Trying to create a proposal...

HueyFilms

HueyFilms

Active member
So I have a past client who wants to work together again. He is an Opera singer who wants to stage a solo show in nyc... The show is 45 mins and while he sings on stage he wants a film projected behind him. basically he wants 5 Vignettes done that hint to themes such as global warming, war, etc... apparently his pr agent has organized some celebs to come and a couple of directors and producers - and he is working on securing more backing from organizations that support global warming etc...

So basically he wants 5 (9) minute experimental films completed by Sept. - how much would you charge? What kind of things should I take into consideration? I've never done a job this big (independently) so i'm just trying to get an idea. One thing he said is that he plans on taking the show on the road at some point- so I assume I should either budget an allotted amount giving him royalty use or should I wait on that and charge him per show...

Thoughts, comments, suggestions would be appreciated..

Thanks,

Justin
 
i am guessing that what you're potential client is looking for is something he can use royalty free for as many performances, etc. i say that because it is what i would ask for if i were your client in this situation.

what i would charge is irrelevant. it may be far less or far more than what would satisfy you. the factors i take into consideration in a case like this are two-fold:

type 1 - the conservative process:
1) what is the budget offered? if you don't know already - ask. if they say 'i don't know just give us a bid - cool, skip it.)
2) budget your costs. don't include 'soft time' or 'soft materials' -those which you provide. don't show this to the client - this is for you to discover your overhead.
3) does #1 minus #2 leave you with enough left over to pay yourself for your time and personal equipment? take into consideration how much time you have, how much time you will need to put into it, how long this will (or won't) keep you from other work, etc.
4) if no budget was offered what would you want #3 to look like?

type 2 - the liberal method:
1) what is the budget? (if you don't know ask!)
2) how much money do you want to make - factor in an educated guess at how much time you will be shooting, editing, etc. peg a day rate.
3) does #1 minus #2 leave you with enough money to pay for EVERYTHING else you need? grips, PA's, equipment rentals, permits, etc.
4) if not DO NOT lower #2 (at first.) go through your costs on #3... do you really need 3 PAs and a sound guy? Can you find a PA that has sound experience to fill in (only an example.) nowadays lot's of folks can be very versatile, and they love picking up $50-$100 extra a day - just make sure they know you're going to work the HELL out of them for that extra money. you usually end up with the same footage/material, saved money on multiple people AND probably made some long term working friends with the extra dough.

i tend towards the 2nd method. it is kind of unconventional. it also doesn't work well if you don't have a budget. this is also a method that really only works on small budget projects. for example, let's say i got 20k to do a project. i calculate the time, personal materials, and opportunity costs of taking the job. i decide, at the end, that i DESERVE at least 16k of that money for all the pre-pro, shooting, editing, etc. that i'm going to end up doing. that leaves me with only 4k. From there i budget my remaining costs. if i'm in the negative, even after getting creative with the costs, i have to decide - 'am i willing to do this for 15k, 14k, etc.' and believe me there is a breaking point. my biggest point to you here is, pay yourself first, and pay yourself what you deserve. i have seen several people get the same 20k budget. when we look at the 2 projects - mine looks as good, if not better, and i've just eaten a lunch and bought some new gear. the other guy is hungry and struggling to put his next project together because he paid for everything first, and took whatever was left.

last year the going rate for vid production was roughly $1k a minute. though i haven't seen this # updated, i'd tend to believe because of the price drops in equipment, and therefore more competition, that this rate is probably more like $500-$750 for a situation like this. perhaps you price from that perspective? 45 minutes at $500 a min - roughly 20K?

as far as royalties, etc. i have personal dislike of them, so you may still be able to play into that. i would definitely maintain rights to the raw footage, final product for use outside of this project, and ask for a % of any non-public performance revenue where your footage is used (e.g. dvds, but probably not t-shirts.) the royalty issue could be thrown in initially and used as a negotiating point. "oh, you won't go for 25K? ok, how about 25K, but you don't pay me royalties for each show?" little things like that can give you a lot of leverage in negotiating.

this sounds like a really cool project - good luck!
 
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I also am not into the "royalty" system of getting paid.

i work backwards to determine payment. Determine what makes up your final project, break it down as much as possible, and think about how much time it takes to shoot/edit part 1, part2, etc. Multiply the time spent working with your rates. Then submit that total as an "estimate", and adjust accordingly as the work progresses so that you are not over/undercharging. As long as your estimate is within 10% I've foudn that clients are all good with this method.
 
Are there any sample proposals and sample contracts online anywhere? I got this software called Movie Pro Forms but its real generic and doesn't really do me any good.
 
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