What video production costs in Dubai
Most corporate films start from AED 35,000 and TV commercials from AED 100,000, and two films of the same length can still cost very different amounts.
At Steer Media, most corporate videos in Dubai start from AED 35,000, and a TV commercial starts from AED 100,000, because a commercial brings approvals, shoot locations and the extra work that goes with them. Those are starting points rather than a price list, and where a film lands above them depends on what it has to do.
We produce video in Dubai and Pakistan. The first question we hear is “What does a two-minute video cost?” and it has no single answer. The rest of this page breaks the price down.
How much does video production cost in Dubai in 2026?
With Steer Media, most corporate videos start from AED 35,000. Where a film lands above that depends on the number of shoot days, interviews and locations, and on how much post-production it needs.
A TV commercial starts from AED 100,000. Length has little to do with it: a commercial needs approvals, the places it is shot have to be cleared and booked, and casting, a larger crew and commercial post-production add to the bill.
It follows that a sixty-second commercial can cost several times as much as a five-minute corporate film.
Why video is not priced per minute
Price follows shoot days, crew size and post-production weight, and none of the three scales with runtime. A sixty-second commercial with six to fifteen crew, cast talent and three locations consumes far more of all three than a five-minute interview film shot in one boardroom with a crew of three.
A per-minute rate card is a warning sign. Any studio quoting one is either averaging across jobs that have nothing in common, or has not asked what the film has to do yet.
| Format | Starts from (AED) | What moves it inside the band |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate film | 35,000 | Number of interviews, shoot days and locations |
| TV commercial | 100,000 | Approvals, shoot locations and permits, casting, crew size, commercial post |
| Social cutdowns | Marginal | Ratios and languages, if planned pre-shoot |
Watch our work
The LWK + PARTNERS corporate film, and short excerpts from brand films we made for Bonanza Satrangi and J. Fragrances. The price of each comes down to the factors above. More films are on the video production page.
Planning a film?
Tell us what you are making and when. We reply within one working day with a scoped quote.
Filming permit cost in Dubai: DFTC fees and timing
The Dubai Film and TV Commission is the sole authority for filming permits, and one is required for essentially any professional production. The application fee is AED 520 and non-refundable. Public locations carry an additional location fee. Private locations are negotiated separately and can reach several thousand dirhams per day. Filming without a permit can carry a fine of up to AED 25,000.
The bigger cost is schedule. Standard processing runs a few days to two weeks, longer if a script needs approval, so permits sit on the critical path. A plan that leaves them until later will slip.
One rule regularly catches out overseas brands: a foreign entity cannot apply for a DFTC permit directly. You must appoint a UAE-licensed production company as the local applicant. However capable your home crew, the permit has to be raised here.
What determines your quote
- 1Shoot days.The single largest lever; mobilisation is paid once, so a second day costs less than the first
- 2Crew size.A TVC typically runs six to fifteen on set against three or four for a corporate film
- 3Talent.Casting, usage rights and territory, which recur if the film runs longer than the licence
- 4Locations.Each move costs setup time; private venues add day rates
- 5Post-production weight.A straight cut versus grade, sound design, motion graphics and VFX
- 6Deliverables.Cheap if scoped before the shoot, expensive if requested after it
- 7Languages.Subtitling is minor; re-voicing and re-timing are not
How to get a cheaper film without a cheaper film
The reliable saving is getting more out of the day you have already paid for. Getting crew, talent and location into one place is the expensive event; everything cut from that footage afterwards is comparatively marginal.
Our LWK & Partners documentary shipped a seven-minute master, seven one-minute thematic cuts for social and events, and subtitle tracks in English, Arabic and Chinese, all from a single production block. Commissioned separately, that would have been three productions.
The most useful line in a brief is the list of everything the footage has to feed over the next twelve months: broadcast, paid social, the website, the trade stand, next year's sales deck. Scoped up front, most of it costs almost nothing to add.
A shooting-in-both-markets note
Crew and location costs in Pakistan are materially lower than in the UAE. For brands with flexibility on where elements are captured, shooting part of a production in Pakistan while keeping direction, grade and sound consistent with the UAE work is a real saving that does not show up in the finish. It is not right for every brief (a film that must feature a recognisable Dubai location has to be shot in Dubai), but for studio, product and narrative work it is worth asking about.
Whatever the budget, ask any video production company in Dubai how many shoot days the quote covers, how large the crew is, whether permits are included, and what happens when you ask for a ninth cutdown in March.
Planning a film?
Tell us what you are making and when. We reply within one working day with a scoped quote.
Video cost questions: budgets, permits and savings.
How much does a corporate video cost in Dubai?
Most corporate videos with Steer Media start from AED 35,000. Where a film lands above that is set mainly by the number of shoot days, interviews and locations it covers, not by its runtime.
How much does a TV commercial cost to produce in Dubai?
A TV commercial starts from AED 100,000. It costs far more than a corporate film because it needs approvals and shoot locations to be cleared, and because a TVC set carries a larger crew, casting and commercial post-production.
Is video priced per minute?
No, and a per-minute rate card is a warning sign. Price follows shoot days, crew size and post-production weight, none of which scale with runtime. A sixty-second commercial with cast talent and three locations routinely costs several times a five-minute interview film shot in one room with a small crew.
How much is a filming permit in Dubai?
The Dubai Film and TV Commission charges a non-refundable application fee of AED 520, with additional fees for public locations and separately negotiated rates for private ones that can run to several thousand dirhams per day. Filming without a permit can carry a fine of up to AED 25,000, and standard processing takes from a few days to two weeks, longer if a script needs approval.
How can I reduce video production costs?
Extract more from the shoot day. Getting crew, talent and location into one place is the expensive event, so scoping every cutdown, ratio and language before the shoot makes them nearly free. Requesting the same deliverables afterwards usually means paying for a second production.
