What a commercial shoot costs in Dallas
A one-day commercial shoot in Dallas-Fort Worth typically runs $8,000 to $15,000 through ArchesMedia, and a two to three day campaign $30,000 to $60,000. Here is what moves the number.
The short answer.
These are typical ranges for work produced through ArchesMedia in Dallas-Fort Worth. They are not a quote. Every job is priced against the brief.
- One-day shoot · $8,000 to $15,000
- A small crew for one day: a director of photography, an assistant camera, a gaffer, a grip and a producer, with camera and lighting, and a basic edit.
- Campaign · $30,000 to $60,000
- Two to three shoot days with a larger crew, locations, talent and a full edit.
The director of photography day.
The director of photography is the one line with a published rate. It is the same anywhere in Dallas-Fort Worth, with no travel charge inside the metro.
- Full day · $2,500
- Ten hours on set.
- Half day · $1,875
- Four hours on site, setup and wrap included. It is 75 percent of the full day, not half of it.
- Overtime · $375 an hour
- Every hour past ten bills at time and a half. It is written into the estimate before the shoot.
- Travel
- Out-of-town days, flights and lodging are quoted with the job.
What pushes the cost up.
- Extra shoot days
- Each added day repeats the crew, the gear and the catering.
- Talent and casting
- On-camera talent costs a day rate, and usage on top of it: the right to run the footage, which grows with where the spot runs and for how long.
- Locations and permits
- Location fees, and permits wherever the shoot uses public property. A street or a park can add police, parking and time.
- Post-production scope
- The length of the edit, the number of cutdowns, colour, the sound mix and any graphics. Each deliverable is its own line.
What keeps it down.
- Decide the deliverables first
- The list of finished pieces sets the crew, the days and the edit. Changing it after the shoot costs more than planning it before.
- Book the day you need
- A half day that runs past five hours on site bills as a full day, so a tight full day is often the better buy.
- Fewer locations
- Every company move between locations costs time on the clock.
- Overtime in the estimate
- Hours past ten are priced before the shoot, so overtime is on the estimate rather than a surprise on the invoice.
How a price gets made here.
Send the brief, the dates and the list of deliverables. The answer is a line-item estimate priced against the rate card, with the crew, the gear, the post and the days each on their own line.
Get a real number.
Sources
- First-party. The project ranges and the cost drivers are Joey Arcisz's figures, given in writing on October 11, 2026.
- First-party. The director of photography rates are from the rate card on joeyarcisz.com, as of October 2026. Rate card.
Published 2026-10-11 · Updated 2026-10-11
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