Inside a $45k Commercial Shoot Budget: The Receipts

Kirk Hensler
3 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 4 hours ago

In our last post we cracked open a $45,000 shoot budget and skimmed the surface but fans wanted receipts. They wanted the truth. So we’re back, pulling every line item into the daylight and showing you exactly how the money moves.

Because here’s the deal: $45k might sound like a lot if you’re just starting out. For us it’s right in the middle. Enough room for creative breathing, enough margin to keep the lights on—but it moves fast once you put real crew, real talent, and real production value behind it.

Let’s break it down.

Above the Line: The Brains of the Operation

This shoot was for a California brand (we won’t name them, but let’s just say they’re a nut…). Above the line, you’re looking at your director, producer(s), executive producer. High-level folks steering the ship.

Director / EP (Kirk) — $3,500 flat.
Assistant Producer — $750/day, two days (prep + shoot) = $1,500.

Assistant producers are the glue: handling wireframes, timing, and basically keeping the Director sane. If the director is the brain, APs are the nervous system.

The Crew: Where It Gets Real

Now for the boots on the ground. These are the folks that make the set run. The DP and grip team ensure everything looks good on camera. The First AC keeps lenses, batteries, and focus in check. And this shoot had both food and wardrobe so stylists were critical. Without this group, you’re sunk:

Director of Photography (DP) — $1,500. We went high-end here. Normally we land $850–$1,250 because we own the gear and keep prep light. But this one needed extra firepower.
Gaffer + Key Grip — $950 each. Department heads keep the lights on (literally).
First AC — $650. Think batteries, lenses, and the unsung hero of sharp focus.
Stylists — $3,000 for props/food (prep + shoot + wrap). This job was food-heavy and color-specific, so it wasn’t “grab something at Target and hope.”
Wardrobe Stylist — $1,500 all-in (prep + shoot). Every detail matters when brand colors are strict.
PAs — $350/day. Two on this shoot = $700. Your secret weapons for screws, coffee, crafty, and heavy lifting.

Talent, Location & The Fun Stuff

Talent — $5,500. Rates at $150/hour (3-hour min) plus usage (6-month CTV buyout). We booked via a self-rep platform (NewBook) to negotiate better usage fees. Agencies will tack on 20%.
Location — $1,800 (Peerspace).
Hair & Makeup — $800.
Catering — $750 (breakfast, lunch, snacks, morale). Hungry crew = cranky crew.
Props — $1,500 (non-returnables). Returnables get credited on wrap day.
Voiceover — $600 via Voices.com. Usage included.
Editor — $2,250 (3 days @ $850/day).
Contingency — 5% ($2,250). Because something always breaks, spills, or gets forgotten.

The Math So Far

Hard costs (COGS): $29,600

But we’re not done.

The Invisible Layer: Overhead

Here’s what most people forget: production companies don’t run on air and good vibes. We’ve got salaried staff (producers, PMs, editors, admin), insurance, loans, gear payments, cars, rent. All the unsexy stuff that makes the sexy stuff possible.

We spread those costs across our monthly average (about 6 shoots). For this job, overhead came out to $3,740

The Final Numbers

Total Expenses: $33,350
Budget: $45,000
Net Profit: $11,650
Margin: 25.9% (industry sweet spot)

That ~25% margin is right where production companies want to be. Enough to keep the lights on, pay the crew well, and still grow the business.

The Takeaway

Every proposal, every RFP—we run the same play:

Drop in hard costs.
Layer in overhead.
Check for that ~25% margin.

If the numbers land, we say yes. If not, hard pass. No matter how “cool” the project sounds. Because if you’re not making money, you’re just building someone else’s portfolio.

Budgets are life. Budgets are boundaries. Budgets are the difference between a thriving production company and one that flames out after three “exposure” gigs.

So yeah—$45k isn’t just a random number. It’s math, strategy, and survival. And now you know the truth. If you take two things away from this, keep your margins clean and your crew fed.

Want more breakdowns like this? The full video breakdown is on our Instagram, and our DMs are always open for questions.