You need a steady stream of videos. Should you hire an in-house videographer or outsource production? An employee is close at hand. An external team can manage the process, while a freelancer can handle a specific assignment. The right choice depends on how much work you have and how much your marketing team can take on.
This guide compares four production models using a budget for eight videos per month. The agency option uses an actual Rek House subscription price. Other costs are illustrative, so you can replace them with your own figures.
Which video production model fits your business?
Consider an employee when you have a steady workload and frequently need filming on site. Choose a freelancer for defined assignments if you can manage production internally. An external team can take on more of the organisation. A hybrid approach combines everyday filming by your staff with outside support for larger productions.
Whichever model you choose, someone in your business still needs to set the purpose of the content and approve its accuracy.
Define the same scope before comparing prices
Eight expert clips filmed in one day and eight customer stories filmed in different cities are very different projects. A price per video means little without a production scope.
Map out a typical month: video types, filming locations and required versions. Separate planned shoots from spontaneous requests. Decide who will prepare scripts and consolidate feedback.
Give every supplier the same brief. Compare full service with full service, or filming and editing with the same scope. Our guide to writing a video ad brief will help you prepare.
1. An in-house videographer: availability is part of the value
An employee on site can film an expert between meetings or return to the production floor for a missing shot. They know your products and who to ask about details. This availability matters when important filming cannot be planned in advance.
An employee may make sense for ongoing course production or frequent product demonstrations. Daily publishing alone does not justify a hire: a series of videos can be filmed during one session.
While the videographer is filming, they are not editing. Their schedule also needs room for preparation. A larger commercial or advanced animation may still require additional specialists.
What should you add to the cost of a hire?
Add equipment and software licences to the total employment cost, along with the time of the person managing the videographer. Plan cover for important deadlines and agree how files will be handed over.
Separate equipment purchases from the cost of using them. A PLN 36,000 kit requires that amount upfront. Spreading it over an assumed three years gives PLN 1,000 per month for a cost comparison. Use one approach in a given calculation rather than counting both.
2. A freelance videographer: flexibility with a clear division of work
A freelancer works well for occasional projects or when marketing can manage production. For example, you prepare interviews, arrange participants and commission filming and editing.
Some freelancers manage projects from the initial idea; others specialise in a single stage. Agree who does what before requesting a quote.
Who books the room and prepares the experts? Who resolves conflicting edit notes? If marketing handles these tasks, include that time in your comparison.
A long-term freelancer can know your brand as well as an employee. Agree availability and file handover so you do not have to start from scratch if the supplier changes.
3. An agency or production company: a broader production role
Consider an external team for regular production when marketing has little time to manage it. Your partner can handle scripts and organisation, then deliver finished videos.
A subscription reserves an agreed scope and filming schedule. A last-minute shoot for tomorrow may require a separate booking.
Agree the number of videos and shoot days, delivery dates and revision rounds. Check usage rights and charges for work outside the scope.
For example, Rek House BASIC costs PLN 6,500 excluding VAT per month. It includes one shoot of up to eight hours and eight vertical videos or one YouTube video. Planning, crew, equipment and post-production are included, with two revision rounds and travel within 50 km of Warsaw. Publishing and advertising management are priced separately. See the current B2B video subscription scope.
Konica Minolta needed a broader arrangement. Over one quarter, we combined shoots at customer sites with product content and short social videos. Filming took place in several cities, including Prague. A shared schedule covered content preparation, production and work on publishing and reporting. Nine case study videos were produced. Marketing had one partner coordinating different productions. Read the Konica Minolta case study for this tailored scope.
4. A hybrid team: everyday content in-house, selected productions outsourced
In a hybrid setup, your staff film everyday content and an external partner handles selected productions. Marketing might record a product update on a phone while a film crew visits a customer to document an implementation.
Before making another hire, check whether your existing team has time for simple filming. A hybrid model uses those resources, but internal work still needs a budget.
One person should own the shared plan and division of work. Define what you film yourselves, what goes to your partner and who edits the footage.
How much does each model cost? A worked example
Compare eight simple vertical expert videos per month, filmed in one location during a single session of up to eight hours. Assume captions, basic graphics and two revision rounds, without actors or complex animation. In the hybrid model, four videos are made internally and four by an external partner.
The Rek House column uses the published BASIC price, checked on 3 November 2026. All other costs and working hours are assumptions rather than market averages. Equipment and services are shown excluding VAT, assuming full VAT recovery. The employment figure is the total cost to the employer. All amounts are in Polish złoty (PLN); this is a Poland-based example, not a UK or US salary benchmark.
We value marketing time at an assumed PLN 100 per hour. For an employee, assume PLN 13,000 in total employment cost plus PLN 1,400 for equipment use and software. Freelance production costs PLN 6,500. Rek House BASIC costs PLN 6,500. The hybrid option combines PLN 2,400 of internal production time, PLN 5,500 of external services and PLN 300 for equipment and tools. Coordination is added separately below.
| Cost / period (PLN) | In-house | Freelancer | Rek House BASIC | Hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production / services | 13,000 | 6,500 | 6,500 | 7,900 |
| Equipment and tools | 1,400 | Included | Included | 300 |
| Client coordination | 8 hours | 20 hours | 6 hours | 8 hours |
| Value of coordination | 800 | 2,000 | 600 | 800 |
| Total per month | 15,200 | 8,500 | 7,100 | 9,000 |
| Total per year | 182,400 | 102,000 | 85,200 | 108,000 |
In this example, BASIC plus marketing time totals PLN 7,100 per month. We assume six hours of client involvement; the actual time depends on factors such as expert preparation and approvals. An employee costs more but also provides capacity beyond the eight videos. That extra availability belongs in the decision.
Existing staff time is a resource commitment, not always an additional cash expense. Monthly equipment allocation does not show the upfront purchase requirement. Annual totals multiply monthly rates by twelve; they do not specify a contract term.
When does hiring in-house become worthwhile?
Our calculation puts the employee and coordination at PLN 15,200 per month, versus PLN 7,100 for BASIC and assumed marketing time. The difference is PLN 8,100. Hiring becomes more attractive when the employee's remaining capacity replaces other spending or creates substantial value, such as enabling daily shoots.
Do not calculate a break-even point by simply multiplying the price of one video. External pricing changes with larger orders, while an employee has limited capacity. Compare a fresh quote with a realistic employee workload.
Choose a model for your situation
| Business situation | Model to consider | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Frequent on-site shoots and a steady workload | In-house | An owner for the content plan; editing time |
| Individual projects managed by marketing | Freelancer | A clear scope and reserved dates |
| Regular videos; little time to organise production | Agency / production company | An agreed schedule and scope |
| Spontaneous short videos and larger productions | Hybrid | Clear responsibilities and one content plan |
Our guide to the stages of promotional video production explains the work from brief to finished files.
Not sure how much video you need? Test one quarter
Before buying equipment and recruiting, test your publishing plan for a quarter. Reserve expert time and start with topics based on customer questions.
Record how many videos are actually used and how much marketing time goes into production and approvals. Note when the lack of someone on site prevents important filming.
If most content comes from scheduled sessions, an external service may be sufficient. If important filming repeatedly falls outside that schedule, consider an employee or a hybrid model.
Evaluate how videos are used: do salespeople share them in conversations, and do they run in campaigns? Set the purpose before filming. The number of delivered files alone does not show whether production was useful.
Let's plan regular video production for your business
Considering an ongoing partnership? Send examples of the videos you need, the planned frequency and your budget. Tell us what your marketing team can prepare. In a 30-minute call, we will discuss scope, production rhythm and an indicative cost, giving you a basis for comparing an employee or other suppliers.
Explore Rek House video subscription packages or email k.golebiowski@rekhouse.pl.