How much does video production cost in Manchester? (2026 guide)

Most agencies dodge this question on their website. We get it asked on every first call, so here is the honest answer, written for a marketing manager in Manchester who needs a sensible budget before going to their board.

All numbers below are UK pounds, ex VAT, for projects shot and edited in 2026 in and around Greater Manchester.

The short answer

At UNDERFOUND Studio every project is quoted bespoke, with day rates starting from £350. Across the Manchester market, a sensible budget by project type looks like this:

| Project type | Typical Manchester budget | | --- | --- | | Single talking-head video, half day | £600 to £1,500 | | Social-first brand film, one shoot day | £2,000 to £5,000 | | Brand film for a website hero, two days plus edit | £5,000 to £12,000 | | TV-grade commercial, full crew | £15,000 to £60,000+ | | Event highlight reel, conference or awards | £1,200 to £4,000 | | Recruitment film with multiple interviews | £3,500 to £8,000 | | Series of 6 to 10 social cutdowns from one shoot | £4,000 to £9,000 | | Documentary, longer-form, multi-shoot | £8,000 to £35,000 |

These are honest market ranges, not our pricing page. Where a project lands inside its range depends on the seven cost drivers below.

What actually drives the cost

Production quotes look opaque from the outside. They are not. Every line in a quote ladders up to one of these seven things.

1. Days on camera

The single biggest lever. One shoot day in Manchester with a small crew sits very differently to three days with full lighting, sound, a director and a producer. We will often suggest condensing two shallow shoot days into one deeper day to bring the cost down without losing footage variety.

2. Crew size

A solo videographer with a gimbal is the floor. A typical brand film crew is three to five people, director of photography, sound, gaffer, producer, and a runner. A TV commercial can reach 15 to 25. Crew is usually the largest line on the budget after edit time.

3. Kit

Mirrorless on a tripod versus a cinema camera on a fluid head versus an Alexa Mini on a gimbal with wireless follow focus. Lenses, lights, sound, monitors. Kit cost scales with what the final film needs to look like, not with the brief's ambition. We always quote the kit list and explain why each item is there.

4. Location

Filming inside your own Manchester office is free. Filming at MediaCity, Manchester Central, the AO Arena or Old Trafford usually carries a venue fee and extra public-liability requirements. Outdoor city-centre shoots may need a Manchester City Council filming permit and sometimes a road closure. We handle the liaison; the cost is a pass-through.

5. Talent

Real staff and customers are free, with sensible release forms. Cast actors via a Manchester or London agency are typically £350 to £1,200 per shoot day depending on usage. Voiceover artists are usually £200 to £600 per session. Use rights (web only, paid social, broadcast) materially change the figure, more so than the recording day.

6. Post-production

Edit days are where second-tier production companies hide cost. A 90-second brand film is rarely "two days of edit". It is more like five to eight days once you include grade, sound design, mix, graphics, captions, deliverable versioning for 16:9, 9:16 and 1:1, and two rounds of client revisions. We quote post separately so you can see exactly what you are paying for.

7. Music

A bespoke composed track is £800 to £4,000. A premium library track with broadcast usage is £100 to £400. A cheap library track is around £40. The right answer depends on the film, not the brand size.

Three Manchester case studies, with rough budgets

Real numbers from real projects we have shipped this year, anonymised. Useful for sanity-checking your own budget.

Independent Manchester drinks brand, launch film. One shoot day in Ancoats, two cast actors, two-person crew, six-day edit including three vertical social cutdowns. £6,400 all-in.

Greater Manchester employer, recruitment series. Two shoot days across Salford and Trafford, six staff interviews, b-roll, full crew of four, twelve-day edit producing one 90-second hero plus four 30-second cutdowns. £14,200 all-in.

Manchester cultural institution, exhibition documentary. Four shoot days spread over six weeks, including curator interviews and install b-roll, full grade and sound design, original score, 18-minute final cut plus three trailer edits. £28,000 all-in.

For comparison, a "TV commercial style" 30-second spot for a national retailer with a Manchester-based director, talent, three locations and broadcast clearance would typically come in around £55,000 to £85,000.

How UNDERFOUND quotes work

We use a fixed-against-the-brief model, not an open day rate. The day rate (from £350) is the starting unit, but you see a single number for the project before it begins, broken into pre-production, shoot, post-production and music. There are no surprises on the invoice. If the brief grows after we have started, we agree the additional cost in writing before doing the work, never after.

For most enquiries we can come back with a treatment outline and a quote within 24 hours of the first call.

What a "cheap" Manchester production usually leaves out

If you are comparing quotes and one is 40% cheaper than the others, look for these missing lines. They are usually the reason.

• Sound recordist (a £600 shoot-day saving that ruins every interview)
• Insurance, public liability and equipment cover
• Mileage, parking and city-centre congestion charge
• Backup media and archival storage
• A producer on set to actually run the day
• Captioning and accessibility versions
• Vertical and square cutdowns for social
• A grade pass by someone who is not the editor

A quote that includes all of these is not more expensive. It is just complete.

When you might want a London production company instead

We are obviously biased, but here is the honest answer. If you need a director with a specific reel of luxury fashion campaigns shot on 35mm film, that director is probably London-based, and you will pay for them to travel. For 95% of brand work that ships from Manchester, hiring a Manchester-based production company is cheaper, faster, and the work is indistinguishable.

Ready to budget a project?

Tell us about the film, we will come back with a treatment and a quote within a day.

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• Or book a 20-minute intro call

If you would rather just talk, call the studio on 0161 698 1650 or email info@theunderfoundstudio.com.