Rate for interview gig

U

USLatin

Panamaniac
Hope this is not a bad section to post this thread. I couldn't decide which was the least off-topic place so here it is. :)

I am filming interviews for Special Features... talking head. I will operate and Michelle will assist me. It would probably be an hour worth of shooting and I'd get there early to set up with Michelle standing and give me some approximate levels, it should be quite easy since 90% they seem to be interiors. I am hoping to get some ideas of competitive rates to propose to the customer.

I will bring:

HVX-200 + Laptop with DVrack HD + External RAID1 (500GB)
F102 (2-stage legs with Focus head)
24" monitor (1:1 Gateway)
Oktava or AT4073a
I will rent one Lectro 400 ($40-45)
MixPre
Four bank Flo Light
Two bank Flo
Alzo 800
Needed gripology
Sound blankets with stands


I know the cheapest rental for HVX's is $170 on Craigslist and I got the $40 for the lav... can anyone throw some numbers at me pls...
 
What all is included in the gig?

Is there an end-product deliverable, or just the man-time component for the actual shoot? Are you also doing the edit and final?

Do you provide all the equipment, or is it just the professional component for you and your assistant?
 
I won't be editing... only shooting.. so strictly production no post (they are basically a post house).

The gear is all my own (but I do have to rent the lav).

I will be the crew and I will have an assistant.
 
I alway charge a min half day rate no exceptions and especially since you will have an assistant. If you establish yourself as the "guy who works for less" you will forever work for less.
 
There isnt a half day rate in my book.
Who gonna hire me for the half of the day?
I will cut them a break but no half days here!
 
crs127 said:
There isnt a half day rate in my book.
Who gonna hire me for the half of the day?
I will cut them a break but no half days here!
Click to expand...

I hear more and more camera guys saying that these days and I kinda agree....of course my "half day" rate is 75% of my "day rate." :happy:
 
and what about the equipment?
I mean give me some numbers if you would... I am not sure what to charge... all I can do is sum up my rentals add my rate and then decide...

what would the equipment portion be?
 
This is a special feature for a DVD?
So this is produced to make the original product more special, more worthy...?
Then I wouldn´t charge ENG prices like for a network interview, but slightly more "commercial" prices...
Of course you should deliver a perfectly executed job, but as you said you´ll take time for the setup...
I´d probably only bring a little more light, like small fresnels, reflectors and some practicals...
Anyways, good luck!
 
Well depends on your standard rate. take your rate, add in the assistant's rate, add in the rentals, peripherals liek parking tolls gas etc, then put together a nice number.
 
so taking the 1200 daily and being this is less than half a day... would I become "that guy" if i wend for it at 500? 450?

half day rates should be around 800 right? but if I am done in say 3hs plus driving...

would I become "that guy"?
 
they way i do it is anything over 4 hours (including setup) is a full day price. anything under is half that rate. i dont usually count driving time unless its over an hour drive.


BTW, "dialy rate" is for one man, camera, tripod, and one form of mic. anything else adds to the cost.
 
Hey Roberto,

How's it going? What a coincidence. We've got practically the same gear, same setup ... and guess what I've been doing for the last few months .......... doing interviews!

I'll tell you what I charge and maybe that can help you plan a standard rate structure.

$80 per hour for shooting

$60 per hour for archiving and editing

$25 per hour for meetings, pre-planning ..etc

I guess it sounds pretty cheap in comparison to what others suggest. Out there in California you could probably tack on a few dollars to these modest Ohio rates. The bottom line is - with hourly rates that all of your tasks can be assigned to, you can do your job and stop fussing over what to charge or how much time to allocate to a madeup fee. This way you just log your time and type of work you are doing and there's no guesswork or figuring out anything. Just simply getting paid your rates.

Check out this Digital Juice link for a downloadable video clip about awesome interview tips -- might come in handy.
http://www.digitaljuice.com/djtv/segment_detail.asp?sid=110&sortby=&page=8&kwid=0&show=all_videos

If nothing dictates otherwise, I would recommend shooting over the shoulder of the interviewer (somewhat angled behind the interviewer) to where you are nearly facing the interviewee. Not a rule but a good general guide.

Without renting the lav, you can get good results with the Oktava on a mic or light stand with a boom extension. Place it so it points down from overhead and try and get it as close to two feet from the interviewee as you can. You won't have to worry about lav noise and with the mic being angled overhead, you won't get any popping from their breath or voice.

The video clip has a good tip on it in that it suggests that you can backtrack and ask the questions again after the interview -- or even if you listen to the content of what the interviewee has said and you decide it would have been nice if the interviewer had asked a different version of the question or a different emphasis or whatever -- you can record more questions after the fact and really polish up the dialog if need be.

Good luck

EDIT - I've been setting the HVX's sound level dials to roughly an 11 o'clock position (turning the HVX's preamps down slightly) and cranking up on the MIXPRE to where the dialog dances between the -12db line and the 0db line in the HVX viewfinder. I try to keep it closer to the 0db if I can. By lowering the HVX preamps slightly and boosting the MIXPRE it seems that the signal is a little cleaner.

Another tip - watch out for the air conditioners that like to kick on in the middle of the interview :)

I apologize in advance for all of the unsolicited advice.

Cheers
 
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I welcome and give thanks for any advice and input John...! BTW I ended up buying the DVD set and it was worth every penny! :thumbsup:

I understand about the half day rates, I think all I am worrying about is securing the first opportunity to show them what I can provide and for that I figured I might offer a 1st time discount in good faith towards securing a recurring customer and then I'll make sure and explain that the interviews should be kept within 4 hs so I can chard only the half day rate.
 
dude if theres 3 hours of driving involved no matter what, thats a Full day. The point of the half day, is that you can squeeze two jobs in to a day, 3 hours of driving will kill your oppertunity to get work on the rest of your day.
 
TimurCivan said:
The point of the half day, is that you can squeeze two jobs in to a day
Click to expand...

aha! that has to be it... good point, thanks for mentioning it/putting it that way... this particular job would be either at their place 30min to 1hs traffic or on location around LA... no driving problem for this one
 
USLatinContent said:
aha! that has to be it... good point, thanks for mentioning it/putting it that way... this particular job would be either at their place 30min to 1hs traffic or on location around LA... no driving problem for this one
Click to expand...

Yeah,
but still 3 hours for the interview and 1 - 2 hours of driving, then add the pre talk and the delivery of the footage (or are you giving them the HDD straight away...?)
Thing is they probably want perfect work to add extra value to the original product, so they should be happy to pay you a decent price for helping them make more profit...
Also, I don´t know how you´re experienced with jobs like this, but preparing, lighting, rehearsing and shooting an interview takes a lot of time depending on the visual style your going for (not counting News or simple street conducted interviews...)
Best

- Spart
 
USLatinContent said:
so taking the 1200 daily and being this is less than half a day... would I become "that guy" if i wend for it at 500? 450?

half day rates should be around 800 right? but if I am done in say 3hs plus driving...

would I become "that guy"?
Click to expand...

Do a half day but at %75 of a full day rate, and don't give them a first timers discount. That tactic usually backfires and sets you up for more hassle down the road. Consider discounts only after they have become a loyal customer, not before they done anything to earn that kind of gesture.

My half day rate is based on 5 hours (1/2 of ten hour day), at %75 of my day rate and portal to portal. When I get in my truck the rate starts, and it ends when I pull back in the driveway. Otherwise a half day turns into a full day with the client who pushes the shooting/breakdown time up to the 5 hour mark.

my 2 cents
 
Ok... I agree... no favor till they've earned it... and the 75%... is that agreed across the board guys? It seems so.

But I might have to shoot a test to show him that I can do it since I really don't have this sort of thing for him to see. I already offered that, did I make a mistake?

About the actual interview... it should be quite the nothing-to-it job... the talent is stationary in a chair, camera is too just sitting on the tripod. The shot should be tight enough that the boom would easily be within 2ft, and most likely with C-Stand. I might still want to buy an extension for a stand or better yet a boom "holder" bracket especially If I get the customer. Michelle would initially work as my stand-in and then assist me... unfortunately her delicate hands are far from those of a stage hand... she is more of the US Weekly reading stage hand if you know what I mean :) but she can be very if I tell her exactly what to do. I should be able to do it alone but I'd much rather have her there.

Where you guys calculating her rate in there? That would be easier to figure out as I could pay her a standard rate.
 
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