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A straightforward corporate video usually takes around two to four weeks from the first conversation to the finished film, and a multi-day campaign with several films can take four to six weeks or more. The shoot itself is often just half a day to two days. Most of the time goes on planning, editing and approvals, which is also where most delays happen.
Those ranges are a guide, not a promise. The biggest variables are how quickly a shoot date can be set and how many people need to approve the script and the cuts.
How long does each stage of a corporate video take?
Here's a typical breakdown for a simple to mid-sized corporate film. The stages are explained in more detail in video production process explained.
| Stage | Typical time | What sets the pace |
|---|---|---|
| Brief and quote | A few days | How quickly the goal, audience and deliverables are agreed |
| Pre-production: concept, script and shoot planning | One to two weeks | Script sign-off, and when contributors and locations are free |
| Shoot | Half a day to two days | Number of interviews, locations and set-ups |
| Edit to first cut | Around a week for a simple film | Amount of footage, graphics or animation, number of versions |
| Feedback and changes | A few days to a week or more | How fast feedback comes back, and how many people give it |
| Final versions and delivery | A few days | Number of cut-downs and formats |
Some stages overlap. Contributors can be booked while the script is being finalised, for example, and cut-downs are often edited alongside the final version.
How long does the project take overall?
As a rough guide, by type of project:
| Type of project | Typical overall timeline |
|---|---|
| A short interview-led film from a half-day shoot | About two to three weeks |
| A brand or recruitment film from a full shoot day, with social cut-downs | About three to four weeks |
| A multi-day campaign with several films and motion graphics | About four to six weeks, often longer |
If you have a fixed launch date, a conference or an internal announcement, say so on the first call. It's much easier to plan backwards from a deadline than to compress a project that's already under way.
How long does a corporate video shoot take?
Most corporate shoots take half a day to a full day. A half day usually covers one or two interviews and some supporting footage in one location. A full day allows for more contributors, a second location nearby, or a lot of footage of people at work. Two or more days are needed for several locations, a presenter-led film with many set-ups, or a campaign that's filming material for several videos at once.
A few things add time on the day:
- Set-up between locations. Every move means packing down, travelling and lighting again.
- Contributor availability. A senior leader who can only give you 20 minutes at 3pm shapes the whole schedule.
- Outdoor and drone shots. These depend on the weather, so it's wise to have an indoor alternative. For the rules on drone flights, see our drone filming guide.
Our shoot preparation checklist covers what to sort on your side so the day runs to time.
What slows a corporate video down?
The production work itself is rarely the bottleneck. The common causes of delay are on the approval side:
- Late script sign-off. Filming can't be booked with confidence until the script or interview plan is agreed.
- Contributors who aren't confirmed. Diaries fill up, and one missing interviewee can push a shoot back a week.
- Feedback from too many people, in pieces. Notes that arrive one at a time, or contradict each other, add rounds of changes.
- A new reviewer at the end. Someone senior seeing the film for the first time at the final cut can send it back to an earlier stage.
- Scope added after the shoot. Extra versions or new messages requested late can mean re-editing or even re-filming.
- Extras that take longer. Animation, detailed motion graphics and subtitles in other languages all add post-production time.
How can you speed up a corporate video?
Most of the time you can save is on your side of the table:
- Write a clear brief before the first call. Our guide on how to brief a videographer has a template.
- Name one person who gathers feedback and makes the final decision.
- Book contributors and rooms as soon as the shoot date is set.
- Share brand guidelines, logos and fonts at the start, not during the edit.
- Agree up front which versions you need (main film, cut-downs, formats), so the shoot can be planned for all of them.
- Collect feedback from every reviewer and send it back as one list.
Can a corporate video be made faster?
Often, yes. If the brief is clear and contributors are available, a simple interview film can move quickly. A rush turnaround does affect the price: it typically adds about 50% to the editing part of the quote, not to the whole project. For scale, a 2 to 3 minute corporate film from one full shoot day is typically about €4,350 to €5,200 ex VAT at normal pace (full cost breakdown). The earlier you mention a tight deadline, the more options there are.
At Mango, you get one fixed price in writing, plus VAT, before anything starts, and any changes are agreed in writing first, so a change of plan doesn't turn into a surprise on the invoice.
Next step
To get a quick sense of budget alongside timing, try the instant quote calculator, which emails you an estimate within minutes. Or see what's included in our corporate video production service.
Written by Mango Media. Published , updated .
