Guide for founders and marketing leads
In-house videographer or outsource?
We Stream is a London video and photo production company that films for start-ups and growing companies, from brand films to monthly content. Here is the cost of a full-time videographer in London next to our published rates, so you can see where the line sits for your volume.
A year: common London videographer salary plus employer National Insurance, before kit, software and cover.
A year at £3,000 a month: one shoot day and six edited videos every month.
Salary: Indeed, London, 30 October 2026. Employer NI: GOV.UK, 2026 to 2027.
The numbers side by side
What a year of video costs each way
The in-house line uses a sourced London salary. The other lines are We Stream's own published rates, valid to 30 September 2027.
| Option | What you get | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time videographer | One person, salary £35,850 (Indeed, London common salary, typical £25,420 to £52,226) plus £4,628 employer National Insurance at 15% above £5,000. Kit, software, pension, holidays and cover come on top. | £40,480a year, from |
| Filming day | One operator for up to 8 hours, raw footage handed to your editor. | £1,500a day |
| Delivered day | One operator for up to 8 hours, then a highlight film and four clips, edited inside 7 working days. | £2,400a day |
| Retainer One | One shoot day and six edited videos a month, producer included. Three-month minimum. | £3,000a month |
| Retainer Two | Two shoot days and twelve edited videos a month. Three-month minimum. | £5,500a month |
VAT will be added where applicable. Unused retainer days do not roll over. Every other rate is on our prices page.
Seventeen delivered days at £2,400 come to £40,800, about the same as a year of salary and employer NI alone. If you need fewer filming days than that, outsourcing costs less; if you need a camera most weeks, a hire starts to make sense.
Beyond the salary
What the hire does not include
The salary is the visible part. These costs arrive with the hire, and they are the reason the first year usually costs more than the job advert.
- KitCameras, lenses, sound, lights and storage that match the quality you already publish.
- SoftwareEditing, music and stock licences, renewed every year.
- Pension and benefitsWorkplace pension contributions are a legal minimum on top of salary.
- CoverHolidays and sick days still need filming, usually by a freelancer at short notice.
- Management timeBriefs, reviews and feedback move from a producer to someone on your team.
- One pair of eyesEvery video comes from the same person, which can start to look the same.
Choose by volume
Which model fits your stage
Book by the day
Launches, events and a brand film now and then. A filming day or a delivered day each time, and nothing to pay in the months between.
£1,500 to £2,400 a dayA retainer
A steady flow of content with a producer, kit and editing included, and no hire to manage. Easy to step up to two shoot days when volume grows.
£3,000 or £5,500 a monthHire, then add a crew
An in-house videographer for routine content, and an outside crew for events, two-camera days and fast turnarounds the hire cannot cover alone.
Salary, plus days as neededOne day, booked when needed
AM Insights: a brand film in one day
AM Insights needed a brand video for their anniversary. We filmed it in one day with a two-person crew: a founder interview, client testimonials and the office. The film premiered at their anniversary event and then went live on LinkedIn, delivered three working days after filming.
For a company at this stage, one well-planned day like this does more than a full-time hire would in the same month. More examples are on our brand video page.
AM Insights, brand video. Filmed in one day, delivered in three working days.
Questions
In-house or outsourced
Anything else, email team@westream.uk and you will have an answer within 24 hours.
How much does an in-house videographer cost in London?
Indeed puts the common London videographer salary at £35,850 a year, with a typical range of £25,420 to £52,226 (October 2026). Employer National Insurance at 15% above £5,000 adds £4,628, so the hire costs about £40,480 a year before kit, software, pension and cover.
How much does outsourced video production cost?
With We Stream, a filming day is £1,500, and a delivered day with a highlight film and four clips is £2,400. A monthly retainer of one shoot day and six edited videos is £3,000, or £5,500 for two days and twelve videos. VAT will be added where applicable.
When is it cheaper to hire in-house?
When you need a camera most weeks. Salary and employer NI alone come to about the cost of seventeen delivered days at £2,400, so below that volume outsourcing usually costs less, and above it a hire starts to pay off.
What does a salary not cover?
Kit, editing and music software, pension contributions, cover for holidays and sick days, and the time someone on your team spends briefing and reviewing. With an outside crew those are part of the day rate.
How does a video retainer work?
You book one or two shoot days a month and get six or twelve edited videos, with a producer planning each day. It runs for at least three months, is invoiced monthly, and unused days do not roll over.
Can we have an in-house videographer and an agency?
Yes, and it often works best. The in-house person handles routine content, and an outside crew covers events, two-camera days and fast turnarounds. A second operator from us is £800 a day on support or £1,000 filming on their own camera.
How fast do outsourced videos arrive?
Edited video arrives inside 7 working days with two rounds of revisions. A rush edit within 48 hours is £400, and same-day edits can be planned before the shoot.
Where do the salary figures come from?
The salary is Indeed's common salary for videographers in London, updated 30 October 2026. The employer National Insurance rate and threshold are from GOV.UK's rates for employers, 2026 to 2027. Our own figures are from the We Stream rate card, valid to 30 September 2027.
Next
Not sure which way?
Tell us how many videos you publish a month and what they are for. We reply the same day with the option that costs least for that volume.
Written by Violetta Coretnic, producer and co-founder at We Stream. Updated .
We Stream Ltd · London · No. 17207516
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