Two edits can use the same footage and still need very different amounts of work. Video editing cost depends on how much material needs reviewing, how settled the story is, and the versions and finishing your team needs.
If you've already filmed the material, give the editor a footage inventory and a deliverables list before asking for an estimate. That lets them assess the work behind the finished runtime. This guide helps marketing teams prepare that handoff; it doesn't quote a standard Canadian rate or a Viva Media package.
Show the editor what they're starting with
Supplying footage removes filming from the brief, but an editor still needs to find the useful material and shape it into a finished piece. A short interview cut assembled from selected answers is a different task from finding a story across several hours of unsorted interviews.
Tell the editor how much footage you have, how it's organised and whether there's an approved script or outline. If someone on your team has selected the useful takes, include the filenames and time references. Make clear whether those selections are suggestions or decisions the editor should follow.
Share representative files through an agreed transfer method. Include a clip with dialogue, a typical visual shot and any material you're concerned about. The editor can then assess the files and discuss preparation or finishing work before confirming the scope. Flag missing audio, mixed cameras, unclear filenames and incomplete transfers.
Use this blank inventory to prepare the conversation. The rows describe information to supply, not a fixed service package.
| Material | What to tell the editor | Decision to settle |
|---|---|---|
| Interview footage | Approximate duration, speakers, separate audio files and any transcripts or selects | Who chooses the answers and approves the story? |
| Product shots or other supporting footage | What was filmed, where the files are and any gaps you've identified | Can the edit use the available material, or does the brief need to change? |
| Existing cut or project | Current reference export, editing software and the files you can supply | Is the editor continuing an existing cut or building a new one? |
| Brand and graphic assets | Logos, supplied artwork, fonts, approved wording and brand guidance | Which graphics are supplied, adapted or made for this edit? |
| Music, stock and other licensed material | Available assets and the intended placements | Who checks permissions and obtains anything missing? |
Separate each edit from its delivery versions
List each distinct story or cutdown, then the versions needed for that edit. A new opening, different message or shorter narrative can require editorial work even when it uses the same footage. A change of frame shape may need reframing so the product, face or on-screen text stays visible.
For example, a main campaign edit, a shorter social cut and a vertical version may share footage. Specify whether the shorter cut follows the same story and whether the vertical version needs different text or shot choices. This is an illustrative scope, not a completed client project or a price example.
For each output, record:
- The audience, placement and message.
- The approximate runtime and frame shape, such as horizontal, square or vertical.
- Whether the story, opening, text or ending changes.
- The language and caption requirements.
- The final file requirements supplied by your publishing or media team.
Count alternative openings as requested work rather than leaving them inside a broad line such as “social versions.” For a recurring batch, agree on its outputs and review order. New footage or a different message may change the effort even if the format stays familiar.
Our social video production page explains how the idea, audience and channel versions fit together. Use that planning stage to decide which versions your team will use.
Name the finishing tasks in the estimate
Ask what “finishing” includes. Colour work, sound, graphics and captions are separate decisions, and each should have a clear scope.
For colour, describe the intended look and flag footage from different cameras or lighting conditions. For sound, explain whether dialogue needs cleanup, music needs selecting or a voice-over will be supplied. Ask the editor to assess difficult material before agreeing on what can be achieved.
Distinguish supplied titles and logos from custom motion graphics. If a diagram or animated sequence still needs to be designed, include that work in the brief.
Specify whether captions should appear permanently in the picture, arrive as a separate caption file, or both. Adobe's export settings reference describes these as different output options. Name who checks the words, spelling and any translated versions before delivery.
Agree on feedback before the first cut
Name the person who gathers feedback and the person who approves the edit. Product, legal or communications colleagues may need to check particular details. Plan when those checks happen so the editor receives one resolved set of notes.
Ask how many review rounds the estimate includes and what counts as a round. Notes should identify the reference version and point to the relevant time in the cut. Separate a correction from a new request: fixing a supplied name, replacing the approved music and changing the story can involve different amounts of work.
If your team changes the deliverables or direction, ask for the revised scope, timing and estimate before the additional work begins. Keep that agreement with the earlier approvals so everyone can see which version of the brief applies.
Confirm the handoff and future use
Agree on the final files before editing starts. A version without titles, another caption format or editable project files should be discussed explicitly. Ask what is included and what can be supplied; don't assume that every working file comes with a finished export.
Record where the video will run and whether it is for paid or organic use. Confirm the permissions for supplied footage, music, stock and other assets with the people responsible for them. If another department wants a new use later, check the relevant permissions and available files before commissioning that version.
Also ask how files will be transferred and what retention arrangements apply. This helps your team plan its own storage and avoids treating an editor's working drive as your archive.
Request an estimate the editor can assess
Send the same brief to each provider. Include the footage inventory, deliverables, finishing needs, approval plan and launch date. Say which decisions are still open and ask whether they can estimate the full job or need a separate assessment first.
Ask whether the quote is a fixed fee for the described scope or is based on time, and how additional work is authorised. Compare what each provider includes before comparing the total. The video production quote worksheet can help you put those answers beside one another, especially when one proposal includes filming and another covers editing alone.
A useful final check is to ask the editor to describe what they will receive, what they will make and what your team must approve. Resolve any difference between that answer and your brief before the edit begins.
