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Video Production Quote Calculator

Crew, equipment, post, music, travel, contingency and margin in one line-by-line quote

The client wants a price for a two-day shoot and a short edit by Friday. You have crew day rates in one message, a gear hire quote in another, and you are still not sure whether adding a percentage on top of your costs is the same as keeping that percentage of the price. It is not, and the difference is your fee.

This is a quoting tool for freelance filmmakers, video producers and small production companies. Enter shoot days, add crew roles with day rates, equipment per shoot day or as a flat hire, edit and motion graphics days, a music license and travel, then add contingency and margin. Choose whether margin is a markup on costs or a true margin on the final price, add tax or VAT last, and get a sectioned quote ready to print or paste into a proposal.

What you get

• `video-production-quote-calculator.html`: the complete calculator as one self-contained file (HTML, CSS and JavaScript inline), about 20 KB
• Built and tested in current Chromium at phone and desktop widths; should work in other current browsers
• A live result bar that stays in view while you scroll
• Unlimited crew and equipment rows
• Markup or true-margin method, switchable, with the difference explained
• Optional tax or VAT line added last
• Client quote that spreads contingency and margin across the lines (same total), or shows them, with one checkbox
• 17 currencies in the selector
• Print stylesheet: the Print button prints just the result
• "Copy summary" button for pasting into email, chat or a proposal
• Color theme controlled by CSS variables at the top of the file
• Start Here guide (PDF + EPUB): how to use it, how to embed it on your site with an iframe, how to change colors, and the limits

Who it is for

• Freelance videographers, directors, producers and editors
• Small production houses and content studios
• Agencies that want a production estimator on their site
• Anyone who wants consistent, transparent quotes

What it is not

• Not tax, legal or financial advice: the numbers are estimates from your inputs
• Not a guarantee of any result

Questions

Markup or margin: what is the difference?

Example figures: a 20 percent markup on a cost of 100 gives 120. A true 20 percent margin means the margin is 20 percent of the final price, so the price is 125.

How are crew costs worked out?

People times day rate times shoot days.

Can equipment be a flat hire fee?

Yes. Set the cost basis to "Flat (once)".

Is contingency taxed?

Contingency and margin are included in the pre-tax total, and tax is applied to that total.

Can the client see my margin?

Only if you tick "Show contingency and margin to the client". Otherwise Print and Copy summary spread contingency and margin across the lines in proportion to cost, so the client sees the same total without the breakdown.

Does it save my data or send it anywhere?

No. The file makes no network requests and uses no cookies or browser storage. Reloading the page clears every field.

Does it work offline?

Yes. Save the file to your computer and open it in any browser. No server, internet connection or installation is needed.

Can I change the colors and branding?

Yes. All colors are CSS custom properties at the top of the style block in the HTML file. Edit them and keep text contrast at 4.5:1 or better.

Can I put it on my own website?

Yes. Upload the file to your host and embed it with an iframe. The Start Here guide has the snippet and the settings that matter.

Can I share or resell the file?

No. You may use the calculator on your own websites and on client websites you build, and change it as you like; you may not sell it, give it away, or offer the file for download.

Is it an invoicing or accounting system?

No. Nothing is saved and nothing is sent, so use Copy summary or Print to keep a quote.

Is it a hosted service?

No. You download one file and open it or upload it yourself.

Refunds: see the refund policy.