A brand video isn't one job. It's three: pre-production planning, one or more shoot days, and a post-production stretch that can outlast both. Invoice all of it as a single "video production" line and you lose money twice: the client can't see why the number is what it is, and revision requests pile onto a flat fee that never accounted for them.
The invoice that works in this trade mirrors how the work happens: a day rate for time on set, kit as its own line, post-production broken into edit hours or per-deliverable fees, and usage licensing spelled out. Here's how to build it line by line.
The quick version
- Bill shooting time as a day rate (typically a 10-hour day) or a half-day rate priced above 50% of a full day, since the date is still blocked.
- List pre-production (scripting, storyboarding, scouting) and post-production (editing, revisions, color, graphics, sound mix) as separate line items or phases, not buried in the shoot fee.
- Add a kit fee or equipment line for cameras, lenses, lights, audio, and drones; your gear earns separately from your labor.
- Put usage licensing on the invoice: where the video runs (organic social, paid ads, broadcast), the territory, and the term. Expanded usage is a new line, not a favor.
- Cap included revision rounds (two is common), price extra rounds, and add a rush surcharge when timelines compress.
- Take a booking deposit to hold shoot dates; invoice the balance on delivery of final files.
Structure the invoice around production phases
Even first-time clients grasp "planning, filming, editing." Your invoice should read the same way, as grouped sections or clearly labeled line items.
Pre-production covers everything before the camera rolls: creative treatment, scripting, storyboards, shot lists, scouting, and permits. One line on small projects; broken out on larger ones.
Production is your day rate, plus crew: a second shooter, gaffer, or audio tech each gets a line at their own day rate, so crew cost reads as pass-through rather than padding.
Post-production is where flat-fee videographers bleed. Itemize it: editing (hours or a per-deliverable fee), color grading, motion graphics and titles, sound mixing and licensed music, and export of deliverables. If you bill editing hourly, the mechanics are standard hourly billing.
Phasing also protects you if a project dies mid-stream: it makes obvious what's owed when the client cancels after the shoot but before the edit, and a kill fee clause covers the rest.
Day rates and half-days: the core of production billing
Shoot billing runs on the day rate, and it usually means a 10-hour day. Define it on the invoice or in your terms ("Shoot day = up to 10 hours on location"); the dispute you're preventing is the 13-hour shoot the client thought was included.
Practices worth adopting:
- Overtime: state an hourly overtime rate for time past the included hours, so long days are billable by prior agreement.
- Half-days: commonly defined as up to 5 hours, and typically priced above 50% of the full day rate, since a morning shoot still blocks your afternoon for other bookings. That's convention, not a rule; set your own split.
- Travel days: many videographers bill travel days at a reduced rate when a shoot requires overnight travel; mileage, flights, and lodging go on the invoice as reimbursable expenses with receipts.
If a client books multiple days, list each date as its own line. "Production, 3 days" invites the question of which days; "Shoot day, June 12, downtown location" doesn't.
Kit fees: your gear earns its own line
Rental houses charge for the exact camera package you own, so when your kit shows up on set, it should show up on the invoice. A kit fee (also called an equipment or gear fee) is a daily line item covering camera body, lenses, lighting, audio, stabilization, and specialty gear like drones or sliders.
Two ways to handle it:
- Flat kit fee per shoot day: simple, and common for owner-operators (example: "Kit fee: camera package, lighting, audio, $250/day").
- Itemized rental lines: used when you rent gear in for the job, such as a cinema camera or a specific lens set. Pass the rental through with the receipt, plus any disclosed handling markup.
Separating kit from labor keeps your day rate comparable when a client shops quotes, and a client who provides their own studio package sees exactly what comes off the bill. Drone work often carries its own line because it involves separate certification and insurance; requirements vary by state, so verify what applies to you.
Usage licensing belongs on the invoice
This is the line most new videographers skip. In commercial video, the client isn't just buying footage; they're buying the right to use it in specific places for a specific time. Common practice is to state the license directly on the invoice or attached terms:
- Where it runs: organic social, website, paid social ads, streaming, broadcast. Paid and broadcast placements are conventionally licensed above organic use.
- Territory: local, national, or worldwide.
- Term: one year, two years, or perpetual, with renewal priced if a paid campaign runs past the term.
A usage line might read "Usage license: organic social + web, North America, 2 years — included," or carry its own fee for paid placements. When the client comes back eight months later wanting to cut the video into a TV spot, that's a new invoice with a new usage line, and because the original invoice defined the license, it's a smooth conversation.
Revisions, rush edits, and post-production quirks
Post-production is where scope creeps. Include a fixed number of revision rounds (two is typical) and define what a round means: one consolidated set of notes, not a rolling thread of tweaks. Price additional rounds on the invoice, for example "Additional revision round: $150," so round three is a line item, not a fight. A new scene, a different aspect-ratio deliverable, or added motion graphics is scope change, billed cleanly as a change order.
Rush surcharges are normal here too: if a client compresses a two-week edit into four days, a rush fee compensates for the nights and the displaced projects. State your standard turnaround in the invoice notes so "rush" has a definition.
Music and stock licensing costs pass through as their own lines with the license tier named; the cheaper track and the broadcast-cleared track are different products.
What a brand video invoice actually looks like
Here's an illustrative two-day brand video invoice with a standard post package (example figures, not rate guidance):
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-production: script, shot list, location scout | 1 | $600.00 | $600.00 |
| Shoot day — June 12 (up to 10 hrs, downtown office) | 1 | $1,200.00 | $1,200.00 |
| Shoot half-day — June 13 (up to 5 hrs, warehouse b-roll) | 1 | $800.00 | $800.00 |
| Kit fee: camera, lenses, lighting, audio | 2 days | $250.00 | $500.00 |
| Second shooter — June 12 | 1 | $650.00 | $650.00 |
| Editing: 90-sec hero cut (incl. 2 revision rounds) | 1 | $1,400.00 | $1,400.00 |
| Cutdowns: 3x 15-sec vertical for social | 3 | $150.00 | $450.00 |
| Color grade + sound mix | 1 | $400.00 | $400.00 |
| Licensed music: sync track (web + social tier) | 1 | $149.00 | $149.00 |
| Usage license: organic social + web, US, 2 years | 1 | included | $0.00 |
| Total | $6,149.00 |
Notes on the invoice would state: 50% deposit received to book dates; balance due Net 15 on delivery of final files; additional revision rounds $150 each; raw footage licensed separately.
Deposits, delivery, and getting paid
Videographers block dates the way venues do, so a booking deposit is standard, commonly 50% to hold shoot days with the balance on delivery; the deposit invoicing guide covers the mechanics. A protection specific to this trade: deliver watermarked review cuts during revisions, and transfer final masters once the balance clears.
Longer productions, like a multi-video series, fit milestone billing better than a single deposit/balance split, with post-production kickoff as a natural payment gate. Agency clients often sit on invoices through their own payables cycle: 56% of US small businesses are owed money from unpaid invoices, averaging about $17,500, and 47% report invoices more than 30 days past due, per the Intuit QuickBooks 2025 US Small Business Late Payments Report. Tight terms and a stated late-fee policy give your due date teeth.
If you also shoot stills, the billing logic overlaps heavily with the photographer's invoicing guide; day rates and usage licensing work the same way.
If you want a starting point already structured for this work, the free videography invoice template pre-fills Invoity's editor with production-style line items. Add your shoot days, kit fee, and post lines, set your usage terms in the notes, and download the PDF instantly, no signup required to start.
Frequently asked questions
Should I charge a half-day rate at exactly half my day rate?
Common practice is to price half-days above 50% of the full day rate, because a morning shoot usually blocks the rest of your day. Define a half-day on your invoice (up to 5 hours is typical) so there's no ambiguity about when it converts to a full day.
How do I put usage rights on an invoice?
Add a line that names the media (organic social, web, paid ads, broadcast), the territory, and the term, for example "Usage license: web + organic social, US, 2 years." If usage is included in the project fee, list it at $0 so the scope is still documented. Later paid-media or broadcast use becomes a new line or a new invoice at your expanded-usage rate.
What's a kit fee and should solo videographers charge one?
A kit fee is a daily equipment charge covering your camera package, lenses, lighting, and audio, the gear a client would otherwise rent. Solo owner-operators commonly charge one because it separates gear cost from labor and reflects real wear and insurance costs. List it as its own line per shoot day.
How do I bill revision rounds without upsetting the client?
State the included rounds on the invoice itself, such as "Editing (includes 2 revision rounds)," and define a round as one consolidated set of notes. Price extra rounds at a listed rate so round three is a known cost, not a surprise. Requests that add new footage, deliverables, or graphics are scope changes, not revisions.