Industrial films have to convince experts from the industry. How much budget should you plan for a good industrial film so that it actually achieves its goal? From how industrial film costs are made up to examples in different budget ranges, this article gives you an overview as a basis for your next briefing.
The considerable differences come from the highly variable cost factors in pre-production, the shoot and post-production. If you want to find out which costs you can expect in which part of the production, read our article on corporate film costs. There I explain exactly which costs arise in which production step, and why.
Like any other company film, an industrial film can’t be given a fixed price tag. Company films of all kinds are individual service products, in which several cost factors determine the final price.
And as a service product, these cost factors are adapted both to your goal and to your available budget, so that you get an individual product tailored to you. That is why every professional film production company will only ever offer a “request a quote” button rather than ready-made price packages. Finding it hard to imagine what your industrial film could look like in the end? No problem – you can also find some industrial film examples and services on our website that show what the end product could look like – we look forward to your visit!
Why you should be wary of fixed-price offers
They are tempting, admittedly: prices of under 1,000 for a complete industrial film with everything included. But how can such a fixed price be justified if an industrial company with 8 halls (all of which are to be filmed) pays the same as an industrial company with just one hall? The same time would then be invested for 8 halls as for one. The question is how that could possibly work…
The problem with such price packages is that the industrial film becomes a mass-produced item that isn’t tailored to your goal, your company and your challenges. It becomes a one-size-fits-all product designed to sell as many industrial films as possible. And unlike professional film production companies, whose aim is to really help clients, fixed-price offers focus purely on sales volume.
A good industrial film should always present the company’s goals and challenges professionally and individually. Viewers should be convinced of its quality and professionalism. You can read what else an industrial film should have in our free eBook “The comprehensive industrial film handbook” (in German), where we have summarised everything an industrial film should have in a practical, compact form.
How aerial footage and indoor drone flights make your industrial film special
Aerial footage for industrial films isn’t really expensive, but it enriches the film enormously. In most cases, drones are used to film the entire industrial complex to give an overall impression of the size of the company. In my view, however, drones add real value especially for indoor flights through halls. They make shots of machines possible that would otherwise never exist. Flights right through the hall, past process chains and over machines are no problem for experienced drone pilots. These are shots that stand out impressively in any industrial film.
Aerial footage can be done for as little as 500 euros; for particularly extensive shots using large, expensive drones, the price can rise to 2,000 euros. However, very few film production companies have insurance for indoor drone flights. Make sure your film production company not only has experience with indoor flights but can also show the appropriate insurance.
Shots inside machines with a GoPro and slow motion – how much do they cost?
A GoPro can capture spectacular shots from inside a machine, and welding looks particularly impressive in slow motion. What sounds expensive is in the end no big undertaking. Using a GoPro costs nothing extra in the vast majority of cases, and all cameras today can also record in slow motion.
There are particularly expensive slow-motion cameras that can capture extremely slow movements. But unless specifically wanted, the slow motion from the other cameras we use is impressive enough and sufficient in most cases.
How you can still calculate industrial film costs
To help you make a first cost estimate without having to contact a film production company straight away, we list the most important cost factors in this article. Knowing roughly how much a product or service costs is not only the basis of our budget and financial planning – it also gives us confidence when making a purchase decision.
Our free eBook “The industrial film handbook” (in German) can be just as helpful as this article. It contains several best-practice examples with definitions and statistics and offers a comprehensive overview of industrial films.
You probably already have a rough idea of your industrial film. You have probably seen examples of other industrial films and know what quality and scope you want. Perfect! Using the following factors for industrial film costs, this helps you calculate a meaningful budget.
We go through the individual cost items step by step, describe the options and differences and state what costs you can expect for each.
Which production costs determine the price?
Industrial films can vary greatly in scope, which has a particular influence on production costs.
So you have a rough idea of what your industrial film should look like. Now the question is which production costs are realistic for your project.
Because the costs you can expect are just as individual and tailor-made as your film.
An industrial film – like any other company film – is made in three production phases with four cost items. Each has its own day rates and costs, which together make up the total price of the industrial film:
Pre-production (idea, planning, script)
Shoot (and … action!)
Post-production (editing, sound, graphic design)
Fees & licences
Note: The figures below are very rough averages and are only meant to give you a rough idea. Always have your individual needs assessed by a film production company or agency and request a cost estimate. You will be surprised how affordable your industrial film can be.
What does pre-production cost?
During pre-production, the concept for the industrial film is developed, so that you have an idea of what your film will look like before filming begins. You are actively involved in the planning process, can give feedback and have a say in the film.
Depending on scope, the concept and the script each take around 1–5 days. The longer your industrial film is to be, the more extensive the concept and script will be. So: how extensive is your industrial film? Is it quickly done, or does it need a longer running time to really cover everything important?
Pre-production ensures that the film reflects your company values and that you really achieve your goals with the industrial film. Through several conversations, the film production company gets to know your company and your goals and challenges, and can put together a concept that fits your company exactly. A visit and site tour are also very helpful for the film production company where possible: on the one hand, it can identify rooms for the shoot and so knows which equipment and how much of it is needed. It may even find camera angles or filming locations nobody had thought of before. On the other hand, it gets a better feel for you and your company and gets to know you and the way you work.
Alongside the creative and conceptual work on concept and script comes the organisational work of the film production company. Research, location scouting and travel planning take an average of 1–2 days. The difference here is small, regardless of the final scope of the industrial film. The day rate for these services is therefore lower than for concept and script, and they are billed as a flat fee, pro rata or by the hour depending on effort.
In total, pre-production for an industrial film, including feedback and revision rounds, comes to an average of 500 to 2,000 euros depending on scope. If your interest in industrial films has been sparked and you would like to read more, I can recommend our free eBook: the industrial film handbook (in German). If you already feel ready for your company’s industrial film, book a free consultation.
The cost of the shooting days is the biggest unknown in the price calculation. Without a concept beforehand and, ideally, a location scouting at your company, the cost of the shoot is hard to estimate. Industrial film costs depend above all on the number of your halls and machines. The more halls and machines matter and are to be filmed, the more time should be invested in the shoot.
Even so, we want to shed some light on this and at least allow a rough estimate of industrial film costs for shooting days.
So: what influence do the following factors have?
Crew
Equipment
Number of shooting days
How big is the crew for your industrial film?
A film production crew consists of a camera operator, possibly a director and, depending on scope, several assistants.
Generally speaking, the bigger the crew, the higher the quality of the industrial film. With several assistants on site, the camera operator, for example, can concentrate on the quality of the shots while the assistants set up lighting and sound. At the same time, this means: the higher the quality requirements, the higher the costs for additional staff. For an industrial film, crew sizes of 2 to 5 people are usually realistic, and each person has a day rate of 350–1,500 euros.
How expensive is the equipment?
Of course, there are also costs for camera, lighting, sound and other accessories. Most equipment makes no difference to the final price, though. Only large lamps come to around 50–150 euros per day and cameras to 250–1,500 euros. Depending on the quality requirements, cameras worth up to 100,000 euros are used. In the end, it is your decision whether you want the highest possible image quality.
What the number of shooting days means
The number of shooting days accounts for a very large share of industrial film costs. Is one shooting day enough, or are three needed – maybe even five?
Before talking to a film production company, it is generally hard to estimate how many shooting days are realistic. In general, the more complex and high-quality you imagine the film, the more time has to go into individual scenes and shots. The overall number of scenes also determines how quickly filming can be completed. Are interview scenes planned for your industrial film, or is it purely footage of machines and processes? Half a shooting day is planned for interviews in most cases.
Are there many different locations that matter for your industrial film, or is filming to take place in just one hall? Changing locations can take a lot of time, because all the equipment, including the lighting set-up, has to be moved and partly set up again.
On average, this comes to 1–5 shooting days, rarely more. Depending on scope, the shoot for an industrial film therefore costs an average of 3,000 to 15,000 euros.
How much does editing cost?
Day rates for post-production vary depending on requirements and the degree of specialisation. Simple picture and sound editing is comparatively inexpensive, while elaborate special effects cost more. Each discipline needs around 1–5 working days. So the longer your film and the more different scenes it has, the more time should be allowed for post-production.
Industrial films often use 3D visualisations of machines and processes, as well as CAD animations (virtual 3D design). Depending on scope, this incurs further costs. Animations are often more expensive than normally filmed footage, but they can visualise processes that can hardly be shown with normal shots.
Post-production for an industrial film comes to an average of 2,000 to 10,000 euros, depending on whether complex animations are created.
So far, then, an industrial film costs an average of 5,000 to 30,000 euros. In our experience, however, most industrial films fall in the range of 5,000 to 15,000 euros. Only very large projects for large companies lead to industrial film costs of over 15,000 euros. We recommend once again that you send your specific needs to a film production company or advertising agency for a free, no-obligation calculation. You will be surprised how affordable your industrial film can be! Can’t quite picture what such an industrial film could look like? No problem! Our free industrial film handbook (in German) has plenty of examples for you! Download our industrial film handbook free of charge now!
Only one cost item is now missing: fees, licences and usage rights.
Which licences and usage rights apply to an industrial film?
Depending on how the film is used, different licence costs apply – so-called buy-outs.
How much does a professional voice-over artist cost?
Hard to believe, but 70% of perceived quality comes from the sound. That is why a professional voice-over artist is one of the most important factors in industrial film costs. A good voice-over artist lifts your industrial film to a high level of quality and gives the company a distinctive sound at the same time.
Even the German dubbing voices of Bruce Willis, Robert Redford or Whoopi Goldberg are only a phone call away – and often only slightly more expensive than lesser-known professionals. The voice-over is recorded in a sound studio, and the voice-over artist is directed on speaking style and expression. This ensures you have a professional voice recording in your film.
The fee for a professional voice-over artist for an industrial film is 450 to 1,200 euros (depending on how well known they are). Sound studio and direction each cost around another 100–200 euros.
What does the music cost?
For many industrial films, new music is composed specifically to support the subject and style of the film. The advantage: you can determine the length and structure of the track so that it fits the film exactly. Composed music costs an average of 400–800 euros. For under 400 euros, you can use existing music from stock libraries, where you can choose a suitable track from thousands. Of course, if you already have pieces of music in mind that you definitely want in your film, you can say so. The film production company you trust will follow your wishes and advise you.
Do I have to pay GEMA fees for an industrial film?
First of all, what GEMA actually is. GEMA is the German society for musical performing and mechanical reproduction rights and represents the rights of musicians. Musicians are free to decide whether or not to become GEMA members, so not every song falls under GEMA.
As a rule of thumb: the better known the musician, the more likely GEMA fees are to apply. Especially if you want well-known songs, e.g. from films or the radio, GEMA fees apply in most cases.
Well-known chart songs often don’t make sense for an industrial film anyway. We therefore draw, for example, on an unlimited choice of GEMA-free music, available both from individual composers and from stock music libraries. Your film production company will be happy to advise you.
By the way: similar to GEMA, but not voluntary, is the KSK (Künstlersozialkasse, the German social insurance fund for artists). Every freelance artist (whether actor, composer, painter, journalist or designer) is automatically subject to the KSK levy (4.2% when this article was first written; the rate is set annually and is 4.9% in 2026, as a percentage of the invoice amount). This also applies to all freelancers, sole traders and partnerships in the film sector. Only invoices from corporations incur no KSK levy on your side; the corporation covers it for you.
Does it cost anything to show the industrial film at trade fairs?
A trade fair is where hundreds, if not thousands, of your potential prospects and customers gather. So there is no question that it pays to use the industrial film at a trade fair.
If you want to show your industrial film at a trade fair, the only costs besides your stand and the stand fee are the licence costs.
In some cases, the usage licence for the trade fair may already be included in the price. Otherwise, you can apply a factor of 3 to 5 here too, depending on the type, size and location of the trade fair and the desired duration.
Our tip: buy-outs. Depending on company size and the media in which the film is used, licence costs vary – these are known as buy-outs. If you want to keep all options open, ask for a full buy-out. A film production company can often offer or negotiate better terms than smaller productions or freelancers.
How much does an industrial film in English cost?
Happily, producing an industrial film in English or translating it into other languages is one of the most affordable parts of the process. In fact, I often recommend to our clients that they record an industrial film in the relevant languages straight away. We have already produced voice-overs in German, English, French, Dutch, Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish.
Most film production companies also have a pool of native speakers for international language versions or work with voice-over agencies. Translation is no challenge for a professional film production company’s network either.
The costs of international voice-over artists are roughly comparable to those of their German colleagues.
Calculating industrial film costs
Now that you know all the important factors for industrial film costs, you can make a first price estimate. A brief overview:
Pre-production costs + Shoot costs (number of shooting days x (crew + equipment + location) + aerial footage) + Post-production costs (editing + sound + animations) + Fees for voice-over artists (German/English) + any actors ———————- = Industrial film production costs + Licence fees for the desired type of use + Advertising/placement costs for the desired distribution media ———————- = Industrial film exploitation costs
Now on to the next interesting point:
Saving costs on an industrial film?
The good thing about an individual service product like the industrial film is that costs can certainly be saved. Does it really have to be all the halls, or are two halls enough for the film? As with any good service, you can partly decide how expensive the industrial film will be. Of course, you shouldn’t expect miracles: film may be somehow magical, but film production companies still can’t work magic. The best thing is simply to book a no-obligation consultation with a film production company you trust.
Overview of different prices with examples
Finally, you can now see for yourself which industrial film costs can lead to which end product. For a rough overview, we have an example for certain price ranges.
Of course, not all costs are directly visible in the film. Things like the size of the location or the length of pre-production are hard to read from a film. Even so, the examples should give you a first feel for the quality and standard you can expect from each budget.
Industrial film 5,000 to 10,000 euros
This industrial film is product-focused. It shows the manufacturing processes and the finished product, presenting the professional way the company works. It consists mainly of real footage shot in the company itself.
Industrial film 10,000 to 15,000 euros
An industrial film that combines animated graphics with real footage. This is visually appealing and gets more information across to the viewer.
Industrial film over 15,000 euros
More budget = more equipment and crew = more quality. Especially in large industrial companies such as DTMT, you need a capable crew and the necessary equipment to show the many machines and skilled workers.
Conclusion: how much should an industrial film cost?
In summary, an industrial film can be produced for as little as 5,000 euros, but it can also cost 20,000 euros and more. Especially for large industrial companies that impress with a particularly big technological lead, for example, industrial films over 15,000 euros are not unusual. Even so, an estimated 80% of all industrial films fall within 5,000 to 15,000 euros.
You can find a particularly comprehensive overview of various best-practice examples of industrial films with use cases, cost estimates and statistics in our free industrial film handbook (in German).
Finally, I have summarised and answered all the questions you might have – and that others have already asked – in a compact form:
What is an industrial film in the first place?
An industrial film is made, for example, to present a product to potential customers or cooperation partners. The people who watch it are experts in the industry and know the basics, so you can go into detail in your industrial film.
Is an industrial film worth it for my company?
An industrial film is definitely worth it for your company, because it gives you the opportunity to present your company in a completely different way. A film can convey many things much better than a brochure or a presentation. You can also use it as often as you like and have it recorded in different languages. A well-made film conveys much more than a long presentation that isn’t very memorable.
Where can I use my industrial film?
You can use your industrial film wherever you like. The usual places are trade fairs, presentations, meetings with potential customers, your website or YouTube channels.
Won’t the film be out of date after a year?
Of course, the economy is constantly changing, and so is your company. It may happen that individual scenes or machines shown are no longer up to date. That is not a problem: the film production company of your choice will surely be willing to replace individual scenes or film new ones if needed.
I’d like you to present my machine – is that possible?
Yes! Professional film production companies have not only the equipment to film process chains inside the machine but also the expertise. Even if that sounds highly complex and expensive, it is usually not much more expensive at all. If you would like a detailed price breakdown for the various production steps of an industrial film, read the article above to find out exactly which part of the production costs how much.
What can an industrial film look like?
Don’t yet have an idea of what your industrial film could look like? No problem – you’ll find numerous examples of industrial films on our website or further up in this article. Of course, we are also happy to advise you, without obligation, on what would suit your company best.
