Brand video production in Ireland: a practical guide

Brand video production is the process of planning, filming and editing a short film that shows who your organisation is and why it exists. A good brand video is built on a clear story, real people and strong pictures and sound. A 2 to 3 minute brand film from one shoot day typically costs about €4,350–€5,200 ex VAT.

What is a brand video, and how is it different from an ad?

A brand video tells people what you stand for, while an ad asks them to do something now. An ad might push a seasonal offer or a new feature. A brand video focuses on your values, your people and the way you work, and it answers the question every prospect has: why choose you over someone who offers the same thing?

Brand videos usually live on your homepage, your About page and your LinkedIn company page, and they're often cut down for social media and advertising. They're typically 60 to 120 seconds long. If you're weighing a brand film against a more informational film, our post on corporate video vs brand video sets out the differences.

Why do businesses invest in brand video?

Most organisations commission a brand video for one of three reasons.

First impressions. Your website is often the first place a prospect meets you. A well-made film shows the people behind the emails and signals that you take your own business seriously. That matters most in sectors where trust is the whole sale, like professional services, healthcare and construction.

Recruitment. Candidates want to see where they'd work and who they'd work with, and that's hard to get across in a job ad. A brand film that shows your team, your workplace and how leadership talks helps the right people apply and the wrong ones self-select out. Our post on why video works for recruitment goes further into this.

Something to build a campaign around. A strong master film gives you a library of footage, quotes and stills that can feed social posts, ads, presentations and your website for months.

What makes a brand video work?

A clear story

Specs like 4K mean little if the story is weak. Most effective brand films follow a simple arc:

• The hook: a problem or insight your audience recognises.
• The people: who does the work, and why they care.
• The outcome: what changes for the client after working with you, shown rather than listed.

Real people, lightly guided

Guided interviews with your own staff usually beat actors and memorised scripts. We ask questions that prompt natural answers, then build the story in the edit. A small stumble delivered with genuine conviction tends to land better than a polished line read off a teleprompter. If your team is nervous, our guide to becoming more comfortable on camera helps.

Pictures that prove the message

Every shot should support what's being said. If you say you're hands-on, the viewer needs to see the work being done: the tools, the site, the product being made. Colour grading and camera movement set the mood too. Slow, steady shots feel calm and premium. Quicker handheld shots feel energetic.

Sound that's as good as the picture

Viewers forgive a slightly soft shot far more readily than poor audio. Clean interview sound, well-chosen music and subtle sound effects (footsteps, a machine running, a door) make a film feel finished. Generic stock music that rises and falls in the wrong places is one of the quickest ways to make a film feel cheap.

Versions for every platform

A 90-second film suits your website but not a Reel. Plan the cut-downs at the start, so the camera operator frames shots with room to crop to vertical (9:16) as well as widescreen (16:9). A typical set of deliverables might include:

• The main film, in widescreen.
• A 30-second version for LinkedIn or YouTube pre-roll.
• Short vertical clips for Stories, Reels and TikTok.
• Captioned versions of each, because many people scroll with the sound off.
• Still frames for your website and print.

How much does brand video production cost in Ireland?

A 2 to 3 minute brand film from one full shoot day typically costs about €4,350–€5,200 ex VAT, or about €5,750–€6,900 with the extras that make it feel premium. These are typical prices, worked out from the same pricing logic our instant quote calculator uses:

All prices exclude VAT (23%) and assume a shoot in Dublin. Concept, script support and captions are included, and you get one fixed price in writing before anything starts. Most of our projects land between €3,000 and €8,000.

Common extras, also ex VAT:

• Social cut-downs: about €150–€250 each.
• Drone footage: about €250 per shoot day, where the location suits it.
• Professional voiceover: about €250–€600.
• Sound design and mixing: about €300–€400.
• Stills from the shoot: about €350 for a standard set.

The things that move the price are:

• Number of shoot days and the size of the crew.
• Number of locations, and travel. Outside Dublin, travel time is added up front, and an overnight stay adds roughly €250–€350.
• Editing time, and how many versions or cut-downs you need.
• Motion graphics or animation.
• Drone footage, voiceover and specially chosen music.
• A rushed turnaround, which adds about 50% to the editing part of the price.

These are typical figures, not quotes. For a fuller breakdown, see our pricing page or the corporate video cost guide, or put your project into our instant quote calculator to get an estimate by email within minutes.

How should you prepare your team for a brand video shoot?

The shoot goes best when the planning is done before the crew arrives. The essentials:

• Pick the right people. Choose the people whose enthusiasm is infectious, not automatically the most senior. Energy comes through the lens.
• Plan the wardrobe. Solid colours work best. Fine stripes and small checks can cause moiré, a shimmering effect on camera. Pick colours that stand out from your walls: navy or deep green against a white office, for example.
• Tidy, but don't sterilise. Clear loose paper, cups, tangled cables and old posters. Keep the things that make the place look lived in.
• Protect interview time. Block 30 to 60 minutes per interviewee, with no meetings straight after. People who are watching the clock look like it.
• Use talking points, not a script. Know the three or four things you want to say, and let the interviewer draw them out in your own words.

Our shoot preparation checklist covers the full list, including permissions and release forms.

Three questions to answer before you brief a production company

1. What should people feel after watching? Not just know, but feel.
2. Who exactly is it for? A finance director and a first-time customer need different films.
3. What does success look like? More enquiries, better job applicants, or more people recognising your name?

Clear answers to these make the brief, the quote and the film better.

Next step

See examples of our brand films and advertising work, or get a ballpark for your project from the instant quote calculator.