This post is part of an ongoing series called Going Deeper where we look at branded content production through the lens of the world’s most important question: why.

Over the past few weeks we’ve looked at all the factors that we would consider when putting together a proposal for our fictional prospective client, Acmify. Today let’s look at the actual numbers we might put together for the proposal.

The numbers

While every company has their own approach, at Long Haul Films, we typically break down the proposal into sections for pre-production, production, post-production and out-of-pocket expenses, which we bill to the client at cost, and estimate at this stage.

For this example, we polled a few of our colleagues in the industry to see what they charge, and took an average – exact rates will obviously vary depending on who you’re working with, and how they approach the project. What we hope is that this gives you an idea of the various roles, factors and requirements that any production company you work with may need to take into account as they develop your proposal. 

If you don’t see some of these line items in your bid, it may prompt you to ask your potential production partner how they are accounting for these factors, to avoid unexpected surprises or changes of scope down the line.

Let’s dive in.

Pre-Production

Production

Post-Production

Total Fees $39,340

Out-of-pocket Expenses (Estimated)