How much should I charge for a brand video?

Stop pricing hours; price the scope and the outcome. A brand video that fronts a product launch is worth more than the same video for an internal kickoff, even if the shooting day is identical.

Build your floor first: (what you need monthly ÷ billable days) + gear amortization + insurance = your day-rate floor. Never quote below it; below the floor you're paying to work.

Then quote in packages, not numbers: a defined deliverable set — "one 60-second hero cut + three 15-second verticals, one location, one revision round" — at a price. Packages move the conversation from "why so expensive" to "which one fits."

When they say the budget is smaller: never cut the rate — cut the scope. One location instead of two, one deliverable instead of four. Your price stays true (clients talk to each other), they get a real option, and the upsell path is built in.

Reference ranges (US, solo-to-small-crew): simple single-location brand piece, low four figures. Multi-location with crew and licensed music, mid four to low five figures. Agencies quote the same work at 3-5x — that gap is your room to grow, not a reason to undercut yourself.