Free Invoice Template for Videographers
Invoice template for videographers, video editors, and production companies. Bill for shooting, editing, equipment rental, and post-production.
A videographer invoices by splitting the job into pre-production, production and post-production, with a booking deposit securing the shoot dates before work starts. A videography invoice should itemize shoot day rates and call times, each crew member, hired equipment, editing, color grade and sound mix, the deliverable spec — runtime, resolution, aspect ratio and platform — the revision rounds included, the license scope, and pass-through costs such as music licenses kept separate from your creative fee.
Video work is expensive to produce and slow to deliver, and those two facts shape everything about how videographers invoice. A single corporate film can involve a scout, a two-day shoot, three crew members, hired lenses, an edit, a color pass, a sound mix, and two rounds of client notes spread over six weeks. Billing that as one line called video production hides the cost structure from the client and makes any scope conversation later almost impossible to win.
The other complication is that a large share of a production budget is money passing through you rather than money you earn. Camera hire, a lighting truck, a second shooter, studio time, licensed music, stock footage, catering on a shoot day, drone pilot fees. Clients are entitled to see which numbers are your fee and which are costs incurred on their behalf, and separating them protects your margin from being negotiated away by accident.
Post-production is where invoices most often go wrong. Editing hours expand when feedback arrives piecemeal, and a project quoted with two revision rounds can quietly absorb five. Naming the included rounds on the invoice, then adding further rounds as their own billable lines, keeps the edit from becoming an unpaid open loop. The same applies to raw footage, extra aspect ratios, and platform cutdowns requested after sign-off.
Common Line Items on a Videographer Invoice
Pre-Production
Concepting, scripting, storyboards, shot lists, location scouting, and scheduling, billed as a phase or by the hour.
Shoot Day Rate
Your day on set, with the standard day length defined and an overtime rate stated for hours beyond it.
Crew
Second camera operator, sound recordist, gaffer, or production assistant, listed individually with day rates.
Equipment Package
Camera body, lenses, lighting, audio, gimbal, or drone, itemized at rental rates even when the kit is yours.
Editing and Assembly
Offline edit hours, usually the largest post line and quoted against a defined number of revision rounds.
Color Grade and Sound Mix
Finishing passes billed separately because they are often outsourced or run on different software and rates.
Motion Graphics and Titles
Lower thirds, animated logos, and subtitle burn-ins, priced per asset or per minute of animation.
Licensing and Media
Music licenses, stock footage, and voiceover talent, passed through with the license term and territory noted.
Additional Deliverables
Vertical cutdowns, teaser edits, captioned versions, or raw footage handover, each priced as an add-on.
What to Include on Your Invoice
| Field | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Production Phase | Grouping lines under pre-production, production, and post lets a client approve or trim a stage without renegotiating the whole job. |
| Shoot Dates and Call Times | Day rates are disputed less when the invoice records which days were worked and how long each ran. |
| Deliverable Specification | Runtime, resolution, frame rate, aspect ratio, and destination platform define what was actually sold. |
| Revision Rounds Included | Stating the included rounds on the invoice is what makes a later change-request line defensible. |
| License Scope and Term | A film cleared for internal use is a different product from one cleared for paid advertising, and the price should reflect it. |
| Pass-Through Costs Flagged Separately | Hired crew, gear, and media licenses should be visibly distinct from your creative fee. |
How Videographers Set Their Rates
Videographers price in three broad shapes. Day rates dominate production itself, usually quoted for a defined shoot day with a stated overtime rate beyond it and a half-day option for short jobs. Post-production is more often quoted as a fixed package tied to a finished runtime and a set number of revision rounds, since clients care about the film rather than the hours. Larger commercial jobs move to a full project quote built from a line-by-line budget, with crew, kit, and licensing costed inside it. Rate variation is driven by crew size, gear tier, delivery complexity, turnaround speed, and above all license scope, since broadcast or paid-media usage commands far more than internal or organic social use. On the invoice, keep the creative fee, the crew, and the hired equipment on separate lines so a budget conversation can happen without touching your rate.
Payment Terms for Videographers
Because production costs land before revenue does, videographers rarely work on a plain end-of-job invoice. A booking deposit secures the shoot dates and is commonly non-refundable inside a defined cancellation window, since a cancelled date is genuinely lost income. Larger productions split into thirds: booking, wrap of principal photography, and final delivery. Costs paid on the client's behalf, particularly crew, studio hire, and music licenses, are often billed in advance or invoiced immediately rather than carried on your own balance sheet. Agency and corporate clients typically impose their own supplier terms after delivery, which is worth pricing in. Many videographers hold final masters and project files until the closing invoice clears, and state that in their terms rather than raising it after the fact.
Invoicing Tips for Videographers
- ✓Break invoices into pre-production, production (shoot days), and post-production (editing, color grading, sound).
- ✓List equipment rental as separate line items, even for your own gear — it shows the value clients receive.
- ✓Specify the number of revision rounds included and the cost of additional revisions.
- ✓Include deliverable specifications: resolution, format, duration, and platform (YouTube, Instagram, broadcast).
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a videography invoice include?
A video production invoice should break down pre-production (scripting, storyboarding), production (shoot days, crew, equipment), and post-production (editing, color grading, sound design, motion graphics). Include deliverable specs and revision policy.
How do videographers charge for equipment?
List equipment as separate rental line items (camera, lenses, lighting, audio, drone) even when using your own gear. Industry-standard rental rates are publicly available and justify the charges.
Should videographers charge for raw footage?
Raw footage delivery is typically an additional charge, not included in standard packages. List it as an optional add-on with a clear price and delivery format.
What payment terms should videographers use?
Standard: 50% deposit to book, 50% on delivery of final cut. For large productions, use milestone billing: 33% on booking, 33% after shooting, 34% on final delivery.
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