A video production company which specializes in settlement documentaries will base its proposal price on the perceived complexity of the project. This complexity can be narrowed down into four basic components:
Other considerations may be the complexity of the production elements to be included. For example, a foot locker filled with home videos and dozens of photo albums will take a day or more of pre-production time for a video producer to sift through.
A full-service, hands-free professional settlement documentary by an experienced producer will typically cost $5,000 to $15,000, depending on the variables discussed above.
On one end of the scale, we have put together very cost-effective wrongful death settlement videos based on a single interview of a widow describing the man she loved as a husband, father, and breadwinner, while showing excerpts from home videos of the decedent.
On the other end of the scale, we have traveled extensively across the country to conduct interviews with numerous key witnesses for an all-inclusive documentary with a running time of over thirty minutes.
A final thought on cost: Expenses in case preparation are unavoidable, and may do nothing to enhance the value of a case. These include items such as airfare and court reporting. The cost of a settlement documentary has proved repeatedly to be pennies on the dollar of the enhanced value it brings to negotiation. It is an investment in a client’s future, not an expense. When a $7,000 documentary enhances the value of a $200,000 case to a $350,000 settlement, that’s a $150,000 return on the investment. When a $12,000 documentary brings another million dollars to the table, that’s not an expense, that’s smart business.
Emily Gregory
Communications Director
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