A KL-produced social video ad starts around RM 8,000 for a single-operator day; two-day brand spots with a named director run RM 18,000–RM 30,000; broadcast TVC packages with talent usage buyouts climb past RM 120,000. The spread is set by crew headcount, camera package, post-production depth, and usage licensing — not by video runtime.
The RM 8k to RM 150k Range Explained
Klang Valley production houses — concentrated around Solaris Dutamas, Bangsar South, TTDI, and Mont Kiara — do not price per minute. Each quote is built from three workstreams: pre-production (script, storyboard, location scout, pre-production meeting), the shoot itself (pre-light day plus main day), and post-production (edit, color, motion graphics, sound), with usage rights priced on top.
Budget bands that actually appear on Malaysian invoices:
– RM 8,000–12,000 — One shooter-director with an FX6 or FX3 kit, one location, half-day mic-up talent, in-house editing, and a library music track. Deliverables: one 60-second social cut plus three 15-second cutdowns in 16:9 and 9:16 for Shopee, Lazada, or TikTok Shop campaigns.
– RM 18,000–30,000 — Two shoot days, director plus DOP, two lighting crew, sound recordist, styled talent with a short social usage window, motion graphics, and licensed music. Deliverables: one 60-second master, two 30-second cuts, five 15-second versions across aspect ratios.
– RM 50,000–90,000 — Brand-led production with a known director/DOP pair, RED Komodo or Alexa Mini package, art direction with stylist and HMUA, one or two mid-tier influencers, and a social-plus-broadcast buyout. Original or premium-synced music included.
– RM 120,000–250,000 — Broadcast TVC work slated for Astro or regional SEA rollout: full grip and lighting truck, CGI/VFX in Cinema 4D or Blender, multi-language voiceover (Bahasa Melayu, Mandarin, Tamil), and multiple shooting days.
Regionally, KL undercuts Singapore by a wide margin — a Singapore DOP day rate of SGD 1,800–2,500 is roughly RM 6,000–8,500, while a comparable KL DOP sits at RM 3,000–5,000. Jakarta labor remains roughly 25–30% cheaper on pure day rates, but KL wins on English-language direction depth and logistics reliability for regional e-commerce ad shoots.
Crew Rate Cards: Daily Rates in Ringgit
Standard 2025 Klang Valley rates, 8–10 camera hours per day, 1.5× overtime past hour ten:
– Director (advertising-grade): RM 2,500–6,000
– DOP with own FX6 kit: RM 1,500–2,500; DOP with Alexa Mini package: RM 4,000–6,000
– Gaffer: RM 500–900
– Key grip: RM 400–700
– Sound recordist (boom + Sennheiser EW wireless kit): RM 500–1,000
– Production manager: RM 400–800; production assistant: RM 150–250
– Stylist/wardrobe: RM 700–1,500; HMUA: RM 350–600
– Senior editor (post, per day): RM 900–1,200
The two line items that quietly inflate crew cost are the pre-light day and drive-away time. A pre-light runs at 50% of the full day rate for the DOP, gaffer, and grip, and it is mandatory for any multi-location shoot. Crews based in Shah Alam or Ampang bill 30 minutes of travel each way. Cross-check the crew count against the storyboard: a 3-location, 8-setup day realistically needs 6–7 bodies, not three.
Gear Rental and Post-Production Line Items
KL rental houses like iCamera Rental and Camera Rental House carry the standard commercial packages. Typical per-day rates:
– Sony FX6 body: RM 800–1,200; FX9: RM 1,500–2,000
– RED Komodo kit (monitor, media, batteries): RM 1,500–2,500
– Alexa Mini with prime set: RM 4,000–6,000
– Sigma or Zeiss CP3 prime set: RM 600–1,200
– Aputure 600d Pro with light dome: RM 250–400 per unit per day
– Grip van with operator: RM 1,400–2,000 full day
Post-production is where cheap quotes get exposed. Editing runs on Adobe Premiere Pro workstations; grading happens in DaVinci Resolve Studio (one-time license about RM 1,500, but a senior colorist bills RM 800–1,500 per day and needs two to three days on a 60-second spot with cutdowns). Motion graphics are After Effects with Cinema 4D or Blender for 3D product work. Client reviews should go through Frame.io with frame-accurate comments — any production house that reviews edits over WhatsApp is not running a commercial-grade post pipeline.
Deliverables must be itemized: ProRes 422 HQ master, H.264 MP4s for Meta and TikTok, 9:16 and 1:1 cutdowns, and .srt subtitle files for Malay and English.
Hidden Costs: Permits, Talent, and Music Licensing
Permits — A DBKL filming permit for commercial shoots costs RM 200–500 per location per day; MBPJ in Petaling Jaya runs the same band. Shooting inside a Rapid KL MRT or LRT station carries a RM 1,500–5,000 daily location fee plus a technical liaison charge, so many KL productions shoot in parking garages and grade the look in post instead. Foreign crew on set means FINAS compliance — the production must hold a valid production certificate, and a foreign DOP without the FINAS letter gets stopped at KLIA. The certificate itself is administrative, but it adds 3–5 days of lead time.
Talent — A Malaysian influencer with 100k–500k followers takes RM 3,000–8,000 for one month of social-only commercial usage. A usage buyout for national broadcast on Astro with a B-list celebrity runs RM 15,000–50,000. Note the structure: the shoot day call is RM 5,000–8,000 for half a day, and the buyout sits on top as a separate “rights” line.
Music — Library tracks from Artlist or Musicbed with an extended ad sync clause cost RM 800–3,000 for social-only use; broadcast pushes it to RM 3,000–10,000. Commissioning an original track through Music Rights Malaysia (MRM) terms runs RM 5,000–15,000, and the agency or client holds the public performance license for TVC airing — not the production house. Confirm who pays the MCAT/MRM collection side before signing.
Insurance — Production liability plus gear cover for a one-day KL shoot is RM 600–1,500, and professional venues will demand proof of it.
How to Audit a KL Production Quotation
Send three Klang Valley production houses the same deliverable list — one in Publika, one in Bangsar South, one in Puchong — and the spread will be about 25%. The audit is about making them quote on the same page:
– Demand a line-item breakdown: pre-production, pre-light day, main shoot day, post (edit/grade/GFX/sound), rights, and travel.
– Confirm the shoot day definition: 10 hours camera-to-camera is the KL norm, with 1.5× overtime beyond. A quote with no pre-light day for a 3-location shoot is a fantasy; it produces a rushed, flat, daytime-only spot.
– Count revision rounds: two to three is standard. Anything beyond is RM 500–1,500 per round, contractually stated.
– Verify the camera model, lens set, gimbal or dolly, and who operates it. A “RED package” on an RM 18,000 total budget needs a second look — it is either a bare Komodo body with mismatched media or a marketing line.
– Check the talent buyout. On-camera talent at RM 3,000 for the day with no usage line is the most common trap in KL quotes. Meta plus TikTok for three months costs extra, and the invoice arrives after the fact.
– Ask for the editor’s name and edit day count. A senior editor needs 3–4 days at RM 900–1,200/day to cut a 60-second spot with four cutdowns. If “editing included” on an RM 8,000 production, the editor is a junior freelancer and the grade will look like it.
– Write the delivery list into the contract: ProRes master, H.264 exports, 9:16 and 1:1 versions, .srt captions, and project files for Premiere and DaVinci. State who pays for cloud transfer or courier SSD.
| Item Name | Key Feature | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| RM 8,000–12,000 micro spot | Single operator, FX6 kit, one location, in-house edit, library music | Weekly e-commerce ads for Shopee/Lazada/TikTok Shop, Meta feed ads |
| RM 18,000–30,000 boutique spot | Two shoot days, director + DOP, 4–6 crew, styled talent, motion graphics | Brand launch films, F&B chains, franchise marketing |
| RM 50,000–90,000 premium brand spot | Alexa Mini or RED Komodo, full art direction, influencer usage buyout | Property developers, mall campaigns, regional brand pushes |
| RM 120,000+ broadcast TVC | Full grip/lighting truck, VFX, multi-language VO, broadcast + social rights | Astro TV commercials, multi-country SEA rollouts |
| DBKL / MBPJ filming permit | RM 200–500 per location per day, city council counter application | Outdoor KL and Petaling Jaya shoots; avoid Rapid KL venues |
| Music Rights Malaysia sync | RM 800–10,000 per track depending on social vs broadcast use | Original or licensed music for commercial ads |
| FINAS production certificate | Compulsory for foreign crew; 3–5 day lead time, no direct fee | International directors or DOPs shooting in Malaysia |
| Talent usage buyout | RM 3,000–50,000 by follower count, media window, and region | Influencers or celebrities on camera for brand spots |
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