The quote covers the crew. The project costs more.
Most Dubai production quotes price the crew day and the edit. The lines around them are where budgets grow: permits, people in front of the camera, music, time over plan, and changes after the first cut. Below is a checklist with a published price for each line, checked on 13 October 2026, and a worked example. Market prices are asking prices from suppliers' sites; government fees are cited from the authority or a named secondary source.
The checklist
| Line | Published price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Permits | ||
| DFTC (now the Dubai Films and Games Commission) filming permit, processing | AED 520 per application | DFTC |
| Public (government) location | AED 2,500 | Khaleej Times, DFTC table |
| Private venue open to public (mall, hotel) | capped at AED 25,000 a day | Resolution 50/2014 |
| Drone NOC and aerial permit (reported) | about AED 1,500 + AED 3,000 | see drone shoot cost |
| People | ||
| Model, 12-hour day / half day (one casting) | AED 1,800 / AED 1,200 | MMG Talent |
| Usage rights for the model | AED 1,500 in that casting; +25% to +300% on rate cards | MMG Talent, Diva Dubai |
| Talent overtime | AED 250 per hour, rounded up | Five25 |
| Back-up talent on standby | 50% of day rate if unused | Five25 |
| Crew and time | ||
| Extra shoot hour | AED 500 (corporate); AED 350 (videographer) | Studio502 corporate, Studio502 videographer |
| Extra location | AED 1,200 | Studio502 |
| Travel outside Dubai | AED 150 (Sharjah) to AED 400 (Al Ain) per booking | Shootix |
| Post-production | ||
| Extra revision round | AED 600 | Studio502 |
| Subtitles EN/AR | AED 400 | Studio502 |
| Rush edit, 48 hours | AED 2,000 | Studio502 |
| Music | ||
| Library licence covering digital ads | Epidemic Pro USD 16.99/month yearly; Business USD 30 yearly or USD 75 monthly | Epidemic Sound |
| One track for TV or broadcast | USD 999.99 (Epidemic single-track Business) | The Post Flow |
| Tax | ||
| VAT on supplier invoices | 5% if the supplier is VAT-registered | — |
Worked example: the AED 6,000 company film
The quote: AED 6,000 for one shoot day and a 2-minute edit. The brief: exteriors at a public location in Dubai, one model, bilingual subtitles, music that can run in paid ads. The day runs two hours over. The CEO asks for a second round of changes.
| Line | Calculation | AED |
|---|---|---|
| Quote: crew day + edit | as quoted | 6,000 |
| DFTC processing + public location | 520 + 2,500 | 3,020 |
| Model, full day + usage | 1,800 + 1,500 | 3,300 |
| Crew overtime | 2 × 350 | 700 |
| Model overtime | 2 × 250 | 500 |
| Music, one month of Epidemic Business, monthly billing | USD 75 × 3.6725 | 275 |
| Extra revision round | 600 | 600 |
| Subtitles EN/AR | 400 | 400 |
| Subtotal | 14,795 | |
| VAT 5% on supplier lines (government fees excluded) | 5% × 11,775 | 589 |
| Total | 15,384 |
That is 2.6 times the headline quote, and every line is a published price. Add the AED 2,000 rush edit if the film is needed in 48 hours. None of these lines is unusual; most simply weren't in the first number.
What nobody tells you
The permit isn't optional, and the fine is real. Filming without a permit or script approval can cost AED 10,000, then AED 40,000 on a repeat under Cabinet Resolution 42/2025. The full process is in our filming permit guide.
Usage is often worth more than the day. In the MMG casting, usage (AED 1,500) nearly equals the shooting fee (AED 1,800). Rate cards add 100–150% for billboards. Decide the media plan before you book talent: see model fees and usage rights.
Overtime is rounded up. Five25 bills any started hour as a full hour. A shoot that "runs a bit late" by 20 minutes costs a full hour per person.
The music subscription has an end date. Epidemic and Artlist cover videos published while you're subscribed. A video first published after you cancel isn't covered. And Epidemic's Business tier excludes out-of-home; billboards and in-mall screens need a higher tier. See music copyright in business reels.
Revisions multiply by approvers. Each extra round costs AED 400–600 at published rates. One consolidated list of notes from one decision-maker saves more than any discount.
VAT and "from" prices. Many studios publish prices excluding 5% VAT, and "from" means the simplest version. Ask for a quote marked "incl. VAT" with each of the lines above either priced or marked "not needed".
How to get a complete quote
- Send the brief with locations named: your premises, a private venue or a public place.
- Say who is on camera: staff, hired talent, or no people.
- Say where the video will run and for how long: organic social, paid ads, website, TV, billboards.
- Ask for permit, talent, music, overtime rate, revision rounds and VAT as separate lines.
- Agree the delivery date and the rush fee in writing.
What Savage Media charges
| Savage Media | Special offer | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| One-off video shoot | from AED 950 | Video from 2 days; permit, talent and music listed as separate lines |
| Savage Story | AED 3,500 first month, then AED 4,500/month | 2 shooting days, 8 reels and 15 photos a month |
| Lifestyle Day | AED 5,500/day | Supercar, yacht or penthouse day: 4+ reels and 20+ photos |
Start with our video production cost calculator, then add the lines above. For market ranges by video type, see video production cost in Dubai and corporate video cost.
