We provide a wide variety of transcription services for documentary and corporate video filmmakers. (Links in the list below provide additional information.)
- Production Interviews: One-on-One interviews, ‘talking heads’
- On-the-fly interviews: interviews conducted in the field on the spur of the moment.
- Unstructured footage with B-Roll: ‘cinema verite’, ‘fly-on-the-wall’
- Delivery Scripts: transcripts of the finished edited show (a.k.a ‘as-broadcast’, ‘continuity transcripts’)
- Closed Captions – We can provide captions for your edited shows. See separate page regarding caption pricing.
When transcribing interview footage, the interviewee’s responses are typed verbatim and the questions are paraphrased. We offer two types of verbatim, Clean Verbatim and True Verbatim.
A “Clean Verbatim” transcript is a verbatim transcription of your audio. We do ~not~ paraphrase the interviewee responses!! Our transcribers will transcribe your interviewee or the person on-camera verbatim. Our default style is Clean Verbatim. Unless you really, really need otherwise, we recommend this choice.
A “True Verbatim” transcript is the same as a Clean Verbatim transcript except that we also transcribe a representation of the non-verbal utterances like the “uhms and uhs”, st-st-stutters, guffaws, filler phrases, and false starts. True Verbatim is an optional extra.
Review our True Verbatim vs Clean Verbatim page for more details.
Note: If you want the questions in a One-on-One interview transcribed Verbatim in addition to the answers, Type-2 pricing applies.
Pricing: Please select one of the following options:
Type 1 materials are typically produced by film or television crews using professional recording techniques and have the following characteristics:
- One-on-one interviews only
- Professionally recorded and duplicated.
- Quiet environment. No background noise of any kind.
- Native-English speaking interviewees (Standard American Dialect as well as Light British, Australian or New Zealand accents.)
- > 22khz sample rate for digital files.
For example, a Talking-Head style interview conducted by Barbara Walters or the like.
ALL interviews conducted on the move are not Type-1.
The interviewee's responses are transcribed verbatim. The interviewer's questions are paraphrased for clarity. If you need the questions or extranious crew talk transcribed verbatim as well, Type-2 pricing applies.
For other types of material see pricing below (On-the-Fly interviews, Reality Footage, etc.)
Pricing Details
Type-1 Audio: $1.25 per minute
| Minutes of Audio per File | Price | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes | $--.-- | ||||
| Timecode | Service | Verbatim Style | Audio Format | ||
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Prices based on recorded minutes of
audio on each digital file uploaded
submitted for transcription. |
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| Length | Price | Length | Price | Length | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 min | $6.25 | 30 min | $37.50 | 75 min | $93.75 |
| 10 min | $12.50 | 40 min | $50.00 | 90 min | $112.50 |
| 15 min | $18.75 | 50 min | $62.50 | 105 min | $131.25 |
| 20 min | $25.00 | 60 min | $75.00 | 120 min | $150.00 |
*Turnaround: For rush orders, please call in advance if you have more than 5 hours of material. Rush service is subject to availability. For normal orders, turnarounds are estimates and not guaranteed. See Turnaround info for more details.
** Audio Format: This only effects the minimum charge for very short transcriptions.
Type 2 pricing applies to all other One-on-One interviews including audio that has any of these characteristics:
- Two people being interviewed simultaneously (for more than 2 people see Multi-Person Interview).
- Heavy Accents
- Poor sound quality (tape or environment).
- Interviewer materially louder than Interviewee.
- Background Noise (office noise, music, etc.)
- Interview conducted on the move.
- Materials of a highly technical nature.
- Low quality digital files.
- Phone Interviews (see Phone Calls)
- Most interviews conducted outdoors
- There is not a formal interview format
Excessive Noise: Type 2 files with excessive noise in the background will be assessed an additional fee of $0.50 per minute of audio. Almost all interviews conducted in resturants will have the Excessive Noise fee applied.
In general, if we have to fix your audio in any way due to sound quality, then Type-2 pricing will apply.
Pricing Details
Type-2 Audio: $1.50 per minute
| Minutes of Audio per File | Price | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes | $--.-- | ||||
| Timecode | Service | Verbatim Style | Audio Format | ||
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Prices based on recorded minutes of
audio on each digital file uploaded
submitted for transcription. |
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| Length | Price | Length | Price | Length | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 min | $7.50 | 30 min | $45.00 | 75 min | $112.50 |
| 10 min | $15.00 | 40 min | $60.00 | 90 min | $135.00 |
| 15 min | $22.50 | 50 min | $75.00 | 105 min | $157.50 |
| 20 min | $30.00 | 60 min | $90.00 | 120 min | $180.00 |
*Turnaround: For rush orders, please call in advance if you have more than 5 hours of material. Rush service is subject to availability. For normal orders, turnarounds are estimates and not guaranteed. See Turnaround info for more details.
** Audio Format: This only effects the minimum charge for very short transcriptions.
Type-3 pricing applies to interviews conducted with more than two (2) interviewees being interviewed simultaneously. This type of transcription is similar to our Focus Group transcription.
Essentially, if more then 3 people are involved in the interview process, it would bill at our Type-3 rate. For example: Three Interviewers and Two interviewees would bill at Type-3 even though there are only two interviewees.
Pricing Details
Type-3 Audio: $3.00 per minute
| Minutes of Audio per File | Price | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes | $--.-- | ||||
| Timecode | Service | Verbatim Style | Audio Format | ||
| Clean Verbatim | |||||
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Prices based on recorded minutes of
audio on each digital file uploaded
submitted for transcription. |
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| Length | Price | Length | Price | Length | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 min | $15.00 | 30 min | $90.00 | 75 min | $225.00 |
| 10 min | $30.00 | 40 min | $120.00 | 90 min | $270.00 |
| 15 min | $45.00 | 50 min | $150.00 | 105 min | $315.00 |
| 20 min | $60.00 | 60 min | $180.00 | 120 min | $360.00 |
*Turnaround: For rush orders, please call in advance if you have more than 5 hours of material. Rush service is subject to availability. For normal orders, turnarounds are estimates and not guaranteed. See Turnaround info for more details.
** Audio Format: This only effects the minimum charge for very short transcriptions.
Reality pricing applies to any unstructured footage that requires transcription which is not interview format. This kind of footage can only be transcribed from a digital video file or DVD dub.
Examples:
- Following a chef around a kitchen while she interacts with the staff.
- Forensic Examiner investigating a crime scene.
- Non-interview reality TV footage (Survivor, Big Brother, The Real World).
Pricing Details
Reality TV Audio: $3.35 per minute
| Minutes of Audio per File | Price | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes | $--.-- | ||||
| Timecode | Service | Verbatim Style | Audio Format | ||
| Clean Verbatim | |||||
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Prices based on recorded minutes of
audio on each digital file uploaded
submitted for transcription. |
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| Length | Price | Length | Price | Length | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 min | $16.75 | 30 min | $100.50 | 75 min | $251.25 |
| 10 min | $33.50 | 40 min | $134.00 | 90 min | $301.50 |
| 15 min | $50.25 | 50 min | $167.50 | 105 min | $351.75 |
| 20 min | $67.00 | 60 min | $201.00 | 120 min | $402.00 |
*Turnaround: For rush orders, please call in advance if you have more than 5 hours of material. Rush service is subject to availability. For normal orders, turnarounds are estimates and not guaranteed. See Turnaround info for more details.
** Audio Format: This only effects the minimum charge for very short transcriptions.
Continuity Transcripts are for edited shows. This classification applies to final cuts, rough cuts, and assembles.
Our experience has been that most documentary and television producers choose 'Lite Continuity' or 'Lite Continuity w/TimeCode' for their finished programs. See link for more detail.
Pricing Details
Lite Continuity Audio: $4.00 per minute
| Minutes of Audio per File | Price | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes | $--.-- | ||||
| Timecode | Service | Verbatim Style | Audio Format | ||
| Clean Verbatim | |||||
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|
Prices based on recorded minutes of
audio on each digital file uploaded
submitted for transcription. |
|||||
| Length | Price | Length | Price | Length | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 min | $20.00 | 30 min | $120.00 | 75 min | $300.00 |
| 10 min | $40.00 | 40 min | $160.00 | 90 min | $360.00 |
| 15 min | $60.00 | 50 min | $200.00 | 105 min | $420.00 |
| 20 min | $80.00 | 60 min | $240.00 | 120 min | $480.00 |
*Turnaround: For rush orders, please call in advance if you have more than 5 hours of material. Rush service is subject to availability. For normal orders, turnarounds are estimates and not guaranteed. See Turnaround info for more details.
** Audio Format: This only effects the minimum charge for very short transcriptions.