Production charges, using my HPX, 1/2 day, full and or weekend?

C

Chuck Rose

New member
Hi,

I have an opportunity to help shoot a live webcast production using my HPX170.
My question is: What would be a reasonable rate I would charge using my camera and equipment for a half, day and/or full weekend. (other costs tbd....hotel, fuel, and ect.)

Thank You!
 
It all depends on your market, but my rates with HPX170 package are $850/10 hrs, $500/4 hrs. Weekends are charged as normal days- I'm still working- it's not as if I'm sending gear out as an automatic ROI. I'll start giving multi-day discounts on shoots lasting over 5 days.

Re: travel, production pays for accommodations and mileage (gas is factored into this cost, which is currently $0.55/mi.). On top of that, a per diem is set for incidentals/meals while off the clock. This is factored depending on where the location is (NYC is more expensive than Utah), but it will range from $75-$150/day.
 
dcarstens said:
It all depends on your market, but my rates with HPX170 package are $850/10 hrs, $500/4 hrs. Weekends are charged as normal days- I'm still working- it's not as if I'm sending gear out as an automatic ROI. I'll start giving multi-day discounts on shoots lasting over 5 days.

Re: travel, production pays for accommodations and mileage (gas is factored into this cost, which is currently $0.55/mi.). On top of that, a per diem is set for incidentals/meals while off the clock. This is factored depending on where the location is (NYC is more expensive than Utah), but it will range from $75-$150/day.
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Thanks dcarstens,

I now have a better ballpark figure on what to charge. I noticed you charge $850/10 hrs, is that considered a full day of work or 8 hrs considered a full day.

Thanks
 
10 hrs is a full video day in most markets.

and rate-wise, im pretty on par with the above rates. but i ended up just simplifying it to $100/hr period. that way a client doesnt feel obligated to keep me 4 full hours if we are done in two. yeah, in that case i miss out on an extra $200 but on the flip-side, i get $1000 if we go to 10hrs and so on... AND if you give me 2 hours of my day back, there are always several other jobs back at the office or admin stuff on which to spend it wisely ; )
 
Wow,

You guys sure do get some nice rates. Around here (Santa Fe, New Mexico) the most I can charge usually is $500 per day (including camera, sound, and operator). After that, the price usually gets too steep for clients.

Don't get me wrong, every now and then I can get a decent rate from a client who knows how things are priced, but for my everyday clients, I would be laughed out of town if I was charging $800 bucks a day for an HPX170 pacakge.

Hats off to you guys!

Curtis
 
yeah, it depends on your market and the kind of work youre doing. here in houston, my $100/hr rate is considered pretty reasonable - and in some cases im perceived as too cheap.
 
$550 / day is a network-standard rate for unscripted operators w/o equipment. Camera packages run the gamut, but $250 - $350 / d isn't uncommon. 10 hour days. 1/2 day paid travel days, no gear rental on travel / shipping days. 3-day weeks on gear.
 
Erik,

Your prices/setup sound very similar to mine. The 250-350 range is often what I work in. $500/day is usually what I quote, but I often bargain from there based on the needs of the client.

And we're considering basic videography or video production here. I'm not talking lighting scenes, dolly moves, or anything like that. Although I have done gigs that included lighting and the sort for the 250-350 range, I usually quote the $500/day including HVX200, tripod, shotgun and lav/handheld mic kit, MacBook Pro, and myself as the operator. Of course if its a small film, I'm usually cutting a deal to work with their budget and provide them quality cinematography.

I have to admit, the freelance video thing isn't necessarily as stable as I'd like, but the great thing about when I do gigs is that I don't really have an overhead. I work from my apartment, and can pretty much handle anything technically, so that puts me at an advantage to get the work that some of the 'bigger guys' can't really afford to take. Clients who have some budget but not a lot tend to find themselves out of luck when it comes to video production because it's such a costly enterprise, and luckily I'm able to meet them halfway with the price, but they still get a great product.

The great thing about this business is it really does go from low to high, and there's always room to attract more clients and move yourself up.
 
cmb_1455 said:
Wow,

You guys sure do get some nice rates. Around here (Santa Fe, New Mexico) the most I can charge usually is $500 per day (including camera, sound, and operator). After that, the price usually gets too steep for clients.

Don't get me wrong, every now and then I can get a decent rate from a client who knows how things are priced, but for my everyday clients, I would be laughed out of town if I was charging $800 bucks a day for an HPX170 pacakge.

Hats off to you guys!

Curtis
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Have to agree with you on that. Here in El Paso, TX I'm usually only charging max $250 a day for my camera package (HPX170) and labor. Occasionally I will charge anywhere from $1500-$3500 for a :30 sec commercial as a flat rate (there can be multiple days of shooting & editing & about 2-3 scripts for writing).

Unfortunately, when I quote small business' these prices, they think I'm crazy until I show them a demo reel. Then they just say "well we can't afford you". A place like El Paso has several bigger businesses but you would be surprised how much business I lose to the crappy TV station commercials since they do a commercial free of charge if you spend $2500 on air time alone.

Selling business on custom Commercial/Corp. Packages is tough sometimes. I tried pitching a new Corp. video for a hospital here in the area recently. They haven't updated their video since 1993. In the end, they didn't want anything because they thought I was too expensive and wanted to focus the resources on their website instead.

It's a tough world out there, especially when I feel our region in west Texas is so far behind. Hell, hardly anyone is producing local HD commercials which blows my mind.

/end rant
 
Thanks for the correction...on a full work day!


wgzn said:
10 hrs is a full video day in most markets.

and rate-wise, im pretty on par with the above rates. but i ended up just simplifying it to $100/hr period. that way a client doesnt feel obligated to keep me 4 full hours if we are done in two. yeah, in that case i miss out on an extra $200 but on the flip-side, i get $1000 if we go to 10hrs and so on... AND if you give me 2 hours of my day back, there are always several other jobs back at the office or admin stuff on which to spend it wisely ; )
Click to expand...
 
Carlos Corral said:
Have to agree with you on that. Here in El Paso, TX I'm usually only charging max $250 a day for my camera package (HPX170) and labor. Occasionally I will charge anywhere from $1500-$3500 for a :30 sec commercial as a flat rate (there can be multiple days of shooting & editing & about 2-3 scripts for writing).

Unfortunately, when I quote small business' these prices, they think I'm crazy until I show them a demo reel. Then they just say "well we can't afford you". A place like El Paso has several bigger businesses but you would be surprised how much business I lose to the crappy TV station commercials since they do a commercial free of charge if you spend $2500 on air time alone.

Selling business on custom Commercial/Corp. Packages is tough sometimes. I tried pitching a new Corp. video for a hospital here in the area recently. They haven't updated their video since 1993. In the end, they didn't want anything because they thought I was too expensive and wanted to focus the resources on their website instead.

It's a tough world out there, especially when I feel our region in west Texas is so far behind. Hell, hardly anyone is producing local HD commercials which blows my mind.

/end rant
Click to expand...

Well, it's good to know there's a talented HPX170 owner in El Paso if I ever venture out to West Texas. I feel everything you just said, it's almost as if I'm reading something I wrote. You know what it's like to walk the fine line between a great technician, artist, and a salesman all at once. It's definitely a struggle to wear all the hats, but I can say for myself I'm in the right industry.

There's no progress without struggle, correct? Keep haggling with those clients!
 
at some point we all may have to ask ourselves "am i in the right business, in the right market?" sometimes the answer is a harsh reality, but markets will only bear what hey will bear. and there is only so much work to go around.

i have a lot of friends who are newspaper photographers. and every single one of them has lived in at least 5 different cities over their career. some twice that...
 
wgzn said:
at some point we all may have to ask ourselves "am i in the right business, in the right market?" sometimes the answer is a harsh reality, but markets will only bear what hey will bear. and there is only so much work to go around.

i have a lot of friends who are newspaper photographers. and every single one of them has lived in at least 5 different cities over their career. some twice that...
Click to expand...
Funny thing is, people seem to easily pay the price for their new corporate photos, but hey, a one minute commercial, you can do that for 1000 bucks, right? Not the clients I take, but a line a often hear...
And of course video always means total buyout, right? Right? ;)
 
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