Gestalt Media House

Pricing

How we price, so the first call is about the work and not the number.

What sets the number

Three things set the number.

  1. 01

    Scope

    What gets made: formats, counts, lengths. A clear list prices fairer than a vague one, and we help write it.

  2. 02

    Timeline

    When it has to be live. Tight dates change the crew, the locations, and sometimes the idea.

  3. 03

    Usage

    Where it runs and for how long. Rights are part of the price, so say it early.

Starting points

Three shapes of work.

Every project is priced on its own scope. These three shapes cover most of what we are asked for, and the figures are where each one starts. A small senior crew, with both cofounders across concept, shoot, and post, so there are no layers to pay for. All figures are in Canadian dollars.

Tier 01

Single Day

from $4,500 CAD

One shoot day. Stills or motion, one location, concept through delivery.

Typical shapes

  • A lookbook or product set, one location
  • A short brand film from a single day
  • Cut-downs and stills from the same shoot

Tier 02

Campaign

$12,000 – $30,000 CAD

Multi-day or multi-format. Film and stills together, creative direction, crew, and full post.

Typical shapes

  • A launch film with a stills campaign
  • Two or three locations across several days
  • Hero cut, social cut-downs, and a still library

Tier 03

Programme

$30,000+ CAD

Ongoing production across a season or year. Quarterly shoot days, building a library rather than buying a shoot.

Typical shapes

  • Quarterly shoot days on one creative line
  • A content library that compounds
  • Both cofounders across the year

These are starting points, not quotes. Final scope sets the number, and that happens on a call, not on a form.

We will find the right shape. Want to talk it through?

Fifteen minutes is usually enough to land on a number. Bring what you know and we fill in the rest.

Book a call
Kevin Cruz

Kevin Cruz

Cofounder, Creative Director and Photographer

Hira Vin

Hira Vin

Cofounder, Director and Filmmaker

hello@gestaltmediahouse.co

Vancouver, BC · Pacific Time

Want the long version? The full breakdown is below: what moves the number, the details that catch people out, and what to have ready before the call.

Let’s make one thing that works.

Scroll for the full breakdown

The full breakdown

Transparently, then: how the number gets made.

People ask what it costs before they ask anything else, and that is fair. The short answer is that it depends. The long answer is below, and it is not complicated. We would rather you read it now than wonder about it on the call.

Whatever the number lands on, you will know what it pays for. A small senior crew, both cofounders across concept, shoot, and post, and no layers between you and the people doing the work.

What moves the number

Three things, and they pull on each other. Change one and the other two usually move.

Scope

Scope is the list of what gets made: how many deliverables, in which formats, at what lengths. A clear list gets a fair number. A vague one gets a cautious number, because we have to price the unknowns. If you do not have the list yet, that is fine. Writing it with you is part of the job, and it costs nothing at this stage.

Timeline

Dates change the plan. A tight deadline can mean a bigger crew, fewer locations, or a simpler idea shot better. None of that is a problem, but it is a trade, and we will name it rather than absorb it quietly.

Usage

Usage is where the work runs, in which media, and for how long. Talent, music, and location fees all follow usage, and so does our licence. Paid media across a year costs more than a season on your own channels. Tell us early and the number is right the first time.

When something is unusual

Some projects do not fit a shape: an unusual location, a technical format, a live element. Talk to us before you write the brief. Ten minutes on a call can save a week of back and forth, and we will tell you plainly if it is not our kind of work.

Fine print, in plain words

The details that matter.

Four things that move a quote after it is written

Formats, decided early
Horizontal and vertical are not the same shoot. We frame for the formats we know about. Adding a new one after the edit can mean reframing, regrading, or reshooting, so name every format up front, including the ones you are not sure you need.
Counts and lengths
The number of deliverables and their lengths set the edit time, which is most of post. A quote is for the list we agreed. Changes after delivery are re-priced, not argued about.
Rights and licensing
Talent, music, and location licences are quoted for a territory, a term, and a set of media. Extending any of those later is possible, and priced then. Our own licence for the work is part of the quote and is written down.
Crew and locations
Crew size follows the shot list, not the budget line. Location fees, permits, and travel are passed through at cost and shown as their own lines.

Before the call

Six questions.

Answer what you can. We fill in the rest together.

  1. 01What is it for?
  2. 02Where will it run, and for how long?
  3. 03How many deliverables, in which formats?
  4. 04When does it need to be live?
  5. 05Where would it be shot?
  6. 06Is there a budget range?

Six answers, or as many as you have. Fifteen minutes turns them into a number.

Book a call