Guide
Commercial video production in Amman: what to expect
A commercial video in Amman typically runs three to six weeks from brief to delivery: a week to agree the story and shot list, one or two shoot days, and one to two weeks of editing, sound and colour. The biggest cost drivers are shoot days, crew size and whether motion graphics are involved.
Decide the format before you discuss the budget
"A video" is not a brief. A sixty second brand film, a two minute explainer, a set of fifteen second social cuts and a founder interview are four different productions with four different costs, and mixing them up is the most common reason quotes come back far higher than expected.
The useful starting question is not what you want to make but where it will run and what it should make someone do. A film for a trade show plays differently from one that has to survive three seconds of scrolling.
What drives the cost
In order of impact.
- Shoot days. The single biggest line. A one day shoot and a three day shoot are not 3x apart - crew, equipment and location costs compound.
- Crew size. A two person crew and a full crew with a director, gaffer, sound recordist and assistants are different productions.
- Motion graphics. Animation is priced by the second and it adds up faster than any other post-production element.
- Talent and location. Actors need fees and releases; locations need permission, and some in Amman need permits.
- Number of final versions. One master plus vertical, square and a six second cut is normal now, and it should be planned before the shoot, not requested afterwards.
The mistake that costs the most
Shooting wide and cropping vertical afterwards. If the frame was composed for 16:9, the vertical crop cuts off part of the subject or the product, and no amount of editing recovers it.
Planning the vertical versions during the shoot costs almost nothing. Retrofitting them costs quality, and sometimes a reshoot. Decide every aspect ratio you need before the camera is set up.
Editing footage you already own
Many companies in Amman have drives full of material from an event, a factory tour or an unfinished campaign. Editing existing footage is usually the cheapest content available, because the expensive part is already paid for.
The honest limit is that post-production cannot add what was never recorded. Missing coverage, unusable audio and shots with no room to crop are limits rather than challenges. A good editor will review the material and tell you what can realistically come out of it before you commit.
Formats, timelines and what each needs
Realistic planning figures for commercial work produced in Amman.
| Format | Shoot | Post production | Total timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social cuts (15-30s, batch) | Half day | 2 to 4 working days | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Founder or staff interview | Half day | 5 to 7 working days | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Corporate profile film (2-3 min) | 1 to 2 days | 7 to 12 working days | 3 to 5 weeks |
| Product or campaign film (30-60s) | 1 to 2 days | 7 to 12 working days | 3 to 6 weeks |
| Event coverage | The event, plus setup | 5 to 10 working days | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Explainer with motion graphics | Often none | 2 to 4 weeks | 4 to 6 weeks |
How a production runs from brief to delivery
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01
Agree what the video is for
Where it runs, who watches it, and what it should make them do. This decides format and length before anything else.
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02
Write the shot list and the schedule
A written shot list is what makes a quote accurate and a shoot day finish on time. Every decision left to the day is billed at shoot day rates.
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03
Shoot, including every aspect ratio you need
Vertical and square versions framed during the session, not cropped afterwards.
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04
Review the first cut for structure only
Do not review a graded, scored cut - if the structure changes afterwards, the colour and sound work is wasted. Structure first, finishing second.
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05
Finish: sound, colour, subtitles, exports
Subtitles in Arabic and English, and every platform version exported from the same master.
Questions people ask about this
How long does a commercial video take to produce in Amman?
Three to six weeks from brief to delivery for most commercial work: about a week to agree the story and shot list, one or two shoot days, then one to two weeks of editing, sound and colour. Motion graphics add two to four weeks.
What drives the cost of a video?
Shoot days first, then crew size, then motion graphics. Talent fees, locations and the number of final versions follow. Two quotes for "a one minute video" can differ several times over because they assume different numbers of shoot days.
Can you make vertical versions from an existing wide video?
Sometimes, but rarely well. If the original was framed for 16:9 the vertical crop cuts off part of the subject. Plan every aspect ratio before the shoot - it costs almost nothing then and cannot be fixed properly afterwards.
How many revisions are normal?
One round on the edit is standard in this market, applied after you review the first cut. Additional rounds are usually billed by the hour. Ask how many are included before signing, because open-ended revisions are always priced into the quote somewhere.
Do we need subtitles?
Yes, for anything running on social. Most social video is watched with the sound off, so a video without captions is a video most viewers never hear. Arabic and English both, if your audience spans them.
Can you work with footage we already have?
Usually, and it is often the best value work available. Send a sample first so it can be reviewed honestly - post-production cannot add coverage that was never shot.
If you want this done for you
Tell us where the video will run
We plan the format around that, quote against a written shot list, and shoot every aspect ratio you need in the same session.