WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH — It’s safe to say the Wrightsville Beach Police Department had a good time filming its new recruitment video. The end result looked good, according to town officials, so much so that some residents asked — how much did that cost?
As it turns out, the town’s police department got a deal on the video: it cost just $5,000.
The three-minute video, set to boisterous swing music, highlights opportunities for professional advancement in the police department, but also the town’s namesake beach, and the extra-curricular activities that come with it – including some impressive drone shots of surfing near the Johnnie Mercers Pier.
Comparable professional videos run a gamut of prices, according to Lee Frederiksen, who runs Virginia-based Hinge Marketing. In a recent article on video production for the internet, Frederiksen wrote that professional video can run $5,000 to $20,000 for a 2-minute video, and more than double that for a “stand-out” or “premium” production – standards by which Wrightsville PD got its money’s worth.
(It’s certainly more affordable than last year 3-minute video, produced by New Zealand police, which cost about $250,000 in U.S. dollars).
Even better, Wrightsville Beach PD didn’t have to pay up front.
According to Wrightsville Beach Police Chief Daniel House, the department reached out to local photographer and director Ned Leary and videographer and producer Will Page — familiar to some for creating the “Happy” video featuring the town several years ago. Chief House said Page had also done another recruitment video for a North Carolina police department. According to Town Manager Tim Owens, a public request for project bids wasn’t required because of the low cost of the video, and the town had already worked with Leary in the past.
House said that Leary offered to direct the video, filmed and edited by Page, without being paid upfront, and would only ask for payment if the department was satisfied.
“We didn’t have to pay a dime up front unless we were happy,” House said. “But obviously we were very pleased with the final product, and so at that point, we got an invoice and paid $5,000 for it — we got a great deal.”
The total cost — $5,350 – covered conceptual planning, scripting, filming, and editing (and North Carolina tax). While Wrightsville PD doesn’t have a recruitment budget, according to House, “has a Professional Services line item to address needs such as this. This year’s budget was $17,875.00.”
Send comments and tips to Benjamin Schachtman at ben@localvoicemedia.com, @pcdben on Twitter, and (910) 538-2001.
