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Video Production

How long does it take to make a video?

Click2View - How long does it take to make a video?
Published on
October 28, 2015

It depends. Every video is unique and comes with its own set of challenges. A corporate video can take between one to three months from commission to delivery. A commercial can take between two to six months. It all depends on the length, scale and genre to determine the time it takes to make a video.

But we’re all about answers here so I’ll give you some mid-range examples for two common videos we get asked to make. The examples offer very high production values. If you want to look into the variables in more depth please have a look at our ebook, So You Want To Make a Corporate Video?, at the link below.

Question: How long does it take to make a 3-min case study video?

Answer: 2 months

Assuming it’s a three minutes film with three interviewees and generic b-rolls, shot over a two-day period, the schedule would look like this:

Commission Process (Week 1 & 2)

Description Production Time
Agency briefing 1 day
Proposal submission 2 – 3 days
Budget approval 3 days
Kick-off meeting + deliver timeline 1 day

Development (Week 3 & 4)

Description Production Time
Concept development + amends (2 rounds) 2 days
Concept approval (2 rounds) 4 days (Client)
Visual style development + amends (2 rounds) 4 days
Visual style approval (2 rounds) 4 days (Client)
Script development + amends (2 rounds) 2 days
Script approval (3 rounds) 5 days (Client)

Production (Week 5 & 6)

Description Production Time
Shoot logistics 4 days
Filming 2 days
Data Wrangling 1 day

Post-production (Week 7 & 8)

Description Production Time
Story editing 1 day
Video editing + amends (2 rounds) 5 days
Video approval (3 rounds) 5 days

# On average, clients are given 24 - 48 hours per approval round to review and feedback on each deliverable.

Question: How long does it take to make a 90-sec infographic video?

Answer: 2.5 months

Assuming it’s a 90 seconds film developed entirely from scratch, starting from concept, script, visuals and execution, the schedule would look like this:

Commission Process (Week 1 – 3)

Description Production Time
Agency briefing 1 day
Proposal submission 2 – 3 days
Discussion on infographic type + approval 5 days
Budget approval 3 days
Kick-off meeting + deliver timeline 1 day

Content Development (Week 4 – 6)

Description Production Time
Content sheet development + amends (1 round) 3 days
Content sheet approval (1 round) 2 days (Client)
Script development + amends (2 rounds) 4 days
Script approval (2 rounds) 5 days (Client)

Creative Development (Week 5 – 7)

Description Production Time
Style development + amends (2 rounds) 3 days
Style approval (2 rounds) 5 days (Client)
Storyboard development + amends (2 rounds) 5 days
Storyboard approval (3 rounds) 6 days (client)

Post-production (Week 8 – 10)

Description Production Time
Preparation of assets 1 day
Graphic preparation and design 2 days
Video animation + amends (2 rounds) 8 days
Video approval (3 rounds) 5 days (client)

# On average, clients are given 24 - 48 hours per approval round to review and feedback on each deliverable.

Knowing what impacts your schedule can help you pinpoint potential pitfalls. For more information on effective schedule management and common industry bad practices, download our e-book here.