How Much Does It Cost to Rent a Film Studio? Rates, Day Rates & What Drives Them

Professional studio rentals can cost anywhere from $100 per hour to $5,000 per day. This range is wide because film studio rental rates depend heavily on stage type, project scope, and many other factors.

This guide will help marketing and agency teams build and defend a realistic production budget for their next project.

 

What Film Studio Rental Rates Look Like Right Now

How much it costs to rent a film studio ultimately varies by your production's quality and the type of studio you're filming at. Marketplace spaces charge upwards of $100 per hour, while professional stages charge anywhere from $500 to $5,000 per day [Giggster, Peerspace, PixThis, Studio Hero].

Factors that contribute to rental rates include:

• Location and availability: Studios in New York and Los Angeles can charge $10,000 to $12,000 per day for standard studio space because of high demand. Areas with lower demand, such as Austin or Toronto, have more affordable rates ranging from around $1,000 to $7,500.
• Timeline: Different studio packages offer hourly, daily, or project-based rates. A short, 30-second film captured in four hours will reasonably cost less than a multi-day campaign.
• Equipment and studio: Some soundstages offer only the bare minimum for their filming space, while others offer advanced equipment and specialized services. Equipment rental costs may range from $500 to $5,000 per day, depending on what you need and the equipment's capabilities. Meanwhile, virtual production studios let you film in front of almost any background environment without changing locations, with daily rates ranging from around $2,000 to $50,000, depending on size.
• Production crew: Many studios offer (and even require you to use) their own internal teams, such as when operating advanced equipment. These studio packages often cost more, but the price is often worth it for the experienced on-set support.
• Studio flexibility: Many studios offer flexible pricing packages that adapt to your project's budget, timeline, and needs, helping you maximize every dollar spent on your production.

 

Day Rates vs. Project Pricing: How Studios Structure the Bill

Film studios may charge you to rent their soundstage in several ways, depending on their preferences and your project's needs:

• Hourly rates typically charge you based on a predetermined number of hours. Some packages include a fixed minimum number of hours and overtime fees, which are important to be aware of.
• Day rates charge you in fixed eight- to twelve-hour blocks, usually for less than the hourly rate would cost in that same timeframe. Like hourly rates, day rates also often include fixed start and end times and overtime fees.
• Project and multi-day pricing structures assess your project's broader needs across multiple production days to offer an estimate or fixed rate. Project pricing usually differs significantly from the typical daily rate, so don't rely on headline day rates alone when planning your unique project.

Many crews forget that the production day doesn't begin when you first call "action." Instead, it starts as soon as you begin loading in equipment, and it ends once everything is packed up and loaded out. Planning extra time for setup and takedown is crucial to stay on schedule and avoid overtime charges.

 

What a Quoted Rate Includes — and What Shows Up as an Add-On

As you assess film studio rental rates, pay close attention to what's actually included. Most studios cover the same basic bundles, then offer itemized add-ons such as camera packages and specialized crew.

Identifying what goes into your rental package — and recognizing when studios charge more by categorizing typical essentials as add-ons — will help you accurately compare quotes on equivalent scopes.

What's Typically Included

Though packages may vary by facility, most soundstage rentals include the following:

• Studio space: Studio rentals give you access to the physical soundstage space. Check the measurements for each studio — larger spaces can cost more but give you more creative freedom in camera angles and movement.
• Support areas: Most studios also offer physical spaces outside of the soundstage for equipment, crew, and talent. Examples include lounges, green rooms, dressing rooms, and storage docks.
• Power: LED lights, camera batteries, computer systems, and virtual backdrops require a lot of power. You need the right electrical setup to avoid blowing a fuse.
• Base infrastructure: Beyond electricity, most professional studios feature Wi-Fi, air conditioning, heating, accessible loading areas, and safety gear.
• Insurance: Film insurance is essential for most shoots, though many studios provide it themselves. Insurance can raise your package's cost by $250 to $1,500, though this is almost always included in your upfront quote.

Common Add-Ons

Many packages also offer itemized add-ons, such as extra equipment or specialized services. These can increase how much it costs to rent the studio space while expanding your production capabilities:

• Camera packages: Many studios offer their own cameras, along with the appropriate lenses, tripods, and other equipment. These add-ons often cost less than renting the camera gear from another business or buying your own equipment outright. Some studios, such as virtual production studios, may even require specific equipment that synchronizes with the rest of their systems.
• Grip and electric (G&E): Grip and electric departments handle the lights, stands, cables, and other heavy equipment on set so the rest of the crew can focus on their creative responsibilities. Working with a studio's internal G&E crew ensures you have a team that understands your unique space and equipment.
• Specialized crew: Studios with specialized services or equipment may require specific crew to operate everything you need. For example, virtual product studio teams often consist of volume operators, Unreal Engine operators, and VP supervisors.
• Overtime: Some studio packages offer extra time beyond typical daily hours for additional fees. Many studios may also charge more if you load out after your time slot ends — so if you're unsure how long your shoot will run, it may be worth paying a little more upfront for overtime.

How Much Does It Cost to Rent a Soundstage vs. an LED Stage?

Film studio rental rates are often much higher for virtual studios with LED volume stages than for traditional soundstages. Sound stages often start at $500 per day. Meanwhile, small photo studios in secondary markets can run $300 to $400 per day, but these typically lack the ceiling height, power, and load-in access needed for film production.

Standard sound stage rental rates vary by location, equipment, and other factors. Virtual production capabilities often put LED stages at the higher end of this scale because of the cost of equipment, power, and crew training.

Although LED stages cost more upfront than standard sound stages, they're still typically more cost-effective than traditional production strategies with hefty location costs. After all, when you're filming with an LED volume, you can make your film take place practically anywhere in the world. This lets you eliminate the expenses of filming at multiple off-site locations, such as permits, travel, insurance, generators, and contingency budgets. You can also avoid weather risks that can disrupt your production schedule and minimize post-production work for a faster turnaround.

What Actually Moves Your Quote — and Your Total Production Cost?

Many factors can move your quote when browsing different studios or discussing packages. Pay attention to the following major pricing variables:

• Stage size: Larger studio spaces give you greater flexibility when setting up the camera, but this extra cost may not be necessary if you're only planning close-ups or basic shots with minimal movement.
• Stage and equipment specs: Review the specs and quality level of the LED volume, camera gear, and other on-set equipment. Studios with higher specs often charge more, and these costs often show up in your film's visual quality.
• Support staffing: A production crew can provide on-set support and help at each stage of the production process (depending on what each studio offers). Experienced producers can help you prepare for every aspect of your shoot during pre-production, plan for potential setbacks, and maximize what you can achieve. Extra hands on set (and in post-production) can further streamline your creative process and ensure every aspect of your film is in the right, experienced hands.
• Prep, shoot, and strike days: The on-set production process consists of three key steps: prepping and setting up equipment; shooting and capturing footage; and striking and loading all equipment out. Your production schedule and your rental package must account for this entire process, which can raise costs beyond initial expectations.
• Asset and content needs: Background assets for LED plates, stock footage, licensed music, and other content from digital libraries can further raise your costs. Fortunately, many studios offer access to libraries, such as Vū Studio, which makes these assets more affordable.

While these variables can shift your rental package costs, they can often reduce other costs when you consider your broader production budget. Soundstages and virtual production studios let you produce your film with fewer company moves, less weather exposure, and more predictable, scoped costs.

LED Volume-Specific Variables

Multiple additional variables can shift your quote when choosing a virtual production studio. For instance, consider the difference between using 2D playback and full Unreal Engine 3D workflows.

2D plates are often much more cost-effective. Virtual studios typically charge less to use stages with 2D plates, and the faster workflows of 2D playback let you capture more content in less time.

3D plates create greater immersion by rendering digital environments in real time. This is usually more expensive and time-consuming. However, the results are hard to ignore, and you can still streamline much of the process when you work with a team that knows how virtual production works.

Using the Illinois Film Tax Credit to Lower Your Net Cost

The Illinois Film Production Tax Credit offers a 35% transferable tax credit on qualified production and labor costs within Illinois, along with a 30% credit on limited non-resident salaries. This means that qualifying commercial and branded productions may be able to reduce their net production costs when using a film studio rental in Chicago.

According to our tax-credit guide, this credit could hypothetically lower a virtual production's total costs from $82,600 to $54,705 for a total savings of $27,895. Read our full guide on the Illinois film tax credit to learn more.

Getting a Real Number for Your Project

Published ranges and estimates for film studio rental rates can help with early budgeting. However, an accurate quote requires a defined scope and depends on many project-specific variables.

Forge Virtual Studios helps local brands and production companies embrace the magic of virtual production without paying Hollywood's rates. Our film studio rental in Chicago can help you capture your vision without compromise.

Contact Forge to get a scoped quote or book a studio tour.