My first non-narrative project.

Finnegan

Finnegan

Well-known member
I have a client who is interested in commissioning me to create a one minute maximum film for his branding and web development company. The film will include footage of him talking about his company's aesthetics in an interview like setting, voice over work, and integrated graphic designs that are part of his company's portfolio to demonstrate the work his company is capable of doing.

This is my first non-narrative project, and I have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA how much to charge for a project like this. It's very short, so I feel bad charging a lot - but the reality is this is something I am going to be doing entirely on my own. I will shoot it, record sound, light, edit, and produce the final project to DVD/Blu-ray and web-upload.

I figure I can light the entire project on less than $100 of lighting and grip gear. So, what should I charge? How should I charge it? I'm thinking of determining a set value for the project, and having him pay half up front and then half upon completion. Then, he'd front the cost of renting lights. Is this fair?
 
Multiply your hourly rate by how long it's gonna take ya. Just get half down and half when upon completion. He's buying a 2 thousand dollar video but you are the only one that knows your worth.
 
Depends, I mean if you're doing it all yourself, I suppose a few thousand might be decent, I'd say $3,500 to $4,500 sounds about right but I'd hire a few people to help, and you're not doing that, so maybe you feel worse with lower expenses, I don't know.
 
Thanks a lot for the advice guys. Since I haven't done too much work yet that isn't narrative based I keep my rates pretty low - also, this economy prevents me from really charging a lot. So far, I asked for $1,500 which is a great deal lower than what you recommended JonathanLB but I'll definitely keep it in consideration for future projects of the same nature. Thanks a lot!
 
Finnegan,
Generally it is $1k per minute. However, he can get a similar video for very cheap, through Yellowpages.com and/or Citysearch. He can also get his uncle wilbur or jimmy the film student to shoot it for free. I think you were right in charging a decent fee but not going too high. Even if it is your first corporate project, you have valuable experience and equipment.

I find that the rate is completely negotiable - a large fortune 500 company usually has deep pockets and expects to pay for a decent level of service, while a local business is more interested in keeping the overhead down.
Do a good job and make a name for yourself. You never know who this guy is going to recommend you to. It could fund some of the other creative things you want to do.


Jason
 
Being that there are no "general" minutes, discard this way of thinking. A minute of a talking head with b-roll music has much less work thana minute of highly composited layers of love with 2D, 3D and stop motion animation. Again, you'll always know how much time you'll be putting into it, revisions and all. Go by this and simply multiply the time by your hourly rate. Pad it a bit for those revisions I mentioned.
 
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