How much do you charge?

Chadfish

Chadfish

Veteran
I was hijacking another thread talking about this, so I figured I'd start anew thread. I'll aste my sad story of how much I make at this time due to a slow market.

I work, half time now, at a multimedia agency doing video for 15 bones an hour, and I do the work you see on my signature in my ChadWork1 youtube page. Business is slow at Precision Intermedia, where I work so my boss cut me to half time. But now I am doing the same ads I was doing for 15 an hour for 350.00 (for about 6 hrs work) as an independent. The 6 hours is for a "simple" 30 spot with store shots, VO & music bed. I charge 500 for motion graphics, also shown on my youtube page. We at Precision started out trying to charge 1,000.00 and NOBODY ever bought an ad because Suddenlink offers them for 350.00 and Fox offers them for 250.00. They make shitty ads but they're cheap, so business go for it. It's about selling air time for local TV, not quality. BUT since I'm used to earning 100.00 a day after tax at full time, getting 350.00 for 6 hrs work is like budda... Especially since I'm used to getting about 85 for that through my "job" at Precision. Now people are hearing about me and I am doing well. THANKS EX1!

I'm doing this in Eureka Ca, where the economy is depressed. My rate for people (like the local Humboldt State University) who can afford real video production is 70.00 an hour. How much do you charge? What kinds of jobs do you find as an independent contractor / business owner? Are you in a large or small market? What does a guy out in the sticks do to get some good jobs?

I just thought it would be an interesting thread, and something other than the EX1R to talk about. God I want that camera!

Chad.
 
I read the other post that said you were nuts for "only" charging $350 for a job... I'm conflicted about answering people with that kind of attitude. I've seen this kind of response from people from different job fields, which is, "when you lower your price for a job you hurt everybody else that's making a living", or something to that effect... I'm surprized the writer didn't blame Sony for making affordable high quality equipment!!! I have too many friends who shoot with betacams for news, commercials, weddings, anything, for $250 a day rate! Sometimes those days are driving to LA from San Diego (3 1/2 hours back and forth) from 8:00a.m. to midnight! $250!!! Sometimes those days are only 5 hours long, but my point is, these are guys with connections and they can barely stay afloat... You charge what the market will bear, check your pride and do what you have to do to take care of you and your family. Any complainer about what you do is NOT going to send you a check to help you out. I applaud your efforts and admire your work ethic. I'm sure as you progress in the field, you'll get better paying jobs. It's a natural evolution for the talented. As for me in San Diego, I charge anywhere from $250 to $450 a day depending on location, gear, time and what kind of shoot it is. (I won't even mention what I get from my church...)
Good Luck to you Chadfish! And I'm looking forward to getting the EX1R just as soon as it comes out! -Tony
 
It varies but I do not try to compete in areas where there are no dollars.

Making 30 sec ads is one of them.

The broadcasters give these away for the ad time, so you have to work within their pay limits.

If you can do three to five a week you are fine, but once and a while, $350 does not do it.

Try to find a niche and go for it.

Rates as you know are based upon what people will pay.

So the bottom line is, you need to find people who can and will pay!
 
I echo what's been said above. Your market will dictate what you can charge. You're in a very tough market. Here in Sacramento it's at least 4 times that. Maybe it's also time to stretch a bit... What if you also go into doing the air time buy and collect another 15% on that amount. Don't forget, the advertisers don't really care about a "quality" spot. They want a spot that "works" for them. If they could get the same sales response without advertising at all, they would in an instant. Since that's not the case, all they care about is what works. That's how we sell ourselves here. We say "We're primarily MARKETING people...who happen to do video well ! They sit up and listen when they hear that.
 
Doing media buys can get sticky. That's how my boss got in trouble. He would have a client, then make the buy. The ad runs and the client bails on paying. Anyway right now I'm just doing production for a couple of stations and whatever comes through the door at the Marketing Agency I work at. I'm building up my gear stash so I can be independent, gear wise. I really just need a good light set. Well, that's BS - there is always something cool that will improve your setup. But I have everything to get the job done but lights. An EX1R to go with my EX1 would be nice to start doing live events.



I'm just curious what people charge in their markets. What's your hourly rate? How much do you do a 30spot for? 10 Min video with interviews, photos, and stock footage of the subject? (I'm doing that 1,000.00). I want a flavor for what is going on money-wise in different areas around the country.
 
Well, as people say, you need to know your market and what it will bear. I started
out like you, working for a TV station, but had my own gear and did jobs 'on the side'.
The TV station I worked for found out and told me I had to stop because I was 'competing'
with their production (I was mainly shooting news but a little
production). I told them they could not tell me what I could do on my own time/
weekends, and that if they wanted me to sign a 'no compete' (which they
had never mentioned when they hired me) that they would have to pay me
more than $14 an hour. They responded by firing me. So now I do this as
my ONLY way to make money, and $350 spots just don't do it for me. It might
be fine if it was just for a little extra money and there was another job to help pay bills,
but as my only source of income, I can't get enough $350 spots to pay the bills.
So I charge MORE than the cheap local stations, and attempt to make my spots
stand out enough that I can get clients to pay my higher rate. Because if I did the
same 'low quality cheap spots' that the local stations did, there would be NO
reason to hire me, as they can get free airtime if they buy from the station.
SO, I took the OPPOSITE route and charge more ON PURPOSE to attempt
to attract the few businesses and organizations that want a little bit more
from their TV advertising and are willing to pay for it. Now I am by NO means
great, but it's not hard to beat what local TV does.....they don't set the bar
very high. As for fees, the LOWEST spot I have done is $850 and most are more. Here is
one that I did that I charged about 2 thousand for:

http://exposureroom.com/members/alaskacameradude.aspx/assets/5b206e75efb24e708ed6364c12e8f75b/

I too am in a rural area.....30 thousand people in my town, and there is NO road
in or out so we don't even have a 'surrounding area' like most places. It also
makes it hard to get customers as most businesses don't feel they have to
advertise, because it's not like you can drive to the next town to their competitor,
it cost over $500 to get out of here on the jet.
 
I've set my rate at the industry standard of $125/hr, but I rarely get it.
I also have flat rates for consumer services like weddings. They range from $1,000 to $3,000, depending on options. But again, I rarely get work at those prices--most people look at my price lists and I never hear from them again.
Orchestra work is what I do mostly and that's getting tight. The regional orchestras have tight budgets. The larger ones are capped at $500. For the smaller orchestras, $100 is asking too much. I fielded calls from two orchestras last month and when I told them my rates, we were galaxies apart on what they could pay versus what I could do it for.
The notion of charging $250 for an 18 hour day is just ludicrous. You couldn't pay utility bills on that kind of money, unless you could magically work every day of the week and more magically could do it without dropping dead from exhaustion, or falling asleep at the wheel and killing some innocent driver or pedestrian on the road. If you're going to be in business, it has to be a living wage--you've got gear to pay for, your own medical, your own liability insurance, your own electricity for your editing/studio. $125 seems barely enough here in the NE. Maybe you can get away with $75 in Arkansas or Alabama, but not in the coastal cities.
The industry is slowly but surely moving away from service based to content based. Everyone will soon own their own camera and there won't be a need for 'camera for hire' folks. Ultimately, I see the market shifting to a content creator's market--the most creative content wins.
 
basspig said:
Everyone will soon own their own camera and there won't be a need for 'camera for hire' folks.
Click to expand...

You may may 110% correct, but I really can't see how that would ever happen. Just because I own a garage full of tools does not make me an auto mechanic. Or because I own a drawer of oils, brushes, and canvas does not make me a painter.

The Internet is inundated with videos and photographs by people who own cameras (motion and still). Only a fraction of a fraction of them are any good. And I'm not talking about content, I'm talking purely from a technical/esthetic point of view.

Simply owning a piece of equipment does not qualify one as being competent at using it.

Just my two cents.
 
I appreciate basspig's opinion but I believe Jay Gladwell is right, because I've seen this whole course of events happen before in the late 1990's when all the corporations and ad agencies went in-house with equipment and crews and edit suites to produce their own content. All those people were laid off in the last 10 years and all that equipment is in a basement or was sold on eBay. They learned the hard way that the creative people are the hungry ones, not the salaried ones with 401k's. I don't ever see it going back to that again here in Houston. I pray it doesn't.
 
I start out at $150. for a two hour shoot. That is because my kid is part of a group that wants some activity shot. Normally I get $500 for an event, like talent showcases in the city. But then again this is part time.
 
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Alaskacameradude.

I liked your spot! It doesn't seem like a 2,000.00 spot though. I think one can get higher prices with places like the Police dept, or say the local college or hospital, but a lot of business' are just mom & pop stores. Anyway - like I said good spot. But if I worked close to full time at the Marketing agency (15.00 an hour) I could take home about 2,000.00 a month, which is enough for me to live on and buy some toys here and there. I could probably do that Police spot in 2 or 3 days. I would LOVE to get that job. But I see what you're saying. Since I have got cut to half time at the agency I took my rate card around to 3 stations, and I have got 2 jobs in the last month from that. Not enough to live on. I'm in an awkward place because my boss is forcing me to get my own work, which does compete because I am doing work for a station that I was already doing work for through the agency. They don't want to work with him now because he didn't collect from his client, and therefore didn't pay for the time he bought - so his name is mud with them. So I do what I need to to survive, while hoping he doesn't see my ads on TV! I also didn't sign any paperwork about moonlighting etc. Luckily I also have other clients that don't compete that fill in the blanks.

It's a tough situation with the country in trouble from the last administrations financial dealings and Wall St's rigging of the market, and the current administration's lack of action to fix things. One has to scramble for sure. I think were lucky in some respects as video producers because we get to go into lots of different situations, and there's always someone wanting video. If your gear is paid for you're ahead of the game.

How about throwing out some examples of what KINDS of jobs you guys are doing. (I'd say "people" but I have yet to meet a female camera operator here on the forums, or in my town). What kind of work do you get that is not typical TV ads, Weddings, etc. Do any of you do depositions? That's a video job that requires little skill, and doesn't pay bad. What kinds of places could someone call that may actually need video? What kind of price did you charge? Was it easy money? Broke even? Not worth it?

And why don't I see any female camera operators around?
 
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basspig said:
I've set my rate at the industry standard of $125/hr, but I rarely get it.
I also have flat rates for consumer services like weddings. They range from $1,000 to $3,000, depending on options. But again, I rarely get work at those prices--most people look at my price lists and I never hear from them again.
Orchestra work is what I do mostly and that's getting tight. The regional orchestras have tight budgets. The larger ones are capped at $500. For the smaller orchestras, $100 is asking too much.
Click to expand...

Mark - do you have money from some other source that funds your video work? You have 3 expensive cameras and a lot of cool toys, but you don't do lots of video jobs. I've always been curious about you because there are no photos of you, I think I saw some Bass Lair photo from the 70s, so you've been doing your BassPig thing for at least 40 years. Are you retired and doing video as a hobby? Do you need video to survive? Did you invent the lowest bass sub woofer ever, and are living off the patent checks? What is the BassPig story? How old are you?
 
Start with what your market can afford then slowly raise your rates as your ability (hopefully) improves- despite what many believe, its not based on the gear but the end-product. After shooting for five years I can tell you I am getting what I ask for these days. But I'm constantly finding ways to improve, to educate myself, and to grow creatively- anything that can help my clients.

Getting paid to shoot a spot is one thing, but to develop a catchy piece is something else entirely- that is marketing/innovation/research and requires something extra. I show prospective clients examples of the work that the local cable companies produce (and they charge $1000 per commercial for their cheap versions in my area) and then I show the work that my company does. For them its a no-brainer, but you need to be a salesman and be confident in your work. The local cable company actually refers their customers to me when they want a more creative approach. Get out and network with business owners. My portfolio appeals to the middle to high-end business/corporate client and they don't want $350 commercials because they know you get what you pay for. The last thing my clients want is to look 'local'.

More than anything, I ALWAYS give my clients more than what they pay for and thusly, word of mouth is how I do 90% of my business. It was because of these recommendations that I just a got a gig shooting for a show on the Discovery Channel and am in talks to do some shooting with a show on NBC.

Rome wasn't built in a day... But as Dory from Finding Nemo said, "Just keep swimming." Hope this helps, cheers-

Ash
www.iniosante.com
 
I do not personally advertise my rates as I think it becomes about cost instead of end-product, so here is a ratecard from another talented associate in Dallas, Texas. Dale Casper is a great shooter and his reputation is top-notch in the industry. This should provide you with some good food for thought... http://www.bcvaweb.com/RatesPage.html

Ash
www.iniosante.com
 
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Chad, in response to your reply to Alaska's posts.

I think you need to get out of that per-hour mentality.

This industry is not 'name that tune' in terms of getitng work done.

This is how the "suits" think it should be.

The real value is creativity and experience. It is tough to express this over the internet. I will try with a musical example.

I like the guitarist Pat Metheny. If another guitarist can play as fast and as many notes as Pat, do I want him on my record?

What you bring to the table is intangible, and quoting and charging is based upon this. I don't quite understand what you meant by alaska's spot was not a $2,000 spot.

30 sec national spots can be in the millions, but if you compared the time it takes to shoot one, equal time at a $15 per hour job would not equal out.

The difference is the people charging and doing the work have a level of creativity and experience that worth that much to the company needing the spot.

Bottom line, increase your skillset so people prefer to pay to use you. It is really the only thing we have control over.
 
Chadfish said:
Mark - do you have money from some other source that funds your video work? You have 3 expensive cameras and a lot of cool toys, but you don't do lots of video jobs. I've always been curious about you because there are no photos of you, I think I saw some Bass Lair photo from the 70s, so you've been doing your BassPig thing for at least 40 years. Are you retired and doing video as a hobby? Do you need video to survive? Did you invent the lowest bass sub woofer ever, and are living off the patent checks? What is the BassPig story? How old are you?
Click to expand...

I'll be frank and admit that I'm a retired broadcast engineer, living his second reincarnation as a cinematographer, a dream I first attempted with a Bolex H8 in 1966.
My wife is young, Asian and is working toward her dreams, so she has a job. It doesn't pay much, but it covers SOME of the utility bills.
My other source of cash for this gear came from the sale of much of my vintage audio gear, which appreciated many times over the last 38 years of ownership. I've also sold my HDV cameras, raising another $7K there. And finally, I used what's left of settlement money from an auto crash two years ago.
Treacher Collins Syndrome runs in my family. It's a horrible deformity and a garantee of a lifetime of surgeries.
And finally, I've adopted the US Government rules of accounting... spend, spend, spend, and when you run out of money, spend on credit. I can always hope that one day, one of the many seeds I planted with bear fruit and we can get out of debt. Our property tax delinquent debt is staggering, as the annual tax has been more then our combined net income for the last 9 years after quadrupling in 2000. I'm a militant enemy of property taxes for this reason.
That said, I'm doing what I love, and in that respect, I've never been happier. My most miserable days were the ones spent punching a clock.
 
Chadfish said:
Alaskacameradude.

I liked your spot! It doesn't seem like a 2,000.00 spot though. I think one can get higher prices with places like the Police dept, or say the local college or hospital, but a lot of business' are just mom & pop stores. Anyway - like I said good spot. But if I worked close to full time at the Marketing agency (15.00 an hour) I could take home about 2,000.00 a month, which is enough for me to live on and buy some toys here and there. I could probably do that Police spot in 2 or 3 days. I would LOVE to get that job. But I see what you're saying. Since I have got cut to half time at the agency I took my rate card around to 3 stations, and I have got 2 jobs in the last month from that. Not enough to live on. I'm in an awkward place because my boss is forcing me to get my own work, which does compete because I am doing work for a station that I was already doing work for through the agency. They don't want to work with him now because he didn't collect from his client, and therefore didn't pay for the time he bought - so his name is mud with them. So I do what I need to to survive, while hoping he doesn't see my ads on TV! I also didn't sign any paperwork about moonlighting etc. Luckily I also have other clients that don't compete that fill in the blanks.

It's a tough situation with the country in trouble from the last administrations financial dealings and Wall St's rigging of the market, and the current administration's lack of action to fix things. One has to scramble for sure. I think were lucky in some respects as video producers because we get to go into lots of different situations, and there's always someone wanting video. If your gear is paid for you're ahead of the game.

How about throwing out some examples of what KINDS of jobs you guys are doing. (I'd say "people" but I have yet to meet a female camera operator here on the forums, or in my town). What kind of work do you get that is not typical TV ads, Weddings, etc. Do any of you do depositions? That's a video job that requires little skill, and doesn't pay bad. What kinds of places could someone call that may actually need video? What kind of price did you charge? Was it easy money? Broke even? Not worth it?

And why don't I see any female camera operators around?
Click to expand...

No offense taken......but there are a few things you need to think about.

First, not sure about your area and expenses there, but where I live (no roads
in or out remember) everything is delivered by boat or jet and costs a lot.
For example, you know those Subway spots you see all over the air for
$5 Footlong sandwiches? They are between $8 and $9 here. To rent a
one bedroom apartment is about $1150 a month. So I'm not sure that
you'd be making much of a living at $2000 a month.....

Second, I'm assuming you are single. When I was single, I could make do
on next to nothing. Now that I have a wife and three kids, I'm not going
to work for the same amount of money I did 10 years ago......and I hope for your
sake that won't be either. $2000 in a month? I have over $3000 in EXPENSES
just for the following things:
High speed internet
Cell Phone
Electric bill
Heat
House payment
Car payments
Groceries
Gas

And that is BEFORE buying tapes, DVD's, printer ink, any of the gear I spend
money on (like computer, software, video decks, cameras, monitors, steadicam,
greenscreen, light kit, tripods, wireless mics, wired lavs, audio mixer, music
library, graphics library, which are all things I have bought, AND plenty more.
Also, when I do a spot, I come up with the idea, write the script, hire and
pay a professional VO guy, because I don't want my spots sounding like
the other local spots, as well as shoot, and edit them. Then I usually compress
and upload a MPEG-2 version to the local cable company and other networks,
make a tape and DVD dub for the client, deliver that to them, and also make
a web version for them and upload it to their website. And that's not
counting the fact that I usually meet once or twice with them BEFORE
starting on the spot, which means I have to drive to their location. All this
stuff adds up.

And when you run your own business, you put in countless unpaid 'paperwork'
hours. For example, I have to ADD 5% to all my invoices, and collect that from
the client, then fill out a form and turn in that 5% to the city. Make up and
mail out invoices,......either keep really good track of all your business expenses
including a milage log for your vehicle, or pay a CPA a pretty decent amount of
money, pay your own health insurance and other insurance if you want to
actually insure your gear, field phone calls and explain to people why you
CAN'T do their spot for $350, have your own retirement account if you actually
would like to retire at some point,........and then there is the whole 30%
'self employment tax' because you don't have an employer paying into
Social Security for you. Oh yeah, then you get to deal with late and no
paying clients which can just eat up a ton of time. I had one job
where I just NOW got paid for a job I did 6 months ago.....but I had to
keep paying MY bills over the course of those 6 months.....
The local PBS TV manager saw that exact same spot I showed you, and
asked how much I charged. I told him, and he told me that I was
SEVERELY undercharging and he would have charged a good bit more
for doing that same spot.

Now, I'm just letting you know, there is a LOT more to going into business for
REAL than just telling people you will 'make some spots for them'. Honestly,
if anything I am thinking about RAISING my rates a good amount. Remember,
there is 'doing spots' and there is running a business. I am attempting
to run an actual business that will be around in 10 years......and doing
spots for any less than I do, I will NOT be around to see what the local stations
are doing. They make their money off the airtime buy, I make NOTHING when
someone buys airtime.

As for what other video work I do......everything and anything. I shoot and edit
weddings. I do corporate DVD's. I do depositions (and they are not that easy,
you have to be VERY careful with the audio and there are very specific procedures
to follow........that being said, most of the work is in the set up not the shooting.)
I have done 'livecam' for conventions, freelance news coverage, fill in
camera and edit for the local PBS, create websites, audio production, and
pretty much any video and multimedia job you can think of. Diversity is the
key of course, the more things you can do, the more jobs you can get
to help pay the bills.

As for how to find the work......I volunteer and teach video and marketing
classes at the local SBDC (Small Business Development Center) go to business
networking things, get in good with the salespeople for some of the TV stations,
because the local cable station has outsourced all their production to another town,
which means they have no local person to produce spots when they sell them, so
they refer those clients to me. I also volunteer coach youth sports (don't laugh,
it's got me a ton of jobs as the parents of those kids are business owners) and
also volunteer for a low income housing organization. You just have to get
out in the community and let people know what you do......get involved in all
kinds of things in your community and it will help, believe me.

As for the economy, it's tough out there. You do what you have to do to survive.
For you, it might be making $350 spots. I can't make a go of that so have to
do things a little differently. But we all do what we can to stay afloat.
 
hi chadfish,

i agree with several others that you should take all emphasis "off" of the hourly thing. think "project" and "time slot needed" instead...if you are doing the job from top to bottom.

i have found when talking of hours for a project where shooting and editing time is somewhat "subjective" (as to how much time is needed) that its just better to cover what you think you will need *time slot* to keep you happy enough to take it on. i suggest that you get enough money that you will be happy to finish to a high standard that you set.

when i have a client that wants to sit there with me every step of the way to get exactly what "they want" then... i absolutely charge by the hour. they can either choose to finish it quick or ponder their choices and run up the hours which i will oblige if they choose to do so. things usually go at an honest pace where the client is happy with the hours used and there is no complaining since they are setting the pace.

if all a client can do is $15-$20 per hour (which you state as your day gig rate) then they arent really worth having and they will never pay you more than that. if someone thinks that is too much then they just dont get it and i dont waste my time.

beware of package prices though. you need to state some sort of time limit even if its somewhat abstract because there are those that will milk you to death and never finish if the terms are open ended.

someone else mentioned carving out your own "niche". yes, yes...yes! anything you can do to "stand out" and specialize is a good thing. a big part of your niche could also just simply "be your original style". find your flavor visually.

if your really having a hard time stirring up new clients i might suggest that you find a project to do "comp" if needed, which will allow you to put together a piece that will shine and get you work in a new and uncharted area.

my biggest rule for doing any comp work is to envigorate the market and open doors. you must have rhyme and reason in what you choose to do. the client must be a cut above most of whats out there. people that look better, talk better and act better than your average client would. they will make your work look much better and higher class.

good luck!
david
www.davidprobst.com
 
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Hey AlaskaDude.

Of course your spot is worth 2,000.00 AND BEYOND. I was just speaking in terms of what local business owners will pay around here. It seems that many people can't really tell when something is bad, and that's maddening because it means they accept the crap they get from the stations. It does look like your area is very expensive to live in. I am living with my girlfriend, as if we were married. No kids planned. We own our house, and we're doing OK but not saving. I am buying gear right now. And I agree that 2,000.00 take home is not enough. Well it's enough for me to live now, but my side jobs cover my toys. I am just doing littler stuff right now while I build up my gear stash. And Networking of course. I think each client I do a spot for is a relationship to build on. I'm not at a point where I will go to directly competing with my boss. I'm just picking stuff up by word of mouth.

And David I am not tied to the hourly rate thing, but it is a question they ask. I have a thing in my rate sheet that says any time over the usual time I put into a "simple" spot for 350.00 will be 70.00 an hour. Especially if the client wants to be in my space! I don't like them breathing down my neck.

I am able to get away without paying for VO talent because I do it myself. If they want someone else the client pays. BTW VO talent is getting about 50.00 for a 30 spot here. I'm also an audio engineer, and Singer/Songwriter. So I have done jingles for people too. I've done it through my day job and it felt like rape when I was making 9 bucks an hour to produce an original Jingle that now everybody can sing around here because they know it. I've even composed original scores for spots (simple ones granted) because it was quicker than finding appropriate music. It is true that I give away much more than I should. But if the client will walk, and I don't have another lined up I just do what I need to do in the name of building up my reel, and just getting better. I do need to market myself better. That's my weak point. I hate siring up business. I like producing. But I have to play the game.

Anyway my next 2 weeks are full of work both independent and through work. I am interested in what is going on in other areas as a comparison. All I know is I'm never lacking something to do. I suspect it will only get better, and hopefully the jobs will.
 
basspig said:
I'll be frank and admit that I'm a retired broadcast engineer, living his second reincarnation as a cinematographer, a dream I first attempted with a Bolex H8 in 1966.
My wife is young, Asian and is working toward her dreams, so she has a job. It doesn't pay much, but it covers SOME of the utility bills.
My other source of cash for this gear came from the sale of much of my vintage audio gear, which appreciated many times over the last 38 years of ownership. I've also sold my HDV cameras, raising another $7K there. And finally, I used what's left of settlement money from an auto crash two years ago.
Treacher Collins Syndrome runs in my family. It's a horrible deformity and a garantee of a lifetime of surgeries.
And finally, I've adopted the US Government rules of accounting... spend, spend, spend, and when you run out of money, spend on credit. I can always hope that one day, one of the many seeds I planted with bear fruit and we can get out of debt. Our property tax delinquent debt is staggering, as the annual tax has been more then our combined net income for the last 9 years after quadrupling in 2000. I'm a militant enemy of property taxes for this reason.
That said, I'm doing what I love, and in that respect, I've never been happier. My most miserable days were the ones spent punching a clock.
Click to expand...

Hey Mark

It's good to know that you are happy and doing what you love. I am too, but i could be happier I suppose. I would love a regular gig doing a 3 cam on a symphony. One of the main conductors won't allow performances filmed because she wants the people watching live not on video. So no sweet Symphony gigs... I like that you're out there buying 3 XD cams. I have a big GAS thing going on as well.

I guess it's tough all over as far as pay for video guys. Nobody has come out and said "I make a buttload of money doing my thing - and I can buy any gear I want". There probably are, but they are too busy getting paid to write about such things here.
 
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