Free template · video production

A music video budget template that survives contact with the label.

A free music video budget template with the whole shoot itemized: full crew, gear, art department, locations, travel, and post. Performance, narrative, or the treatment that says both. Load it in the builder, delete what the budget can't carry, and price what's left with your margin in view.

Music video budgets have a reputation: ambitious treatment, moving target, and a number that was final until it wasn't. The template can't fix the label. It can make sure the version you send accounts for every line you're actually on the hook for.

9 sections · 68 line items·Rates blank on purpose·No sign-up

What’s in the template

Every section below loads into the builder exactly as listed. This is the actual checklist, not a preview of one. Delete what your job doesn’t need and price the rest.

Pre-production5 lines

Everything billable before anyone touches a camera: concept, scripts, scouting, permits, insurance.

  • Concept / creative
  • Scriptwriting & storyboards
  • Location scouting
  • Permits & licensing
  • Production insurance

Crew13 lines

Day rates by role. Quantity is people, the multiplier is days. It remembers the 1st AC so you don't have to.

  • Director
  • Producer / line producer
  • Director of photography (DP)
  • Camera operator
  • 1st / 2nd AC
  • Gaffer
  • Key grip
  • Sound mixer
  • Production assistants (PAs)
  • HMU artist
  • Stylist
  • Art director
  • Drone operator

Unit: day. Quantity = # people, multiplier = # days.

Cast / Talent3 lines

On-camera people, voiceover, and the rights to keep using them. Usage buyouts live here, where they're hard to forget.

  • Principal talent
  • Background / extras
  • Specialty talent

Gear14 lines

Camera, lighting, grip, and audio by the day, plus the truck it all arrives in.

  • Camera package
  • Lighting package
  • Grip package
  • Audio package
  • Monitors / video village
  • Gimbal / dolly / slider
  • Drone
  • Specialty / cinema camera
  • Specialty lenses
  • Generator / power
  • Grip truck
  • Studio / soundstage
  • Media cards
  • Expendables

Merged equipment + rentals. Default unit: day.

Locations6 lines

Fees, permits, parking, security, and putting the place back the way you found it.

  • Location fees
  • Permits
  • Location manager
  • Parking / holding
  • Site security
  • Cleaning / restoration

Art / Set / Wardrobe5 lines

Sets, props, and wardrobe. Everything that ends up in frame on purpose.

  • Set construction
  • Set dressing & props
  • Wardrobe / costume
  • Props purchase / rental
  • Signage / graphics

Catering / Craft5 lines

Priced per person, so the math scales with headcount. A fed crew is a functioning crew.

  • Crew meals
  • Craft services / snacks
  • Talent catering
  • Beverages
  • Dietary / special

Unit: person. Quantity = # people, multiplier = # meals/days.

Transportation / Travel7 lines

Moving people and gear: vehicles, flights, hotels, per diems, freight.

  • Vehicle rentals
  • Fuel / mileage
  • Flights
  • Hotels (room-night)
  • Per diems
  • Gear freight
  • Parking / tolls

Post-production10 lines

Where footage becomes the deliverable: edit, color, mix, graphics, music licensing, revisions.

  • Editing
  • Color grade
  • Sound design / mix
  • Motion graphics / titles
  • VFX
  • Music licensing
  • VO recording
  • Captions / localization
  • Revision rounds
  • Deliverables / encoding

How it works

01Load the template

Performance, narrative, or both: the standard music video lines are already in place, art department included. Delete what the treatment doesn't call for and keep the rest honest.

Full crew + art department
02Price it, margin in view

Put in your rates and costs and watch the P&L as the treatment grows. When the label asks what the extra location does to the number, you'll know before the call ends.

Live producer P&L
03Send the client version

Export a clean budget: prices, quantities, one total. Your costs and margin stay in the producer view, which is not the label's business.

PDF · Excel · CSV · share link

Questions

The full guide (units, tax math, deposits, exports) lives on the Help page. It’s genuinely thorough. We’re as surprised as you.

For the longer answer, there’s a guide: What to Include in a Video Production Quote.

What does a music video budget include?

Nine sections: pre-production, a full crew list, talent, gear, locations, art and wardrobe, catering, travel, and post. The art department and location sections matter more here than in most video work: treatments sell production design, and production design costs money. It's all itemized so nothing rides for free.

How much does a music video cost?

Anywhere from four figures for a one-location performance video with a small crew, to six figures once a treatment involves sets, specialty talent, and multiple locations. Label budgets vary wildly and everyone involved knows it. The template's job is making sure your number, whatever it is, covers what the shoot actually contains.

Can the label or client see my costs and margin?

No. Costs, margins, and the producer P&L exist only in your view. Client exports and share links are built from a copy that never contained them. There's no toggle to forget because there is no toggle.

Is the template free?

Yes. The builder works without an account, and the free plan includes every export: client PDF, Excel, CSV, and a read-only share link. Pro is a one-time purchase that puts your branding on the paperwork. The template is the free part. That's the whole arrangement.

Related templates

The checklist is done. The rates are your problem.
Opens the builder with this template loaded. No signup, no onboarding call.