Pricing
What this costs
Post production is charged by the day and the rate is published below. Turnkey production is quoted per project, because no two shoots cost the same thing.
Freelance post production
R6,500 per day · ZAR · excl. VAT
Editing, compositing, motion graphics and finishing. Charged in full days, invoiced on delivery.
What a day covers
- Offline edit through to picture lock, with two rounds of changes inside the day
- Project setup, media management, transcoding and archiving
- Deliverables in the formats and aspect ratios you need, made from one master
- Working in your pipeline and your naming convention if you have one
What is billed separately
- Licensed music, stock footage and fonts, which are billed at cost
- Colour grade and audio mix by a specialist, where a job calls for one
- Travel and accommodation for on-site work outside Johannesburg
One rate, wherever the work comes from. There is no separate international number — a day in Johannesburg and a day for an agency in Dubai or London cost the same thing.
Turnkey production
A quoted figure per project covering everything from the brief to the delivered master: concept, crew, kit, shoot days, post and deliverables. The number moves on shoot days, crew size, location, cast and how many cuts come out the other end.
What moves the number
- How many shoot days, and whether they run in a studio or on location
- Crew size — a two-person corporate crew and a commercial unit are different jobs
- Cast, permits, locations and anything that has to be licensed
- How many deliverables, in how many aspect ratios and languages
- How much of it is animation or VFX rather than footage
How the money works
- Fifty percent up front on production jobs, the balance on delivery of the master.
- Freelance post is invoiced on delivery, or monthly on a long-running retainer.
- Quotes hold for thirty days.
- Rates are in South African Rand and exclude VAT.
Still not sure what to budget?
The FAQ answers what a corporate video actually costs in South Africa and what drives the figure. If you would rather skip to a real number, send the brief and the deadline — see freelance post production for the day-rate work, or turnkey production for a full job.
Have something to cut?
Send the brief, the deadline and the deliverables. I'll come back with a scope and a quote, or tell you straight if it isn't a job for me.