How much does a commercial cost? Prices you can rely on
The media budget is set, the spot is still missing, and you need a production figure before you plan the placements. Here it is: a commercial at ROCC Film starts at €5,000 net, a social ad with one shooting day comes to €5,000 to €10,000, and each additional shooting day costs €3,000 to €6,000. Which tier fits your campaign and what a quote has to contain is on this page.
- from €5,000
- entry price for a commercial, net
- €3,000–6,000
- per additional shooting day, net
- 4–6 weeks
- from concept to delivery
- 3+
- rounds of revisions in every quote
How much does a commercial cost?
A commercial from ROCC Film in Berlin costs from €5,000 net. A social ad with one shooting day and 15 to 30 seconds costs €5,000 to €10,000, a scripted spot with two to three shooting days €10,000 to €20,000. An advertising campaign with a main spot and variants starts at €20,000, with no upper limit. Each additional shooting day costs €3,000 to €6,000 net. ROCC Film has produced films in Berlin since 2014 and shoots across Germany.
| Scope | Shooting days | Length | Price net | Typical for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social ad | 1 | 15–30 sec | €5,000–10,000 | A spot for the feed: one product, one message, one shooting day, for Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn ads |
| Scripted spot | 2–3 | 30–60 sec | €10,000–20,000 | Scripted and staged, with actors or real customers and several locations, for YouTube, social ads, cinema and TV |
| Advertising campaign | from 3 | Main spot plus variants | from €20,000 | One main spot and several variants for audiences, channels or products, released over months |
All prices are net of VAT. The top tier names an entry point, not a ceiling: how many variants, locations and actors you need decides the scope. You know your price before the shoot, item by item. Social ad and scripted spot are priced per film. If you need a main spot with several variants, that is the advertising campaign: each variant grows from the same concept, and the budget grows with the number of shooting days and versions.
If your budget is under €5,000, another format often fits better: social media content starts at €3,000, an event film also at €3,000, a product video at €4,000. Short clips for the feed without a scripted scene also work as social media content.
What drives the cost of a commercial
Whether it is a spot for paid placements or a commercial for your own channels, the items in the quote are the same. The biggest item moves with the staging, because a scripted spot with a screenplay, actors and several locations means more shooting days than a social ad from a single shoot. Each line appears in your quote as its own item, and all ranges are net. You will find the lines from travel to hair and make-up in our cost calculator for video productions as well, while shooting day and music come from our price list. What you do not need does not appear in the quote. The ranges apply to a scripted spot, the middle tier. For a social ad the cost calculator comes in below them, for an advertising campaign above. For a commercial, two lines matter most: the actors if you tell a scripted story, and the social media versions with vertical format, short cuts and subtitles, so that one shoot serves every channel in your media plan.
| Factor | What it means | Surcharge net |
|---|---|---|
| Additional shooting day | Crew and equipment for one more day on set, for instance for a further location or a second variant of the spot | €3,000–6,000 |
| Travel outside Berlin | Travel, hotel and transport for the crew at your location | €1,500–3,000 |
| Voice-over | A voice for the spot, casting and rights included | €1,200–1,500 |
| Actors | Performers for scripted spots, casting and buyout included. In many commercials, real customers or your own staff are on camera instead | €2,000–5,000 |
| Drone | Aerial shots of your product in use, your premises or the landscape in the spot | €500–1,000 |
| Motion graphics | Animated graphics, product details, prices and the end card with your claim | €2,000–5,000 |
| Social media versions | Short cuts, vertical format and subtitles for Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok | €1,500–3,000 |
| Hair and make-up | Styling on set for everyone in front of the camera | €750–1,500 |
| Music | Licensed stock music, as a flat fee in every quote | €100 |
Three delivered commercials
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Ostrom
Ostrom customer Dieter earns money with NeoGrid AI while his e-taxi charges. Out of this came a TV commercial, a testimonial and performance ads from one shooting day
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8in1
The dog tells how well he has trained his human. Cinema and TV spot from one shooting day in Neukölln and Kreuzberg, without an ad agency
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HUK-COBURG
Commercial for the Telematik Plus tariff in 73 seconds, plus a social teaser and a silent version for the point of sale
What a commercial delivers
We do not promise a click-through rate, because we do not yet know your product or your channels. Instead, we name what a delivered commercial has shown. For Ostrom, a Berlin green electricity provider, one shooting day with customer Dieter produced a TV commercial, a testimonial and performance ads. According to Ostrom, the video view campaign with the Dieter and Rahel ads reached more than a hundred thousand views and a 20 percent higher click-through rate than Ostrom's video ads without ROCC footage. The separate conversion campaign with Dieter brought 131 visits to the tariff page and 17 tariff sign-ups, Ostrom reports (as of April 2026). The figures come from Ostrom, from two separately measured campaigns, and you can read them in our case study.
A commercial does more than fill the one placement you plan it for. It runs as a social ad, as a pre-roll on YouTube and on your landing page, and the standard web and social media rights have no time limit. If you want it on TV, in cinemas or on outdoor advertising, that belongs in the quote as its own item. For trade fairs and presentations, ask whether it is covered. Vertical format, short cuts and subtitles that you plan before the shoot come out of the same footage, so there is no reshoot later.
The second piece of evidence is in the films themselves. For 8in1, the dog tells how well he has trained his human. One shooting day produced versions for cinema, TV and online, with no ad agency in between. For HUK-COBURG, a narrator explains the Telematik Plus tariff from a customer's point of view in 73 seconds, step by step and in everyday language. In all three spots a character carries the message, not a list of product features: a customer for Ostrom, a narrator for HUK-COBURG, a dog for 8in1.
What a commercial quote has to contain
Every quote from ROCC Film includes the concept, the shoot with director, camera, lighting and sound, edit, colour grading, sound design and licensed music. Concept means we work out with your marketing team what the spot should trigger, where it will run and which versions your placements need, before the first shooting day. You also get at least three rounds of revisions. Usage rights as standard: non-exclusive, worldwide, online for web and social media, with no time limit. TV, cinema and outdoor advertising appear in the quote as their own items if you need them. Music is a flat fee of €100. The schedule belongs in the quote too: typically four to six weeks from concept to delivery, up to eight for complex productions.
What the quote leaves out comes later as an add-on. Additional versions for your channels, such as vertical format, short cuts and subtitles, need their own item in the quote. If it is missing, ask. Actors and voice-over appear as separate items as well, with casting, rights and buyout. If you shoot outside Berlin or at several locations, travel, hotel and transport for the crew belong in the quote from the start. If real customers or your own staff appear on camera, each person needs a written consent form, and that belongs in the schedule before the shoot.
You pay 50 percent on commissioning and 50 percent on delivery, and the quote is valid for 30 days. Also settle who gives final approval on your side, whether marketing, brand or management, because a short approval path saves time and budget. The first call is free. After it you get a quote with every item listed. So you know what the spot costs before you plan the placements.
“People buy from people. Ostrom didn't cast an actor for its TV spot. It looked among its own customers. Dieter carried the spot.”
Commercial or another format?
Not every message needs a commercial. Sometimes a corporate film for the brand is the better answer, an explainer video for a product with many steps, or ongoing social media content. The figure is the entry price for the format, net, not the upper limit.
| Format | Entry price net | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial | from €5,000 | Commercial video production |
| Corporate film | from €8,000 | Corporate Film Costs |
| Recruitment film | from €8,000 | Recruitment Video Costs |
| Explainer video | from €5,000 | Explainer Video Costs |
| Product video | from €4,000 | Product video |
| Event film | from €3,000 | Event film production |
| Social media content | from €3,000 | Social media content |
Frequently asked questions about commercial costs
How much does a commercial cost?
A commercial from ROCC Film in Berlin costs from €5,000 net, a social ad with one shooting day and 15 to 30 seconds €5,000 to €10,000. A scripted spot with two to three shooting days comes to €10,000 to €20,000, and an advertising campaign with a main spot and variants starts at €20,000 with no upper limit. Each additional shooting day costs €3,000 to €6,000 net. Actors as well as rights for TV and cinema come as separate items.
How much does a social ad cost?
A social ad at ROCC Film costs €5,000 to €10,000 net: one shooting day, a spot of 15 to 30 seconds for Instagram, YouTube or LinkedIn ads. We agree before the shoot which versions your placements need, such as vertical format and subtitles. Additional social media versions are listed with their range in the table of price factors.
How much does an additional shooting day cost?
Each additional shooting day costs €3,000 to €6,000 net. A social ad needs one shooting day, a scripted spot with several locations needs two to three, an advertising campaign three or more. Once the number of shooting days is fixed, so is the largest part of your price.
How much does a TV or cinema spot cost?
Production is priced by scope, not by channel. A spot from one shooting day starts at €5,000 to €10,000 net, a scripted spot with two to three shooting days comes to €10,000 to €20,000. Many versions or a large crew on set lift even a single shooting day above the first tier. On top come the usage rights for TV or cinema as their own item, because the standard covers web and social media.
Do we need actors?
Not necessarily. For Ostrom, a real customer was on camera instead of an actor. If you want to tell a scripted story like 8in1, we handle the casting: there, actors played the roles and an animal trainer brought two golden retrievers. The actors appear in the quote as their own item with casting and buyout, and their range is in the table of price factors.
How long does production take?
Typically four to six weeks from concept to delivery. Complex productions take up to eight weeks. That covers concept and script, casting, shooting days, edit and your rounds of revisions.
Is there a commercial under €5,000?
A commercial at ROCC Film starts at €5,000 net. Below that, another format often fits: social media content from €3,000, an event film from €3,000, a product video from €4,000. Short clips for the feed without a scripted scene also work as social media content.