How much would you charge for a basic t.v commercial?

[NOMADIC]

10-15g. Based on simple formula if we have only 5g/day it's gonna be rough; at 7g and more fun starts, at 10g some decent rate and cool gear comes into play.

its a basic grocery store chain. what cool gear would you really get?... I totally need a panavision hylen system for this shot. haha

I think some filmmakers fail to realize that commericals are not a film, its to sell something, so it needs to sell it, getting wrapped up in equipment and forgetting to take the time to script something really great could kill the ad, even if you have a tecnocrane, elvis and pyrotechnics in it. ..... (i take back the last part, that could be a sweet ad)

If you give a high price, and make something "okay", you won't shoot another thing for that client. If you have a price they feel is good and you do "okay", you have a better chance to shoot their next commercial, and thats where you ask for the dough.

If I owned a store, and someone told me they could shoot a commerical for me, and then gave me a $15,000 quote, I would like to see some past work....related work.

IMO, I would say quote at 5k, and you will end up with around 3k.


.... It's all about the script. Watch this, super-annoying effective advertisment. The dude got on to the ellen show because of it. Thats pretty effective. hahahaha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiHaqCFQLxA

 

[ddp]

I have been sort of offered (not confirmed yet) to shoot a commercial for a grocery store here. It's a chained store, so it's not some small locally owned place.

What would be a reasonable price?

I would be using my XHA1 as well.

How did you land a chain store gig?
(No offense but...) I thought the chain stores only went with the established guys with a track record and a rate card.


DDP

 

[Patryk_Rebisz]

Nomadic, there are always ways to do something better or cooler.

BTW, how the hell do you manage on 5g to keep 3??? ARe you hireing only ypurself, a sound guy and a PA to help out???

Anyway you are bringing on an interesting debate as the spot you brought up definatly didn't cost even 5g yet was seen by more people then many more expensive productions? So what's the secret? Great idea? Great script? Great images? Sex? Honestly i have no clue, it's something that one can't trully define.

 

[Rylan Zolinski]

How did you land a chain store gig?
(No offense but...) I thought the chain stores only went with the established guys with a track record and a rate card.


DDP

My friends girlfriend works at the store. Her boss wanted to make a commercial and she recommended me since I know her well. He is calling me next week.

 

[NOMADIC]

Nomadic, there are always ways to do something better or cooler.

BTW, how the hell do you manage on 5g to keep 3??? ARe you hireing only ypurself, a sound guy and a PA to help out???

Anyway you are bringing on an interesting debate as the spot you brought up definatly didn't cost even 5g yet was seen by more people then many more expensive productions? So what's the secret? Great idea? Great script? Great images? Sex? Honestly i have no clue, it's something that one can't trully define.

Some times I think when you press for a "well shot" commerical I feel like they get washed into the mix with other commericals. That pains me to say as I am trying to become a better DP.

As for the 3k budget, I think its because I personally try to keep as much as I can in-house, but it all depends on different peoples equpiment and skill-sets. If I do count out the number hours I may have worked on one ad, it might not seem that great, but to get your foot in the door, an AT-COST production would be great too. I only say that because I have shot an at-cost commerical, and it ended up airing on comedy central nationwide, and opened the door for a lot more gigs/contacts

 

[Spartacus]

its a basic grocery store chain. what cool gear would you really get?... I totally need a panavision hylen system for this shot. haha

I think some filmmakers fail to realize that commericals are not a film (...)

And I think some filmakers fail to realize, that there´s a difference between pulling of a now budget feature and making a commercial for a company:happy:
Remember this Volkswagen spot?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA6EL0FPZHA
Could you have done it for 1K?
Probably, but that ain´t the point, this spot is made to increase sales for the company (or at least make the brand popular, trustworthy, create a good image...) so why should you produce it and not be rewarded?
(Will the TV stations air it for free? Will the chain store cut its prices in half?)
Why are lawyers expensive? Because they are supposed to safe you money when sueing or being sued.
What does a grocery chain store gain from having a BAD commercial on TV?
NOTHING but bad reputation and being laughed at.
That´s why advertising has a price, it is made to better the situation not worsen it.
It is totally OK to do "cheap" stuff to get sth, but you should ALWAYS make a profit, cheap only means giving some kind of discount, not doing it for less than it costs you...
Rant over. :2vrolijk_08:

 

[Scott F]

Watch this, super-annoying effective advertisment.

Oh yeah, that dude rules!