How much does a commercial cost in 2026? Traditional shoot vs AI

What drives the cost of a commercial?

The price of a commercial depends less on how many seconds it runs and more on how it is made. In a traditional production, these lines set the budget:

• Pre-production. Idea, script, storyboard and casting.
• Number of shoot days. Every extra day rewrites the crew, equipment and location costs.
• Crew and equipment. Director, director of photography, lighting, camera, a drone if needed.
• Cast and usage rights. Beyond the actors’ fees, where and for how long the ad will run changes the price.
• Locations and permits. Rental, permits and a spare day for the weather.
• Post-production. Edit, colour grading, sound design, music licensing, voice-over.
• Number of formats. A 30-second master, a 15-second cut, vertical and square versions each mean a separate edit.
• Revisions. The most expensive change is the one that needs a reshoot.

Published market prices in Turkey, 2026

We’re based in Istanbul, so here is what Turkish production companies publish on their own websites (compiled in October 2026, Turkish lira, excl. VAT). These are not quotes; prices change with scope, city and length.

The lowest prices usually cover short, single-camera shoots without a script. According to the published packages, the 30,000–60,000 TL range mostly means a shoot of a few hours to one day with a small crew. A campaign-level TV commercial with cast and several shoot days can run into hundreds of thousands of lira.

How does AI production change the cost?

In an AI-made commercial, some cost lines disappear entirely and others stay exactly as they were.

Cinela’s starting prices (excl. VAT):

What changes for the same budget?

The difference isn’t only the price; it’s what fits into it. In a traditional shoot, a budget like this usually means one location and a short shoot day. With AI, the same budget allows scenes that are expensive to stage: a night drive through Istanbul just after the rain, all the way to the Bosphorus, or boutique mannequins coming alive at midnight. Both are in the sample films on our site.

The second difference is time. A traditional shoot usually takes 4–8 weeks; an AI commercial is done 5–7 business days after the approved brief. Changes are made frame by frame, not with a reshoot.

When is a traditional shoot still the right call?

AI isn’t the right tool for every job. A traditional shoot may suit you better if:

• The physical detail of the product (texture, mechanism, real use) has to appear with documentary accuracy.
• You want to show a real event, your facility or your customers exactly as they are.

When story, atmosphere and world-building come first, AI is both faster and more flexible.

Five questions to ask when you request a quote

1. Which cuts are included? Are 16:9, 9:16 and 1:1 priced separately?
2. How many revision rounds? How are extra rounds priced?
3. How long do the usage rights last? Which channels and which period do the music and cast rights cover?
4. When does the delivery clock start? From the brief, or from script approval?
5. How do VAT and payment work? At Cinela, half is paid after the script is approved and the rest on delivery.

For package details see our AI commercials page; for the process, read the AI commercial production guide.

Sources

Prices were compiled from the companies’ websites in October 2026; check the source for current prices.

• Toga Film Yapım: commercial shoot prices
• Medyabox: promotional film prices 2026
• Ceymedya: promotional film prices
• Sezer Tez: promotional film prices
• Armut: ad shoot prices 2026