How much does a commercial cost? 2026 prices and what drives them
With us, a commercial starts at PLN 7,500 net. That covers the concept, one shoot day in one location with a director on set, a spot of up to 60 seconds with 6 and 15 second cut-downs, and an online music licence. Every extra day, actor, location, animation and TV broadcast adds to the budget.
The price question comes up in almost every first call, and "it depends" helps nobody. So we start with a number and then break down what changes it. By the end you will know how to read a quote from any studio and where to save money without it showing on screen.
How much does a commercial cost: the short answer
Our simplest commercial costs from PLN 7,500 net. That covers the concept, one shoot day in one location with a director in the crew, a spot of up to 60 seconds with 6 and 15 second versions, and a music licence for online use. Two one-minute films can differ in budget several times over. The price depends on days on set, crew size and post-production work, not on running time.
| Included from PLN 7,500 net | Quoted separately |
|---|---|
| film concept | actors, extras, voice-over |
| one shoot day in one location | extra shoot days and locations |
| director and camera operator on set | a bigger crew: lighting, sound, make-up |
| edit of a spot up to 60 s | animation and complex graphics |
| 6 s and 15 s versions | vertical, square and language versions |
| online music licence | TV and cinema licence |
Production cost vs media budget
These are two separate amounts, and it pays to keep them apart from the first conversation. Production cost is what you pay the studio to make the film. The media budget pays for airtime on TV, radio or in cinemas, or online for an ad campaign on YouTube, Facebook or LinkedIn.
"How much do 30 seconds of airtime on a national channel cost" is a media question. Broadcasters and media agencies set those rates, not the production studio. What you need from the studio is to know where the film will run, because music licences, actors' image rights and file formats depend on it. An online spot and a TV spot can look identical and still cost different amounts.
What drives the price of a commercial
The items below are in order of how much they move the quote.
Number of shoot days
This is the biggest line in almost every quote. A shoot day is more than an operator with a camera: it is travel, lighting setup, rehearsals, set-ups between shots and packing down. A film you can shoot in one place in one day will cost less than one with three locations in three cities, even if both run for a minute.
The olakala.travel commercial takes place almost entirely in one flat: the sofa, the kitchen, and the table where the hero pushes a toy plane along. Drone shots of the hotel and screens of the website fill in the story. A script built like that keeps the number of days in check.
Crew size
A camera operator with basic lighting is enough for a simple statement in an office. On a commercial our crew also includes a director, who runs the set, works with the actors and makes sure each shot serves the script. A commercial with an actor needs more people: a camera operator, someone on lights, a sound recordist, sometimes a production manager, make-up and an assistant. Each of them is a day of work on the quote.
The crew grows with expectations for the picture. Smooth moving shots, evening scenes under artificial light and several cameras at once need more hands. If the film is meant to look like a TV commercial, the crew has to be closer to a TV crew too.
Actors, voice-over and staff on camera
An employee in front of the camera costs nothing on the quote, but needs time and preparation (we cover that in how to prepare for a talking-head recording). An actor costs money but repeats a take faster and the same way each time. In the Mobile Policy film for Compensa an actor played the agent, because the film had to convince other agents and the scene had to be played exactly to script.
Actors and voice-over artists also bring image and voice rights. A film for a website has one rate; a TV or billboard campaign has another.
Locations and set design
The client's office is usually free. A rented flat, restaurant, warehouse or studio is a separate line, sometimes billed by the hour. Add permits for filming in public spaces, in guarded buildings and for drone flights over someone else's property.
Props are rarely a big cost on corporate films, but they can surprise you on staged commercials. A specific car, a costume or an interior in brand colours has to be priced separately.
Editing, graphics and animation
Post-production can cost more than the shoot. Cutting a spot with simple captions is different work from a film where every frame carries graphics and the product is explained with animation. Then there is colour grading, sound design and the mix.
In the product video series for Compensa most of the work was in the edit and the animations that explain how six insurance products work. Some shots came from licensed stock libraries. For product videos that is often a more sensible use of budget than a shoot day that would deliver a few generic scenes.
Music and licensed material
Music for a corporate film almost always comes from a licensed library. An online licence costs less than a TV or cinema licence. A track by a well-known artist is a different level of negotiation, usually out of reach for corporate films. The same applies to stock footage, archive photos and fonts used in graphics. The quote should list them so it is clear where you can show the film.
Number of versions
One film is rarely one file today. You usually need a horizontal version for YouTube and your website, a vertical one for reels, a square one for posts, 6, 15 and 30 second cut-downs for ads, and a subtitled version for watching without sound. Every version is extra editing time.
The cheapest way is to plan versions before the shoot. The operator then frames so that both a horizontal and a vertical picture can be cut from the same shot.
Revisions and deadline
Our quote assumes a set number of revision rounds. Extra rounds, a change of concept after the shoot, or pick-up shots add work. Deadlines have a price too: a film for tomorrow means editing at night and a crew turning down other jobs. Production itself usually takes from a few weeks to a few months, and pre-production takes the most time: script, approvals, casting and locations.
Rights to the film
Finally, the scope of usage rights. A film for online use is priced differently from a TV campaign, and differently again from handing over raw footage for further use. Most often we transfer rights to publish on all of the company's online channels, and that is enough for most clients.
How much does a promotional film cost
A promotional film is priced on the same lines as a commercial, but it is usually longer and calmer. A commercial carries one idea and goes into paid media. A promotional film tells the story of a company, product or place and more often lives on the website, on social media and at trade fairs.
The Hotel Sissy promotional film shows a guest's day by the sea, from the pool and the beach to dinner and an evening under lanterns. We shot in 4K, some of it by drone. A film like that needs footage at different times of day, so the hours on set grow faster than for a spot filmed in one room.
How much does a 30 second commercial cost
Running time matters less than people expect. Thirty seconds with one hero in one location fits within the base quote. Thirty seconds with five scenes in different places, actors and product animation means several shoot days and a week of editing. TV spots also need broadcast licences and have to meet the broadcaster's technical specs.
How not to overpay for a commercial
- Compare shoot days and crew, not just totals. Two quotes for "a 60 s film" can assume one day with two people or three days with eight, so ask for an itemised quote.
- Agree versions at the start. A vertical version added after the edit costs more than one planned before the shoot.
- Say where the film will run. Music and image rights for TV cost more than for online, and there is no point paying for rights you will not use.
- Name one person to collect feedback. Conflicting notes from several departments, sent separately, eat the most editing time.
What to prepare before asking for a quote
The quote will be accurate if your first message includes:
- the film's purpose and where it will be published (website, social media, trade fairs, TV),
- a rough length and a list of versions,
- the filming location and who will appear on camera,
- the date the film has to be ready,
- the budget, if you have one. We will then fit the scope to it instead of proposing an option that goes over.
Questions about commercial prices
Is the script included?
The base quote includes the film concept. For larger projects we write a full script and storyboard. You approve them before the shoot, so you know exactly what will be filmed.
Do you work outside Kraków?
Yes. We have filmed in Warsaw, Gdańsk, Łódź, Toruń and Nowy Sącz, among other places, and abroad.
How much does a film without a shoot day cost?
A film made entirely in post-production, from animation, app screens and licensed material, is quoted separately because there are no set costs. The Multi Zdrowie product animation for Compensa was made this way. The price then depends on the length of the animation, the number of screens and graphics, and the voice-over.
You will find commercials in different budgets and styles on our commercials page. If you already have a brief, write to us through the contact form.
