How Much Does It Cost to Get a Commercial Made in Miami?

Are you wondering how much it costs to get a TV commercial made in Miami?

Many people who consider producing a commercial to run in the Miami market have one question that they always ask: “how much does it cost to get a commercial made in Miami?” That’s a fair question because cost normally determines whether to move forward or not. But while it’s a fair question, there isn’t really an easy answer. Still, we'll try to answer it as thoroughly as possible.

Imagine asking, “how much does a house cost in Miami??”. To provide an answer, the person would need to know how many bedrooms and baths were needed. They’d want to know how many square feet you were looking for. They would also want to know exactly where you wanted to live, as Miami is a large area. Do you want a pool? Updated appliances? How about wood or tile floors? The point is the list goes on and on. Without knowing all the details, it’s hard to give you a price on a house.

When it comes to cost, it’s the same with getting a commercial made in Miami.

You'll need to have a sense of what your budget is. Then you'll want to work with your video production company to determine what you can do within your budget. Your rep will need some key details about what you're envisioning to get a realistic price. For example, do you want photos with a professional voice over? Or are you looking to have professional actors shot on location? Do you require original music, or will you be okay using music from a library?

As you can see, there are multiple variables that need to be addressed before a production budget can be calculated. In fact, I wrote an article with all the details you'll need to consider. Take a look! How Much Should My Video Cost?

Miami TV Productions Costs

Now that you have a sense of what goes into creating a production budget, let’s take a closer look at TV production costs. If you’re looking for a simple spot without many bells and whistles, you could get a 30-second TV commercial made in Miami for as little as $1,500 to $3,000. One way to make something within this budget is to use stock footage or stock photos and a voice over announcer.

On the other hand, if your budget is not limited, just use your imagination to paint a picture of what you’d like to see and let our professionals go to work. Since I started Ball Media Innovations, we’ve produced a wide range of TV commercials in Miami with widely varying budgets. In reality commercials in Miami can run from $1,500 to $200,000 and more. The ones with the higher budgets use multiple cameras, several days of shooting at multiple locations, professional actors, original music, special sets, special effects, and a variety of post-production enhancements.

Of course, it doesn’t have to be an “either-or” budget situation; either a low-budget $1,500 spot or high-end $200,000 spot. Miami TV production costs can range anywhere in between those numbers. And we can often find ways to deliver your vision while minimizing costs and staying within your budget.

Developing Your Unique Vision for Your Miami Commercial

When determining what you want your TV commercial to look like, it helps to view as many different commercials as possible. You can access commercials online on sites like ispot.tv, which showcases some of the best commercials produced. There are many other sites, or you can view local commercials and write down the ones that grab your interest.

Others use YouTube to find and view commercials, and to help them determine what type of spot to create. Once you have some ideas you like and share, it’s much easier to provide you with an estimate. Another way to view commercials is to view production reels from various production companies. Many, including our company, post sample commercials to view on our websites.

Whatever type of spot engages you, write it down and share it with us so we can provide you with a quote. You should also write down your objectives that include: what you want to say in your commercial? Who is your target audience? What action would you like them to take by viewing your commercial? These are all important points that help us provide you with the most effective commercial.

Managing Your Miami TV Production Costs

The key to ensuring you maximize the money you spend on TV production is to manage your production costs. When shooting commercials, remember that you can use some of the footage you shoot to produce a promotional video that you could use on your website. Or you can provide a link in the emails you send in your marketing efforts.

Saving money is always a good goal. Just remember, there are some areas where spending money is more important than cutting costs - and there are some areas where you can cut costs without impacting your production. Let’s look at some of these in detail:

• SAVE MONEY: Location Shooting

This is one area where you can save some money without compromising your production. Location shooting can be expensive. There are costs to rent or use a location, as well as costs for permits. The solution is to use your own location as much as possible. If your location is too small, or doesn’t lend itself to shooting your commercial, consider shooting outdoors at your location. Or there may be other inexpensive or free alternatives.

• SAVE MONEY: On-Camera Talent

Talent is one of the area’s where you can save money without negatively impacting your TV production. Rather than hire an experienced professional, consider using one of your employees to appear on camera. Another option is to hire up-and-coming talent. It's possible to pay less for those who are looking for experience and for commercials to build their own talent reel. Consider appearing in your commercials yourself if the other two options don’t work out.

A great article that can help you make talent choices is here: Choosing Acting Talent: Professional Vs. Amateur - Which Way Should I Go?

And finally, commercials can be made without on-camera actors. There are many effective options for this such as using animation, stock footage, B-roll, and voice over talent, etc.

• SPEND: Production Crew

The production company you hire will either make or break your commercial. They must have the talent and the experience needed to shoot and edit your TV spot. That’s why you hired them! The production company knows how to maximize the money you have available. If they suggest a certain piece of equipment, consider going with it even if it adds to the budget. Their knowledge and experience is what will make your TV spot stand out and be remembered.

• SPEND: Editing/Post-Production

Using your production company for professional editing and post-production is a must. This is one of the main areas that can make your commercial successful or one that barely gets noticed. There are many nuances involved in post-production, such as storytelling, color correction, audio enhancements and special effects.

While it may seem like a good idea to use a freelancer or remote company to complete the spot, a good production company shoots video footage with editing in mind. They know why they sot a particular clip in a certain way. And they will edit the video for you with that in mind. A freeelancer remote editor does not know the background as to why some scenes were shot. Those scenes can end up not being used even though you wanted them in your video. Your quote from the production company you hire should be all inclusive - including editing. Use them!

Getting Your Cost Estimate

As you can see, the answer to the question of, “how much does it cost to get a commercial made in Miam” is, “it depends.” At Ball Media Innovations, we produce commercials for budgets of all sizes. I would welcome the opportunity to share the different types of commercials we produce. And I’d be happy to provide you with a cost estimate for your commercial - with no obligation of course! Learn more about our company or click on the button below to contact us and get this moving.