The single most common question we get on a first call at Yellow Cloud Studio is: what does a film cost? Followed, almost always, by an apology for asking. There's no need to apologise. It's the right question, and the answer is more transparent than the industry usually pretends. Our studio has quoted commercial film shoots across India for eight years, and the numbers below are the honest ones we work with day to day.
This post breaks down what you actually get for Rs 1 Lakh, Rs 5 Lakh, and Rs 15 Lakh on a film shoot in India, based on the actual jobs we've priced and delivered. It's not a rate card. It's a candid look at where the money goes at each tier and what changes when you move up.
A note on what these numbers include
All figures below assume a single day of shoot with a proportionate post window. They include our production fee, crew, gear, location cost, and a normal post pipeline (edit, grade, sound, one round of revisions). They do not include talent fees for A-list faces, exotic locations that need travel, or unusual VFX. Those are always separate line items.
What Rs 1 Lakh gets you
This is the entry level of what we do professionally. It exists for founders launching a product, small D2C brands, and creators who need one strong film to open a season. Everything about it is efficient.
Crew. Two person crew. Usually a DOP who also directs, plus a first assistant handling sound, focus and lighting adjustments. The MUA and model are minimal. No dedicated producer on the day. No gaffer.
Gear. Sony FX3 or Fujifilm X-H2S with a small prime lens kit (two lenses). A single LED soft light with modifiers. A tripod. A basic sound kit. No sliders, no gimbals, no rails, no jib.
Location. Studio or a real location within the same building. No travel. No permission fees.
Shoot length. Half day, up to six hours. This is not a full crew day.
Deliverables. One master film of 30 to 45 seconds, plus one or two social cutdowns. One round of revisions. Basic grade and simple sound design with a stock music track.
Post window. One week from wrap.
What you cannot expect. Big lighting setups. Complex product macro. Multiple wardrobe changes. A dedicated producer. Bespoke sound design.
What Rs 5 Lakh gets you
This is the tier where the film starts to feel professionally produced without any obvious compromises. It's where most of our regular brand work sits.
Crew. Six to eight person crew. Separate director and DOP. A gaffer with one spark. A dedicated MUA on the floor for the whole day. A producer or line producer running the schedule. A first AC. A sound recordist for on set audio.
Gear. Blackmagic 6K Pro or Sony FX6 with a proper cine prime lens set (four lenses covering wide to macro). A three light Aputure or ARRI kit with C-stands, flags, diffusion, and a small grip package. A slider or a small gimbal for one or two shots. A proper sound kit.
Location. One controlled indoor location with AC. Or a real location booked with permissions. Half day location fee included.
Shoot length. One full day, ten hours plus, with proper meals and breaks.
Deliverables. One master film of 45 to 60 seconds. Three social cutdowns in different aspect ratios. Two rounds of revisions. Proper colour grade with a colourist. Sound design with a licensed music track.
Post window. Two to three weeks from wrap.
What you cannot expect. Multi day shoots. Multiple locations in one project. Star talent fees. Extensive VFX. A dedicated stylist and art director.
What Rs 15 Lakh gets you
This is where a film starts to feel campaign grade. It's what a serious brand launch or a hero film for an important product typically costs, once you factor in the invisible departments that separate a good film from a great one.
Crew. Twelve to fifteen person crew. Director and DOP with separate roles. A full lighting department with a gaffer and two sparks. A dedicated art director. A stylist for wardrobe. A senior MUA plus an assistant. A full production team: producer, line producer, PA, runner. A full sound team.
Gear. ARRI Alexa Mini LF or RED Komodo with a full cine lens set including specialised macro and anamorphic options. A five to seven light package with a proper grip truck. Sliders, dollies, and a small jib as needed. A high end sound kit with lav mics.
Location. Purpose booked location or set build in a studio. Includes art department budget for props, fabric, dressing, and small set builds.
Shoot length. One to two days. Prelight day the day before the shoot to test lighting and camera setup without pressure.
Deliverables. One master film of 60 to 90 seconds. Multiple social cutdowns for different platforms and aspect ratios. Multiple rounds of revisions. Full colour grade with a senior colourist. Bespoke sound design with a licensed or custom music track.
Post window. Four to six weeks from wrap.
What this gets you that lower tiers can't. A film that feels intentional in every frame. Time and craft in departments that are invisible individually but felt collectively. Space to try a shot that might not work.
What can push a Rs 5 Lakh brief into a Rs 8 Lakh reality
The most common overruns we see are not surprises. They are things a first-time brief did not think through. In order of frequency:
- A "found" location that turns out to need permissions, security, or a permit fee.
- An extra half day added mid-schedule because a critical shot did not survive continuity.
- Talent booking that lands late, with a rush fee attached.
- A VFX ask (a clean plate replacement, a bottle label swap) that was assumed but not scoped.
- Music that shifts from stock to a licensed track after picture lock.
None of these are dealbreakers. All of them are avoidable if the brief names them upfront. Which is why we push for a written brief before we quote, not after.
What is not included in these numbers
To keep the tiers honest, here is what sits outside the standard ranges above:
- Talent fees for celebrity or A-list faces. Always separate.
- Music licensing beyond stock. Custom scores and sync fees are their own line.
- VFX beyond basic clean-up. Any composite, digital pack change, or full 3D element.
- Travel outside Mumbai. Location scouting, flights, hotels, per diems.
- Media buys. This is a production number, not a media number.
Where the money actually goes at each tier
Here's a rough split of a Rs 5 Lakh budget, which is instructive because it's where most brands make decisions:
- Crew fees: 35 to 40 percent.
- Gear rental: 20 to 25 percent.
- Location: 10 to 15 percent.
- Post production: 20 to 25 percent.
- Production management and buffer: 5 to 10 percent.
At Rs 1 Lakh, gear and location drop off significantly and crew is a smaller absolute number. At Rs 15 Lakh, crew and post both expand, and the buffer becomes meaningful.
What changes when you go from 5 to 15
The biggest jump isn't the camera. It's the departments. At Rs 5 Lakh, one person is doing two jobs almost everywhere. At Rs 15 Lakh, each department has its own head. That's where the invisible quality comes from. A dedicated art director means props, wardrobe, and set are considered. A dedicated stylist means the model looks right in every frame. A senior colourist means the grade is a considered choice, not a rush job.
What doesn't change at any tier
- Our care about the work.
- The MUA sitting behind the monitor.
- The insistence on locking picture before starting the grade.
- Delivering what we promised in the timeline we promised.
These are non negotiable at every price point. What changes is how much we can put into the frame around them.
Money buys departments. Departments buy invisibility. Invisibility is what your audience reads as premium. It's a longer chain than most first time briefs expect.
How to brief a shoot so the quote is accurate the first time
Five lines in an email get us to an accurate number faster than any deck. Include:
- Where the film will run. Instagram, TV, cinema, YouTube pre-roll. Usage decides the media rights and the deliverable spec.
- What you need out at the end. One master, three cutdowns, aspect ratios, subtitles. Be specific.
- The script or scope. Even a paragraph. Even a rough voice memo. Anything is better than "keep it flexible".
- Deadline. The actual date the film has to be live, not the "ideally by" date.
- Two or three brand references. Films you like the feel of. Saves us a treatment round.
That is it. We can turn a written brief with those five lines into a costed quote within 48 hours.
The honest advice
If you have Rs 1 Lakh and you want to look like Rs 5 Lakh, we'll help you get there but you'll have to make sharp choices. Fewer setups, one strong idea, and clarity about what the film needs to do. Small films can be brilliant if they're honest about their scope.
If you have Rs 5 Lakh and you want to look like Rs 15 Lakh, the answer is usually to shoot fewer things better. One location, one setup, an incredible MUA, a strong idea, and time to grade it properly. This wins over an ambitious multi location day rushed through with a small crew.
If you have Rs 15 Lakh, spend it on people, not on gear. Book the best gaffer in the city. Book the best MUA. Book a proper colourist. The film will show up in the invisible departments.
Last note
We share these numbers because opacity about pricing is a Mumbai industry habit that doesn't help anyone. If you know what things cost, you can plan properly, you can push back on quotes that don't add up, and you can spend your budget where it matters.
Ranges shift a bit with the specific brief, of course. If you have a scope in mind, our contact page is the fastest way to get a proper quote. Or read our related note on where the money actually shows up on screen for more.
If you have a project in this territory, here is commercial film production in Mumbai, and you can start a project with us here.