Price the whole production.
A production budget begins before the camera turns on and ends after the upload. Research, scripting, recording, editing, revision, file preparation and archive work all consume capacity. A purchase receipt catches some of that work. A time log catches the rest.
Per Finished Minute uses a common unit to make different production choices comparable. Divide the fully allocated cost of a video by its finished length. That figure does not measure quality. It tells you what the finished minute required.
Keep cash and labor in different columns.
The lab counts your own hours at an hourly value you choose. Contractor invoices are a separate cash line. If an editor charges for their work, enter the invoice in contractor costs; do not also count those same hours as your own editing time.
Allocate recurring expenses consistently. A software subscription, storage plan or equipment purchase can support more than one video. Charge the share that belongs to this production, using a method you can explain. Putting a whole annual subscription on one video and none on the next makes comparisons misleading.
Measure before buying.
- Keep a time log for one complete production, including revisions and archive work.
- Record direct cash costs and the allocated share of recurring expenses.
- Divide the combined cost by the finished running time.
- Identify the largest time or cash line. Change one part of the workflow and measure the next comparable production.
Write the handoff before the hire.
An editing brief should name the output format, what raw material is supplied, the revision allowance, the deadline and which working files are delivered. Keep licenses with those files. A small paid trial can reveal whether the handoff works before the same ambiguity repeats across a monthly contract.
Saving time in one stage can move work into another. A faster rough cut may need more review. Count the total production cycle before calling a tool a saving. The starting values in this lab are invented, and none is presented as an industry average or a recommended rate.
Adapted from Per Finished Minute, chapters 5–10 and the purchasing protocol in Appendix B. This is a budgeting method from the supplied manuscript; no vendor prices or labor benchmarks are assumed.