus on transparent pricing and increase your rates as your expertise grows, so your pay strategy is fair to everyone involved. 

Great rates only convert when they come with a great pitch. HoneyBook lets you send branded proposals, lock in contracts, collect payments, and follow up automatically, so every client interaction reflects the quality of your cinematography. Start your free trial today and turn more inquiries into booked clients.