Coastal Realty brand film
Quote · November 2, 2026
| Phase | Price |
|---|---|
| Pre-production | $2,150.00 |
| Production | $4,800.00 |
| Post-production | $6,350.00 |
| Price | $13,300.00 |
| Sales tax 0% | $0.00 |
| Total | $13,300.00 |
Payment
$6,650.00 (50%) on signing, $6,650.00 on approval
On this page
How the sum works
- Each line is quantity times rate. The lines add up to your cost.
- Contingency is a percent of the cost, for what you could not see coming.
- The production fee is a percent of cost plus contingency: your overhead and profit.
- The client sees one price a phase. Each phase's share of the cost gets the same share of the contingency and fee, then it is rounded.
- The price is the sum of the rounded phases, so the quote always adds up. Sales tax, where it applies, is on the price, and the retainer is a percent of the total.
The sample, worked through
The sample is the one-day Coastal Realty brand film from the production budget template: a crew of three, four edit days and three vertical cutdowns.
| Step | Sum | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 13 lines | $10,510.00 |
| Contingency | 10% of cost | $1,051.00 |
| Production fee | 15% of cost plus contingency | $1,734.15 |
| Each phase | Its cost × 1.265, to the nearest $50 | $2,150.00, $4,800.00, $6,350.00 |
| Price | The rounded phases added | $13,300.00 |
| Retainer | 50% | $6,650.00 |
Leave the contingency out, since it is there to be spent, and that is a margin of about 13% on the price, before you pay yourself for the work you did on the lines. The proposal template shows the same job as four lines the client reads.
Setting the two percentages
| Line | What it covers | A usual range |
|---|---|---|
| Contingency | An extra hour of crew, a lens that breaks, a parking fee | 5 to 15% |
| Production fee | Insurance, software, the office, the hours nobody bills | 10 to 25% |
A job with more unknowns, such as a new location, children on camera or a tight deadline, earns a bigger contingency. A job you have done ten times earns a smaller one. The fee is the one to keep steady: it is how the company pays for itself.
What this calculator leaves out
It does not know your rates, so the sample's rates are samples. It does not handle discounts, packages or optional add-ons, and it does not save anything. For the hourly side of crew pay and overtime, use the crew day rate calculator. Sales tax on video work depends on the state and on what you deliver, so ask an accountant which rate applies, if any.
Every box takes a plain number. A minus sign, a word or a figure too big for the box is named under the form, and that line counts as zero until it is fixed.
How Cutvey does this
In Cutvey your rate card fills the proposal's lines, a proposal can carry up to four packages and optional add-ons, and the client signs and pays the retainer in one go. The project's budget tracks what you really spend against what you quoted. Video proposal software and how to price video production go further.
Frequently asked
Should I show the client my costs?
Usually no. Show phases with prices, as the printed quote does. Keep the line-by-line costs for yourself, and share them if a client's procurement asks.
Is the production fee the same as profit?
No. It pays for the business: insurance, gear wear, software, the hours spent quoting jobs you do not win. What is left after those is profit.
Why round each phase?
A quote of $4,807.15 for a shoot day reads like a formula. $4,800 reads like a decision.