Updated 2026-09-13
Almost everyone in this business answers the same way when you ask what they pay: "it depends, get in touch". It genuinely does depend — but that is no excuse for not explaining on what.
Each category has a different base value because demand and production cost differ. An aerial drone shot is not worth the same as a screen capture of a match, and a scene with two documented performers is not worth the same as a filler shot.
Twenty minutes is not worth four times what five minutes is. Quantity adds with diminishing returns: minute twenty is worth less than the first one, because a client rarely uses all of it. Be suspicious of anyone paying you strictly by the minute.
Sharpness, framing, light, sound and editing. A machine cannot measure this: metadata tells you a file is 4K, not that it was shot well. That is why a person watches the material before valuing it, and their judgement weighs on the final figure.
It is the factor that moves the figure most, and the one most often ignored.
The reason is simple: a client pays more for material they cannot find on five other platforms. If nobody offers you tiers, you are being paid non-exclusive rates while assigning more than that.
Resolution, frames per second, dynamic range, vertical format. These are characteristics the file proves by itself. Note: labelling something 4K does not make it 4K, and any serious buyer checks before paying.
Your follower count. If we are buying the material, what matters is the material.
Send something and we will give you a concrete figure. The valuation is free and commits you to nothing.
What is holding you back? Pick one and I will answer straight.
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