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Can’t help but think the expenses were overboard. $3500 spent per video, including a producer, DP, food stylist, and editor? Surely videos of very similar qual

Can’t help but think the expenses were overboard. $3500 spent per video, including a producer, DP, food stylist, and editor? Surely videos of very similar quality could be made with a fraction of that budget if the fat was trimmed and it was approached more bootstrap-y instead of a full production.

happytoexplain 2y ago
I think this is an increasing trend in opinions (trim the fat, fire the do-nothings, it can't possibly cost that much to produce <insert product>, etc). It makes sense - the amount that something costs to make always sounds like a lot (especially media, music, film, etc). But, while I have no authority of experience at all, my personal lifetime heuristics tell me that, if you could define the number of dollars something should cost to produce, where spending more isn't worth the quality bump and spending less isn't worth the quality dip, that number would probably be closer to what people are actually spending than whatever number the "that sounds like too much" crowd would come up with. I mean, it's of course pretty subjective (you can make content at varying levels of quality with equal justifications for each). I just tend to lean toward the "things cost more than you think" direction. I could be wrong in this case. I don't know. $3500 seems like it's in that range to me (where it sounds like a lot, but might not be for the production level she's aiming for).
- blitzar 2y ago
  5 videos shot at a time + editing. $17,500 for 2 days of shooting and 5x10 minute edits sounds like a lot to me. No idea what the breakdown would be - $5k per day shooting, $1,500 per edit? Best guess everyone is being paid $250/hr.
al_borland 2y ago
Making YouTube videos costs as much as someone wants it to cost. All anyone needs is an smartphone, and maybe a computer if they don't want editing to be annoying. Doug DeMuro is a great example of this. It's him, wearing whatever he was going to wear that day, looking however he looks, in whatever lighting the weather gives him, with a tripod for a main camera, and an iPhone for interior shots. He hasn't really scaled up production value as he's gotten popular, and I think people appreciate the authenticity. Even if she had ambitions for high production values, starting simple and scaling up when the channel can financially support it, seems to make much more sense. My guess is she was used to the production and budget of Bon Appétit, where she used to make videos, and was looking to fast track to a similar setup where she just had to care about the cooking.
- flavmartins 2y ago
  Also the Kenji cooking videos. 1 tripod camera and him wearing one that gets a top down view of what he is doing.
inemesitaffia 2y ago
DP?
- taurknaut 2y ago
  Director of Photography
- LorenzA 2y ago
  director of photography
Globot 2y ago
You should give it a try. I do not think you will be able to do it for less at similar quality, especially with food.
- yoyohello13 2y ago
  IDK, I watch this guy futurecanoe who does random cooking content and he just films that shit with the worst quality camera he could find. And he has ~3mil subs. The mistake is thinking YouTube content needs to be quality to be successful.
  - happytoexplain 2y ago
    Needs? No. Helps? Often.
  - danpalmer 2y ago
    He has managed that because he’s made that the channel focus. That’s a brand choice that not everyone would want to make, and that doesn’t work if too many people do it.
- reassess_blind 2y ago
  Maybe you’re right, I don’t have a successful cooking YouTube channel so I can only speak in general business terms. I do know that there are many profitable cooking YouTube channels that didn’t have a separate producer and food stylist from day 1, and probably still don’t.
- ApolloFortyNine 2y ago
  Joshua Weissman is probably a good example, when you look at his older stuff (now he does have a team). He was always into the 'cinematography' of cooking and ends each video with a minute or two of b roll even. I think he did have a good camera early on, but that's more of a one time 1k-2k purchase, not 3500 a video.
  - 7speter 2y ago
    You're forgetting the featured multi hundred/thousand dollar unitasker every video, or maybe thats in his more recent stuff.
Ekaros 2y ago
They are overboard for the audience. That type of cost only maps out right when you have 10x or 100x the views and thus income. And also get direct sponsors which contribute.

happytoexplain 2y ago

I think this is an increasing trend in opinions (trim the fat, fire the do-nothings, it can't possibly cost that much to produce <insert product>, etc). It makes sense - the amount that something costs to make always sounds like a lot (especially media, music, film, etc). But, while I have no authority of experience at all, my personal lifetime heuristics tell me that, if you could define the number of dollars something should cost to produce, where spending more isn't worth the quality bump and spending less isn't worth the quality dip, that number would probably be closer to what people are actually spending than whatever number the "that sounds like too much" crowd would come up with. I mean, it's of course pretty subjective (you can make content at varying levels of quality with equal justifications for each). I just tend to lean toward the "things cost more than you think" direction. I could be wrong in this case. I don't know. $3500 seems like it's in that range to me (where it sounds like a lot, but might not be for the production level she's aiming for).

blitzar 2y ago
5 videos shot at a time + editing. $17,500 for 2 days of shooting and 5x10 minute edits sounds like a lot to me. No idea what the breakdown would be - $5k per day shooting, $1,500 per edit? Best guess everyone is being paid $250/hr.

al_borland 2y ago

Making YouTube videos costs as much as someone wants it to cost. All anyone needs is an smartphone, and maybe a computer if they don't want editing to be annoying. Doug DeMuro is a great example of this. It's him, wearing whatever he was going to wear that day, looking however he looks, in whatever lighting the weather gives him, with a tripod for a main camera, and an iPhone for interior shots. He hasn't really scaled up production value as he's gotten popular, and I think people appreciate the authenticity. Even if she had ambitions for high production values, starting simple and scaling up when the channel can financially support it, seems to make much more sense. My guess is she was used to the production and budget of Bon Appétit, where she used to make videos, and was looking to fast track to a similar setup where she just had to care about the cooking.

flavmartins 2y ago
Also the Kenji cooking videos. 1 tripod camera and him wearing one that gets a top down view of what he is doing.

inemesitaffia 2y ago

DP?

taurknaut 2y ago
Director of Photography
LorenzA 2y ago
director of photography

Globot 2y ago

You should give it a try. I do not think you will be able to do it for less at similar quality, especially with food.

yoyohello13 2y ago
IDK, I watch this guy futurecanoe who does random cooking content and he just films that shit with the worst quality camera he could find. And he has ~3mil subs. The mistake is thinking YouTube content needs to be quality to be successful.
- happytoexplain 2y ago
  Needs? No. Helps? Often.
- danpalmer 2y ago
  He has managed that because he’s made that the channel focus. That’s a brand choice that not everyone would want to make, and that doesn’t work if too many people do it.
reassess_blind 2y ago
Maybe you’re right, I don’t have a successful cooking YouTube channel so I can only speak in general business terms. I do know that there are many profitable cooking YouTube channels that didn’t have a separate producer and food stylist from day 1, and probably still don’t.
ApolloFortyNine 2y ago
Joshua Weissman is probably a good example, when you look at his older stuff (now he does have a team). He was always into the 'cinematography' of cooking and ends each video with a minute or two of b roll even. I think he did have a good camera early on, but that's more of a one time 1k-2k purchase, not 3500 a video.
- 7speter 2y ago
  You're forgetting the featured multi hundred/thousand dollar unitasker every video, or maybe thats in his more recent stuff.

Ekaros 2y ago

They are overboard for the audience. That type of cost only maps out right when you have 10x or 100x the views and thus income. And also get direct sponsors which contribute.