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Guide
AI video vs traditional video production
A traditional company video is filmed by a crew in two to eight weeks, usually for €3,000 or more. An AI video is generated in minutes for a few euros, but it is animation, not footage. Here is how to choose.
The difference in one paragraph
A traditional company video is footage. A crew films real people in a real place, and an editor cuts the result. An AI video is generated. You describe a scene, supply reference photos, and software draws and animates it. The AI route is faster and far cheaper per video. However, it produces animation and cannot record your real premises or team.
Five questions that decide it
Most teams can choose between the two by answering five questions.
- Must the viewer see the real thing? A factory tour or a customer testimonial needs a camera. A message, a product benefit or a process does not.
- When is it due? A filmed video takes weeks. A generated one can be ready the same day.
- How many versions do you need? One flagship film suits a crew. A version per audience, per product and per format suits generation.
- What is the budget per video? Filming starts in the thousands. Generation costs euros per video.
- Who changes it next quarter? A filmed video needs a new edit or a reshoot. A generated scene is rewritten and generated again.
Side by side
| Traditional production | AI video (GetReelCom) | |
|---|---|---|
| Lead time | Two to eight weeks from brief to final cut | Minutes of rendering: a frame in about 30 seconds, a scene in about a minute |
| Cost | €3,000 to €15,000 per video from a Dutch agency | 33 credits for 30 seconds: free once, then about €12 to €15 |
| What it shows | Real footage of real people and places | Cinematic 3D animation based on your photos |
| People on screen | Staff or actors, on a shoot day | Avatars drawn from photos, with consent |
| Changing it later | A new edit, sometimes a reshoot | A rewritten scene, generated again |
| Consistency across videos | Depends on crew, location and light | The same saved brand, cast and venues every time |
| Length | Any | Ten-second scenes that you cut together |
| Sound | Recorded voices, music, sound design | Voice-over and subtitles; no music |
| Logo and titles | Placed by the editor | Not in the scene; you add them in your own editor |
| Skills you need | A brief and a budget holder | One clear paragraph per scene |
The traditional figures are from 2026 price guides, listed under Sources. The GetReelCom figures are its list prices, explained in How much does an AI video cost?.
The same brief, done both ways
Take one brief: a 30-second introduction video for a software company, for the homepage and LinkedIn.
The filmed route. You write a brief and collect quotes. Then come a script, a shoot day at the office, an edit and one or two review rounds. Dutch price guides list the parts separately.
| Line item | Typical Dutch price in 2026 |
|---|---|
| Script | €300 to €1,200 |
| Camera operator, per day | €600 to €1,500 |
| Director, per day | €500 to €1,500 |
| Editing | €400 to €2,000 |
| Voice-over | €200 to €800 |
Those items add up to between €2,000 and €7,000 for one shoot day. That matches the €3,000 to €6,000 many agencies charge. Delivery usually takes two to six weeks.
The generated route. You paste the company website into GetReelCom and review the drafted Director’s Guide. Next, you write three scenes, approve three still frames and generate three ten-second scenes. The cost is 33 to about 40 credits, which fits within the free allowance. The work fits in an afternoon, including rewrites.
The two results are not the same video. The filmed version shows the actual office and the actual founders. The generated version shows a stylised office and avatars of the founders. Which one is right depends on the first of the five questions above.
What AI video cannot do
AI video has hard limits, and a fair comparison names them.
- It cannot record reality. A generated scene is an interpretation of your photos. It is not evidence of your premises, your product or your people.
- It cannot capture a real testimonial. A customer’s own words, in their own voice and face, need a camera.
- It does not hold long takes. Generated video is made in short scenes. In GetReelCom every scene is ten seconds.
- It does not reproduce exact detail. A product is drawn from its description, so a precise mechanism may be simplified. Every frame needs a check.
- It shows no text or logos. GetReelCom keeps lettering out of generated scenes, because small generated text comes out misspelled. Your logo and titles are added in your own editor.
- It has no director. The judgement about what the video should say stays with you.
GetReelCom does not present its output as footage. The style is cinematic 3D animation, and there is no photoreal mode.
When to film, when to generate, when to do both
Film when the point is the real thing. That covers the factory tour, the customer testimonial, the founder speaking to camera and the event recap.
Generate when the point is the message and the schedule. That covers next week’s feature launch, a scene per audience, a portrait version for social, and the LinkedIn post that should carry your colours and your people.
Do both when you can. Many teams film one flagship video a year and generate the weekly pieces around it. A generated version of the story also makes a clearer brief for a film crew than a paragraph of text does.
Common mistakes
- Comparing prices without comparing products. A €15 animation and a €5,000 film answer different needs.
- Expecting footage from a generator. If viewers must believe they see your real office, film it.
- Skipping the frame check. Generation is cheap, but a wrong detail in motion is still wrong. Approve the still first.
- Using uncleared photos. A real person’s likeness needs their consent on both routes.
- Filming what changes monthly. Prices, features and team pages go stale. Generated scenes are cheaper to replace.
Frequently asked questions
Is AI video cheaper than traditional video production?
Yes. A filmed company video usually costs €3,000 to €15,000 from a Dutch agency, and $1,000 to $5,000 per finished minute in American guides. A 30-second AI company video costs about €12 to €15 in GetReelCom, and the first one is free. The two are different products, so compare what each one shows as well.
Can AI video replace a film crew?
For message-led videos, yes: explainers, product scenes, introductions and social posts. For anything that must show the real thing, no. A testimonial, a tour of your premises or a founder on camera still needs a crew, because AI video is generated animation.
How much faster is AI video than a traditional production?
A traditional production takes two to eight weeks from brief to delivery. A generated scene takes about a minute to render after you approve its frame. A 30-second video of three scenes is realistic in one afternoon, including rewrites.
Does an AI video look as good as a filmed one?
It looks different, not worse or better. A filmed video is live action. A GetReelCom video is cinematic 3D animation, closer to an animated film than to a recording. It looks professional when the inputs are specific: a real venue photo, an avatar per person and a concrete scene.
Can I combine AI video with filmed footage?
Yes. Every GetReelCom scene downloads as an MP4, so you can cut generated scenes and filmed footage together in your own editor. A common split is a filmed testimonial with generated scenes that explain the product around it.
Do I have to say that a video is AI-generated?
Sometimes. The EU AI Act requires disclosure of deep fakes: generated content that resembles real people or places and could pass as authentic. Those transparency duties apply from 2 August 2026. Platforms have their own labelling rules too. Labelling generated video is the safe habit, and this guide is not legal advice.
Sources
External figures were checked on 30 September 2026. Currencies are shown as each source states them.
- Searchlab, Wat kost een bedrijfsvideo laten maken (18 March 2026): corporate film €3,500 to €15,000 and the Dutch line items.
- Videobrouwerij, Wat kost een bedrijfsvideo (updated 10 June 2026): many agencies charge €3,000 to €6,000 or more; two to six weeks.
- Aether Agency, Corporate video production cost UK (7 September 2026): four to eight weeks from brief to delivery.
- Vidico, Corporate video cost (21 September 2026): $1,000 to $5,000 per finished minute; four to eight weeks.
- European Commission, AI Act, Article 50 and the code of practice on AI-generated content (31 July 2026): disclosure of deep fakes, applicable from 2 August 2026.
See it on your own website: create your free company video →
Related guides
- How much does an AI video cost?
- How to make a professional video without a film crew
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