Is In-House Video Cheaper Than Paying an Agency?

Usually, yes, once you record more than a handful of videos a year. An agency or crew charges again for every shoot and every edit, while an in-house setup is paid for once and gets cheaper with each video you make. If you only need one polished film a year, an agency is still the better buy.

Why does paying an agency add up over time?

Because every shoot is billed again. One business we spoke to recently described exactly this: they had been paying agencies to keep their video going, and the cost was adding up over time.

The rates are real. Chris puts a professional crew at $1,000 to $2,000 a day, and is the first to say they are good at what they do. Greg Gladman, who runs a sales and leadership coaching business, was paying more than that for a full studio day:

"If we wanted to record a video on a topic, um, that would be, you know, anywhere between a four or $6,000 investment to get a day in a studio." Greg Gladman

Hear Greg explain it, from 11:53 in his interview with Chris:

 Watch from 11:53

He also described what that day felt like: a race against the clock, trying to get as many videos filmed as possible and every one of them perfect. Now he turns the camera on whenever a topic comes up. For the full comparison of buying gear, hiring a crew and a desk studio, compare DIY video and agency ROI.

What does a crew cost you besides the invoice?

Time, and the videos you never make. Tara Sharma runs a recruitment firm and worked with a marketing agency whose crew filmed for her business. It worked, until she wanted more:

"It was difficult to scale because we'd have to really wait for their whole... camera crew to come sort of once a quarter." Tara Sharma

The videos her team made in between, she now says, looked awful. When she wanted to put a whole course on video, she knew it was going to be really expensive to hire a film crew for all of it. She also counted the hours: a crew shoot took up at least three hours of her time, against ten minutes for the same video recorded at her own desk once she got quick.

Travel is the other hidden line. Jason Howes runs a sales consultancy outside Sydney, and his corporate video would normally have meant a trip to Sydney. He recorded it at his own desk instead, being coached as he went, and skipped the flights and the accommodation.

How do you work out which is cheaper for your business?

Use your own numbers, because nobody else's agency quote is yours. Four steps:

1. Count the videos you actually need in a year. Weekly updates, proposal walk-throughs, client explainers, social clips. Be honest, then add the ones you skip now because they are too expensive to make.
2. Price one finished video from your agency. Filming, editing, travel and reshoots, all of it.
3. Multiply. That is your agency cost for the year, and it repeats every year.
4. Compare it with a one-off setup plus your own time. Add the time you will spend scripting and recording each video, and decide who will edit.

A worked example with Greg's figure: at $4,000 to $6,000 a studio day, Ridge's Desktop Studio at $13,700 + GST costs roughly what two to three and a half of those days did. After that, each extra video costs your time and no more. You can see what a professional setup costs, including what sits in that price.

When does filming in-house not save money?

When the setup doesn't get used. Sonia Majkic runs a marketing agency, and she put it bluntly:

"People will fall in love with the idea of making content and they buy the lights and it stays in the box for 12 months." Sonia Majkic

Three other cases where an agency is the better call:

• You need one or two videos a year. At that volume, a single day of a good crew costs less.
• The video has to leave your desk. A desk studio doesn't come with you to a site, an event or a factory floor, and a crew does.
• Nobody will edit. Editing costs something either way, in your time or in someone else's invoice. Plan for it before you decide.

Can an in-house setup pay for itself?

It can, when the videos earn something. Heather Hukins runs H4 Consulting, which trains government clients. Her first package of training videos, recorded on her Desktop Studio, covered the cost of the setup:

"We paid for our first set of videos and our setup from you in basically the first sale." Heather Hukins

Greg puts the saving in plainer terms on his own story: see how a coach cut $4000 a shoot with his own studio. The equipment is the easy part, though. Knowing what to say, delivering it well and turning up every week are what decide whether it was worth it.

In-house versus agency: the questions we get asked

How much does a video agency cost in Australia?

Chris puts the going rate for a professional crew at $1,000 to $2,000 a day, and Greg Gladman was paying $4,000 to $6,000 for a day in a studio. Editing, travel and any reshoots usually come on top, so ask your agency for the full cost of one finished video.

Is a desktop studio cheaper than hiring a videographer?

It is if you record often. A videographer charges again for every shoot, while a desktop studio is paid for once and costs nothing extra per video. If you only need one or two videos a year, a videographer will usually cost less.

What does an in-house video setup cost?

Ridge Films' Desktop Studio is $13,700 + GST, installed at your desk, with the coaching that goes with it. Buying the gear yourself costs less up front, but you then own every setting, every test and the time it takes to learn it.

Should I still use an agency for some videos?

Yes, for anything that has to leave your desk: filming on location, at an event or on a factory floor. You can record the regular videos in-house and bring in a crew for the one or two bigger pieces a year.

Which of these sounds like you?

"Setting up takes so long I end up not recording." That is what the Desktop Studio removes. Installed for you, one click to record.

"I record, but I don't like how I come across." That is what Video Coaching is for: messaging, performance, tech and implementation, worked live every week.

"Honestly, both." Book a call and we will work out where to start.