Video quote: what is included, which items are likely to incur additional costs

When receiving video quotes, the first thing you often look at is the total figure. This is completely natural. However, the total figure only makes sense when you know exactly what it covers, and more importantly, what is excluded. This guide helps you read video quotes correctly before signing anything.

Items that are commonly included

A standard video quote typically includes the following items. If any of the points below are missing, those are questions to ask right away:

• Number of shooting days: How many days, which locations, and who is on the team.
• Post-production services (editing, film assembly, color correction, sound mixing): usually included in the package, but you need to ask how extensive it is.
• Number of approval rounds: Typically from two to three rounds. An approval round is when you review the draft and provide feedback, the production unit adjusts it and returns it.
• Deliverable format list: which files, aspect ratios, resolutions, and through which channels the deliverables will be provided.
• Production management fee: Coordinating the crew, shooting schedule, and communication with parties involved.

Items easily overlooked in the quote.

These are the costs that often come as a surprise later, as many quotes do not clearly state them and simply leave them out. Silence in a quote means not included, not free.

• Music licensing: Background music used in videos requires separate licensing, with scope (social media, broadcasting, events) and duration. Expiration requires renewal or replacement with other music. This is a long-term cost, not just a one-time expense.
• Voiceover: if a professional reader is needed, it is usually charged separately per project or per minute.
• Actors, models, hosts: Fees for talent and image usage are often not included in the basic production package.
• Context of rental: studio, premises, special locations. Some entities state "filmed at the studio" but the studio rental fee is not included.
• Props, costumes, transportation, accommodation for the crew: usually a separate line item, depending on specific production requirements.
• Additional versions for each channel: The main video in 16:9 for YouTube does not automatically generate a 9:16 version for Reels or a 1:1 version for Facebook. Each additional ratio typically incurs extra costs.
• Reshoot due to change of mind: If a client changes the script or context after filming is complete, the cost of reshooting is an additional expense, not the fault of the production unit.
• Fix outside the agreed rounds: For the fourth review round and beyond, if the contract only includes three rounds, it will be calculated based on the change request mechanism (i.e., additional work outside the scope, priced separately).

How to read and compare quotes correctly

The principle when comparing multiple quotes: standardize the scope first, meaning the same number of shooting days, rounds of review, and format categories, then compare the amounts. Comparing numbers without standardizing the scope is comparing apples to oranges.

Any out-of-scope requests must have written agreement before execution, even if it’s just a confirmation email with additional pricing.

AIGA Standard Form of Agreement for Design Services

Common errors when reviewing quotes

• Choose the lowest quote without reading the exclusions, resulting in a higher total than other options.
• Forget to inquire about music and voiceover licenses, leading to unexpected costs or legal risks at the time of release.
• Do not finalize the number of cuts from the beginning; each additional ratio later will incur extra costs.
• Thinking that reshooting due to client changes is a free after-sales service from the producer.
• Do not request a written exclusion list, only verbal communication.

Sinh Vũ's viewpoint

Sinh Vũ clearly separates two groups of costs in every quote: production costs (crew, equipment, post-production) and asset licensing costs (music licenses, separately purchased voiceovers). These two groups have different natures: production is a one-time cost, while licensing is a recurring cost that needs monitoring. Combining them can make it difficult for you to see what you are actually paying for.

The deliverable format catalog should also be specified right from the initial scope, following the philosophy of producing once, cutting for all channels that need it. This approach helps package costs instead of producing separately for each platform after completing the core part.

The boundary that Sinh Vũ maintains consistently: Sinh Vũ takes on creative direction and coordinates the execution team. Copyright licensing fees are calculated separately and transparently in the quotation, not hidden in the base price, and no surprises are pushed to the release stage.