If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur. — Red Adair, oil well firefighter and all-around badass.
This quote hits home. I’ve been on sets where things go sideways fast: gear fails, lighting’s flat, audio’s trash, and the client is stressed, the crew’s scrambling, and the footage? Forgettable. Almost always, those are the shoots that started with: “What’s the cheapest you can do it for?” At Rocket House Pictures, a professionally produced video starts around $4,500. Let me break that down for you, and more importantly, explain why that’s the number. Not because we’re greedy, not because we’re fancy, but because we care too much to cut corners.
What You’re Actually Paying For
This isn’t some one-man-band showing up with a DSLR or Micro 4/3s Camera and a ring light. At $4,500, you’re getting:
⏰ Up to 8 Hours of Filming
🎥 3 cinema-grade camera kits
🚚 1 ton grip truck (we roll up ready to light anything)
🙌🏽 A Director/Cinematographer (that’s me)
📹 A B-roll Camera Specialist (because beauty shots matter)
🎞 An Assistant Director/Producer (your on-set sanity)
🎬 A Gaffer/Assistant (lighting wizard, problem solver)
🎧 An Audio Tech (cause you need to sound good)
🗣️ Up to two interviews or story-lines
✂️ Professional editing, light motion graphics, and
🎶 Licensed music (no sketchy royalty-free stuff)
And we don’t just capture footage. We shape it. We guide you through messaging. We find the emotional arc. And yeah, we make sure it looks damn good too.
What Happens If We Cut That Budget?
Let’s talk real for a second. We get asked to “trim the fat” all the time. “Can’t we just use one camera?” “What if we skip the assistant?” “Do we really need a grip truck?” Sure, we could. But here’s what that really means:
- The Director is also the Camera Op, Audio Tech, Gaffer, and Producer. That’s five hats on one head. Guess how much creative energy is left over?
- Without an Assistant Director or Producer, scenes fall off schedule. Shots get missed. Interviews feel rushed.
- No grip truck? Now we’re wrestling with available light and hoping for the best. Not a great plan in Denver’s unpredictable weather. The grip truck is what gives us control, cinematic lighting, clean setups, and consistency across shots. That’s the difference between “looks okay” and “looks legit.”
- And let’s not forget post-production. When the shoot is rushed or under-resourced, the edit takes longer, costs more, and you end up fixing things we could’ve nailed on set. Oh! and nobody likes cheap looking graphics and lower-thirds… just saying…
Bottom line: The quality drops. You feel it. Your audience feels it. And worst of all? You’ve just spent, say, a couple thousand on something that almost worked. Here’s the real danger: bad videos can actually hurt your brand, it feels unprofessional. People associate that quality with your company, whether it’s fair or not. An article from the Boston Business Journal says that 62% of consumers are more likely to have a negative perception of a brand that publishes poor-quality video. That’s a missed opportunity and a step backward. That’s not what we do here.
People Remember the Good Stuff (and Forget the Rest)
A recent stat from Wyzowl’s 2024 video marketing report: 92% of marketers say video gives them a good ROI. But here’s the catch, they’re not talking about shaky, low-budget productions. They’re talking about videos that look and feel intentional. According to Forbes, audiences form an impression of your brand within 50 milliseconds. That’s faster than a blink. Your video is either elevating you or quietly hurting you. There is no middle ground anymore. You don’t get a second chance to make your brand feel trustworthy. That’s why we show up with a full team. It’s not for us, it’s for your audience. For your goals. For your growth.
Don’t Just Take Our Word for It
We’ve partnered with organizations like the Biennial of the Americas, Boys & Girls Clubs, and the Colorado State Government. We’ve helped startups land investors, nonprofits raise funding, and trainings that moved police officers to tears. Every time, the client had the same reaction: “I didn’t realize how much a good crew matters, until I saw the final cut.” Exactly.
Invest Once. Do It Right.
Yeah, budgets are always tight. The pressure to do more with less is very real. But the truth is: If video is part of your growth strategy (and it should be), then it deserves the time and budget to do it right. We don’t do bare-bones shoots because we know where that leads. If you’re going to trust us with your story, your vision, your reputation, we owe you more than a shortcut. BONUS: video marketing is tax deductible.
$4,500 Is the Floor, Not the Ceiling
Obviously $4,500 is our starting point. It covers a solid one-day shoot (up to 8 hours), with a lean but pro-level crew, and all the essentials to deliver a high-quality video. But what if you need more? You might want to:
- Interview multiple people across different locations
- Add aerial drone shots to show off your facility, event or a nice establishing shot
- Include custom motion graphics, animated charts, or branded intros
- Capture multiple days of footage, or
- Build a story that unfolds across multiple story-lines or scenes
All of that is absolutely possible, we do it all the time. But the more complexity we add, the more crew, time, and post-production is required. We scale based on your needs. Not with fluff, but with purpose. So yeah, the sky really is the limit. If you’re looking to film in a remote mountain town, in a lab with strict security, or need a full multi-day brand or nonprofit documentary, we can always make it happen. Let’s talk about what your project actually needs, and build the right budget from there.
Rocket House Pictures: Your Creative Wingman
If you’re looking for a true creative partner in Denver, one that’s obsessed with quality, obsessed with process, and maybe drinks too much coffee, Rocket House Pictures is that team. We’ll walk you through every step, keep it real, and deliver work that actually moves people. So let’s make something badass together.
Gio Toninelo - Producer and Cinematographer at Rocket House Pictures
