Broadcast and digital commercials, brand campaigns, and product spots for Des Moines brands that need to look national without paying a New York agency. Concept, casting, direction, cinematography, and finishing under one roof in Downtown. Tone Films is the Des Moines commercial video production team behind spots for Tabasco, Grey Goose × Patrón, and Hendrick’s Gin.
Get a Des Moines Commercial Quote (650) 918-9201Most Des Moines commercial video production falls into one of two traps: a freelancer with a camera and no creative process, or a national agency that bills for three layers of account management before anyone touches a script. Tone Films sits in between. A director leads every spot from concept through color, the crew is local, and the invoice is a single fixed fee agreed before the first shoot day.
We produce for Des Moines consumer brands, insurance and financial services, agribusiness, healthcare systems, universities, and the sports organizations that anchor the city. Spots are built to run on broadcast, CTV, YouTube pre-roll, Instagram, TikTok, and out-of-home at the same time, with every version cut from one shoot. That is the core of Des Moines commercial video production done well: one idea, one production day, a dozen deliverables.
Thirty- and fifteen-second spots finished to broadcast spec for Iowa PBS, KCCI, WHO 13, and streaming inventory. Closed captions, slates, and traffic files included.
Sixty- to ninety-second anchor films that set the tone for a quarter of marketing, then cut down into the shorter versions your media plan needs.
Hero product video for agricultural equipment, consumer goods, and insurtech apps, with macro cinematography, motion graphics, and clean plates for localization.
Vertical 9:16 and square campaigns shot for Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn — planned with hooks in the first two seconds and native captioning.
Fast-turn spots for Des Moines restaurants, hotels, and retail groups timed to seasonal pushes, openings, and Iowa Cubs-season promotions.
Paid recruitment spots for hospitals, insurers, and universities competing for the same Des Moines talent pool. See Des Moines corporate video.
Des Moines commercial video production at Tone Films runs two ways: direct for brands that want one partner from concept to delivery, and white-label for Des Moines agencies that need a production arm without adding headcount.
Des Moines is an easy city to shoot in, but public property still has rules. Exterior shoots on streets, parks, Gray’s Lake, and Western Gateway Park go through the City of Des Moines Parks and Recreation permit office, Sports & Entertainment, and campaigns above the spend threshold can qualify for the Iowa production incentive through the Iowa Film Office. Drone shots need FAA Part 107 licensing plus LAANC clearance, and most of Downtown sits inside Des Moines International’s (DSM) controlled airspace.
A Downtown crew also knows which Sherman Hill Victorian blocks photograph like a postcard at golden hour, which East Village rooftops allow a jib, and which Drake and Iowa State locations require a university sign-off. That local knowledge is what keeps Des Moines commercial video production on schedule and on budget when a national crew would lose a day to a denied permit.
A creative brief call, then a script, storyboard, and shot list you approve before anything is booked. Two concepts on request.
Casting through Des Moines and Dallas talent agencies, location scouting, permits, wardrobe, props, and a crew call sheet with a locked schedule.
One to three shoot days with Sony cinema cameras, cinema lenses, full lighting and grip, sound, and a director on set. Drone where airspace allows.
Editorial, color grade, sound design and mix, motion graphics, captions, and every aspect ratio and length your media plan calls for. Two revision rounds included.
Des Moines commercial budgets run well below New York and Chicago, which is why national brands increasingly shoot their Midwest campaigns here. Most Tone Films spots for Des Moines brands land between $8,500 and $45,000 depending on shoot days, cast, and deliverables. Every quote is itemized and fixed-fee.
One shoot day, one location, one :30 or :15 finished to broadcast spec plus a vertical social cut.
Two to three shoot days, cast, multiple locations, a :60 anchor film, :30 and :15 cutdowns, and a full set of social versions.
One shoot day producing six to twelve vertical spots with native hooks and captions for a quarter of paid social.
Single spots start around $6,500. Full campaigns with cast, multiple locations, and a cutdown package run $20,000 to $45,000. Media buying is separate; we deliver traffic-ready files to your buyer or agency.
Four to six weeks from creative brief to delivered masters is typical: two weeks of pre-production, one to three shoot days, and two to three weeks of post. Rush timelines of two weeks are possible for single spots.
Yes. We cast through Des Moines talent agencies, Tone Talent Agency in Dallas, and our own network, manage SAG-AFTRA or non-union paperwork, and handle usage rights and buyouts so your spot can run without surprises later.
Yes. We deliver to each station’s spec — closed captions, slates, loudness-compliant audio, and the correct codec — and can traffic files directly to the outlet or your media buyer.
Yes. Des Moines agencies bring us in as their production arm regularly. Your team leads the client relationship; we deliver the production and stay invisible in the credits if you prefer.
All of Des Moines plus West Des Moines, Urbandale, Johnston, Waukee, Clive, Ankeny, Altoona, and Norwalk — anywhere within 50 miles of Downtown.
Tone Films Des Moines · 500 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309 · Open 24 hours
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