How much does life science video production cost?

The seven cost drivers

1. Shoot days. Most investor and profile films are one day. Launch and brand films are two to three.
2. Locations. Each move costs setup time. A lab, an office and a clinic in one city can often fit one day; three cities can't.
3. Interviews. Budget about an hour per interview on camera, plus setup.
4. Review cycles. MLR, scientific and legal review add rounds. Plan for them up front and they cost far less than late surprises.
5. Animation. Clean motion graphics are modest; full 3D mechanism-of-action animation is a separate line item and often the largest one.
6. Deliverables. Every extra cut costs edit time. The cheapest content is the cut you plan for before the shoot.
7. Travel. We're Austin-based. Travel is billed at cost and planned to batch shoots.

How to spend less without looking cheap

• Batch interviews: film three leaders on one day instead of three days.
• Plan the cut list before the shoot, so one day feeds a quarter of content.
• Use real footage and data graphics where you can, and save 3D animation for the one mechanism that truly needs it.
• Get reviewers to sign off on the script and storyboard before filming.

Typical ranges