Start with the brief, not the showreel
A showreel tells you how someone shoots on a good day. The brief tells you what you are buying. Before you message anyone, write down four things: the finished videos you need (number, length, vertical or horizontal), the locations, the date, and where the videos will run (organic posts, paid ads, website, TV). Every quote you get back then answers the same question, and you can compare them line by line.
Prices come later in this guide. If you want the full market breakdown by video type, read how much video production costs in Dubai; here we stick to what to check.
The checklist
| Check | What to ask for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | Trade licence or freelance permit covering media production | Permits go to UAE-licensed production companies; no licence, no proper invoice |
| Filming permit | Who files, what it costs, a copy before the shoot | AED 520 per application plus location fees |
| Drone | Company name on the GCAA authorisation, pilot licence | Only a UAE company can hold one |
| Music | Library name, licence holder, whether ads are covered | Sync rights are separate from venue licences |
| Rights | Written clause on ownership or licence, purpose, term, territory | The copyright law reads a written agreement first |
| Raw files | Included or not, format, backup period | No market standard |
| Revisions | Number of rounds, price of extra rounds | Published packages offer 1–2 rounds |
| Overtime | Hourly rate in writing | One studio charges AED 350 per extra hour |
Licence and permits
A commercial shoot in Dubai needs a permit from the film commission, and Khaleej Times notes that anyone who wants to film must work through a UAE-licensed production house. So the first check is simple: ask for the trade licence or freelance permit. A freelancer can get one; Dubai's GoFreelance permit costs AED 7,520 before visa costs, according to one setup agency. Someone who shoots commercially without any licence cannot file your permit and cannot issue a proper invoice.
Then ask who files the filming permit. The processing fee is AED 520 per application, and government locations usually add AED 2,500. Malls, hotels, beaches and DIFC each add their own approval; we list them in which Dubai locations need which permits, and the fee table is in our filming permit guide. A quote that leaves the permit out is not cheaper. It moves the fee and the fine to you.
Drone shots
Many quotes add "drone +AED 1,500" as a line. Studio502 lists exactly that. The price is fine; the paperwork is the check. The GCAA's commercial rulebook, CAR-UAC, gives the operator authorisation only to a UAE-based company and the pilot licence only to UAE residents. Flying without permission carries up to 1 year in prison and/or AED 50,000.
Ask the videographer for the name of the company that holds the authorisation. Often it is a partner drone operator, which is normal. A videographer who says "I just fly my own drone" without naming the authorisation is a red flag. Our drone filming guide covers DCAA and the timelines.
Music
Putting a track into a video is synchronisation, a separate right from the public performance licence that venues need from December 2026. According to an industry breakdown by 4AI, Meta's Sound Collection is cleared only on Meta's platforms, so the same video on YouTube or your website is not covered. Ask which library the videographer uses, whose name the licence is in and whether it covers paid ads. Our guide to the UAE music licence explains the difference in detail.
Rights, raw files and revisions
Who owns the footage
Article 28 of Federal Decree-Law 38/2021 says that, unless otherwise agreed in writing, a work created for the benefit of another person belongs to that person. The same law requires any transfer or licence of economic rights to be in writing and to state the right, the purpose, the duration and the place of use, and the author keeps every right not expressly assigned.
Where sources disagree
Nour Attorneys writes the opposite: that for commissioned work the copyright stays with the contractor unless a written assignment exists. We read the official text of Article 28 as favouring the client, but one law firm's view is enough reason not to rely on the default. Write the rights into the contract.
A usable clause names:
- what you get: full ownership or a licence;
- where you may use the videos: organic, paid ads, TV, outdoor;
- for how long and in which countries;
- whether the videographer may show the work in a portfolio.
People in the frame are a separate matter. The same law, in Article 45, stops a photographer from publishing images of a person they were hired to film without that person's permission, and filming people without consent can cost AED 150,000 to AED 500,000 under the cybercrime law. Ask who collects model releases.
Raw files and revisions
There is no market standard for raw footage. videography.ae states that the client owns the final films and the raw footage in writing, and its guide warns that plenty of suppliers licence rather than transfer and charge for the archive later. Studio502 lets you book a solo operator and take the raw footage without an edit. Agree on the format, the delivery method and how long the videographer keeps a backup.
Revisions work the same way. Published packages include one or two rounds: one round on a social content day, two on a corporate master at videography.ae. Ask what an extra round costs before the first cut arrives.
What it costs
| Engagement | Market range or published price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Shoot only, per hour | AED 200–800 | videography.ae guide |
| Half day, up to 5 hours | AED 1,800–3,000 | videography.ae guide |
| Full day, senior solo | AED 2,500–5,000 | videography.ae guide |
| Studio502 day rates | AED 2,000 solo; AED 4,500 with sound and light; AED 8,000 multi-camera with director | Studio502 |
| Social content day | AED 2,000–7,000 | videography.ae guide |
| Agency production | from AED 15,000 | videography.ae guide |
These are figures that videographers publish themselves, not official statistics. The low end of an hourly rate usually means shoot-only time, with editing, captions and formats billed on top.
What Savage Media charges
A shoot with us starts from AED 950 (special offer), editing included, with video delivered from 2 days after the shoot. The exact price depends on the number of finished videos, locations and editing, as published on our videographer page. We tell you in the quote whether your locations need a permit and what it adds.
Red flags
- No licence, or "we'll sort the permit if someone asks". The fine and the delay land on your shoot.
- A drone line with no company name behind it. Only a UAE company can hold the authorisation.
- "Trending audio" in the edit for a paid ad. Ask for the licence.
- No written word on rights. If the contract says nothing, you depend on how a court reads Article 28.
- A rate far below the market with no list of deliverables. The edit, captions and extra formats return as extras.
- No overtime rate. Shoots overrun; get the hourly figure before the day.
