Equipment rental fee question

Blade Borge

Blade Borge

Well-known member
Let's say you're doing a shoot and you bring your equipment along.

Do you charge for every piece?

Obviously Camera, lights, audio,

what about c-stand, mic boom stand, flags?
 
It depends on the deal with the client. I usually quote a package price that includes me, with camera, support and minimal light package. I have some supplementary audio gear and additional lights, but I would charge more for that. However, it depends on the gig. For a day or two, I charge for all the extras. If it is long form project, then I throw in my "Stuff" and make it up over the long haul.
 
Sure

Sure

Yeah, I charge for ALL equipment and time that goes into any shoot. That includes whatever minor stuff would cost money from a rental house. I just don't charge them rental house prices or even close. I don't say oh ok it's $5 for a c-stand for a day from X house. I just figure, eh, ok I'm bringing all this stuff, let's call it an even $200 for the day, or whatever. It's just built into my packaging, though, nothing changes. They pay the same regardless of whether we use something or not. It's all available, which is an advantage to them, because odds are I'm charging 50% of what stuff really rents for, but I may use 75% of the stuff. I don't mind, it's worth it for a better quality production. I just want to make SOMETHING on my equipment to afford its wear and tear and upgrading pieces, etc.

So bottom line, sure, they're paying for the equipment I have and bring to the shoot, but they're paying a low enough amount so that even if we only used the *for sure* pieces, they will still have gotten a good deal on equipment. Then the rest of the stuff is just a bonus. Hey, we happen to need a wide angle lens, cool we have one. Or alright we do actually need this additional lighting kit, well gee good thing we brought it! lol. It all fits into the back of a U-Haul anyway so may as well bring it and not need it, that's my philosophy.

I think on one corporate project our equipment rental cost per day was built in at $600 or something around there for HVX200 and backup HVX200, P2 cards, laptop for capturing and backup laptop (it was a 7 state trip, kind of important stuff), jib, dolly, 3 lighting kits, c-stands, flags, lots of grip equipment and power supply stuff, etc. That's a pretty sweet deal! But it was also a big contract and it's only fair to pass along those savings to the client.
 
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I charge for my Steadicam kit, camera, audio and ARRI lighting packages as "package" units that include basic++ accessories, though each kit has an itemized inventory. I don't ala carte those kits. If someone needs an extra stand or some sand I usually don't nickle and dime them on it unless they need more than just a few or they are cheaping out overall.

Sometimes I'll bring along a few extra items that are for MY convenience / comfort though they benefit production to some degree. For instance; my EZ-UP tent in mid-July. I'm not going to sit there in the blazing sun just because they are too stupid or cheap to rent a few of them. One gets set up for me.

Also, I've been known to bring and extra monitor or two and other extras I know they'll eventually want and have them in the truck waiting for an opportunity to say "Hey, if you guys have it in the budget I've got an extra HD monitor in the truck that you can set up for the client".

Robert Starling, SOC
 
I charge what it takes to get the job done + what I want to make from it.

What it takes to do the job includes costs of my gear, disposables, rentals, my time, etc..

I always do my best to anticipate the clients needs, and be ready to cater to them (which has an added bonus of allowing me to charge for those extra services - but it's not about that, it's about what the client wants/needs). There's often a lot of gear in my car when I show up to a shoot that I have no plan of using ... but often just one of those things can save the day an make everyone happy.

One example is a while ago I was booked for a Steadicam shoot. (A concert.) Production had their own Steadicam gear. I knew it was old and not that great, but still they wouldn't rent my gear from me (why should they, they have their own. - And if I complained, they could have simply found an operator who didn't have their own gear, or wouldn't insist on using it). So I show up to the shoot and start setting their gear up. Upon inspection, it turns out their rig is damaged and inoperable - no way it's getting repaired in time for the concert that evening, let alone rehearsal in a couple of hours. The client's obvious reaction: "umm, where's your rig?" I simply smiled and said "in the car out back". They paid me for my gear, and the shot continued on schedule without trouble. Problem solved. Even me having to have gone home to pick up my rig would have cost me time & gas, and probably put the production and possibly even the event behind schedule. Not to mention the status of my batteries, etc... A bit of forethought (which comes from experience [which comes from lack of experience]) allowed me to be ready and make more money while keeping everyone happy.

A much less dramatic example of a situation that happened this summer. I'd been doing some contract work for a local company. They where aware that I would be leaving town for 5 weeks. Sure enough, 2 days before I leave I get a call: "Can you come install this thing for us, we need it in 4 weeks time." The install needed a part that wasn't available in town, and ordering takes 3 days at the absolute fastest to get here. I had the part in stock - not because I needed it, but because I knew it was the type of thing that my clients often need. Within 2 hours the install was done, client was happy and I was paid.


My point here is that - as mentioned above - the value isn't necessarily in what the client asks for or what is planned to be needed, but rather in knowing and anticipating what you might need - and having that available. It's of course a fine line, we can't simply call up B&H and say "I'll take one of everything" just in case, but with experience and good client relationships, you can be ready with what you need (or at lest know where to get it now) and be able to charge appropriately for it. And that's what separates the pros from the nots.

- Mikko
 
mikkowilson said:
A bit of forethought (which comes from experience [which comes from lack of experience]) allowed me to be ready
Click to expand...

Well said. :D

As someone who spent a lot of time in A/V rental, on the rare occasions where we did something that was purely video production, we charged rental for every item and then labor for the tech(s) on top of it. Personally, I always felt that this wasn't quite the way to do it, that the "real video pros" just rolled in and charged an hourly (or daily) rate that factored all the gear in. It seems I was wrong and the bosses right all along, and I am not at all pleased to find that out... :)
 
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The key - if you are quote package rate and not ala-cart - is to find out exactly what it is that the client wants, and then be able to bid out appropriately for that in a way that covers you and your gear to do the job. And then have a plan ready to go for all the extras. The hardest part (and the bit that well drawn out contracts really help) is where to draw that line in crossing from "the job" to "extra stuff" territory.

- Mikko
 
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