Today I was asked to work for free...

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Don't be a troll.
Just walk away and let them find someone who's actually interested in their project, you don't want to get more entangled and cause bad feelings.
Either they don't know about production or they don't care, but it seems like you're just stringing them along for laughs.
 
whoever wrote about the "escape words", brilliant. Here are more: "deffered", "as soon as the show gets picked up", "points", "share in profits", "good exposure," "networking opportunity", "karma", "great opportunity", "amazing idea".

Crap, I think I just wrote a craigslist ad.
 
Hehe, yes. I actually worked for free as assistant camera on a Zombie teaser/trailer with the promise of future work when the film was shot. I didn't count on anything, and having always been a one man band, I hardly knew what an "assistant camera" meant. But I was new in town and thought, it's a weekend, it'll be a nice experience and I might get to know some nice people into filming. Both of those were true, but of course nothing happened with the movie. I don't regret doing it at all. Cause I got all I expected out of it.
 
Finn Yarbrough said:
Don't be a troll.
Just walk away and let them find someone who's actually interested in their project, you don't want to get more entangled and cause bad feelings.
Either they don't know about production or they don't care, but it seems like you're just stringing them along for laughs.
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This.
 
They should at least finish the damn movie if youre working for free. Literally the very least they can do. Or at least hand you the materials to finish it yourself.
 
hscully said:
On reflection, most of the free work I've done has been for non-profit theaters. Promos and such. But just because there is no budget for paying for promos, or in the case of a community theater, no money to pay for actors, there is always a budget for lighting designer, lighting running crew, wardrobe, and where relevant musical director and other posts for some like director.

So non-profit doesn't mean no budget. They pay rent, they have donors, they have a budget. You're just not in it. It doesn't mean that it's not a good idea to help them but working for free is a gift to them, an in kind contribution. I have tried. It's tough to get an in kind contribution as a tax deduction but that might mitigate costs, right? Anyone ever successful with that?
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Looked into that long ago. Can't deduct for services, only goods.
 
Call me a troll if you will, but the guy has now, in an unexpected turn of events, agreed to buy the two Sony batteries. I have need for those after the shoot so I see it as a fair trade of services. I'm still reluctant if I should take the gig or not. Partly because my initial impression of the guy isn't the best but more so because of the religious theme, which goes against my views.
If I take it, I would of course do the job at the best of my abilities. I never do things half-arsed, that's not my style. It's all or nothing. He wants to meet Tuesday, I guess meeting him won't hurt and it would allow me to judge him better... Decisions decisions ;)
 
dmitrizigany said:
Call me a troll if you will, but the guy has now, in an unexpected turn of events, agreed to buy the two Sony batteries. I have need for those after the shoot so I see it as a fair trade of services. I'm still reluctant if I should take the gig or not. Partly because my initial impression of the guy isn't the best but more so because of the religious theme, which goes against my views.
If I take it, I would of course do the job at the best of my abilities. I never do things half-arsed, that's not my style. It's all or nothing. He wants to meet Tuesday, I guess meeting him won't hurt and it would allow me to judge him better... Decisions decisions ;)
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If you need the batteries and you consider them fair pay then do the gig. Who cares what the content is? Would you shoot a comedy even though you didn't think it was funny, or a horror movie you didn't think was very scary? Business is business.
 
Gillvane said:
As soon as someone brings up religion in a business discussion, run! It always means they aren't going to pay you if they are buying from you, or the are going to charge you double if they are selling to you.
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Not true at all. I've done plenty of work for religious groups that paid. What I've had problems with
are 'non profits' which are not the same thing at all. Many have asked me, that because they are 'non profit'
and because it is 'for a good cause' could I do it for free.....and I always ask the person who asks this of me,
if the cause is so good, if they are willing to give up their salary and work at their job for free, trust me,
non profits have plenty of employees who get paid salaries, and those are the people asking me to
work for free. But, even then I've had some paying work from non profits as well, and I have a friend
who specializes in non profit videos and does very well doing them (fairly decent budget stuff, Red Epic,
jib, steadicam and the works).

I think it just depends, some people have respect for what you do and others don't, seeing it as more of a 'hobby'.
I've had religious organizations say that they have a 'limited budget' and ask what they could get for 2 grand,
but that's different from saying they won't pay. I can do a basic couple minute promo video for a couple grand.
There's plenty of people out there trying to get something for nothing and in my experience, many small businesses
are just as bad or even worse in this respect than religious organizations.
 
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alaskacameradude said:
Not true at all. I've done plenty of work for religious groups that paid. What I've had problems with
are 'non profits' which are not the same thing at all. Many have asked me, that because they are 'non profit'
and because it is 'for a good cause' could I do it for free.....and I always ask the person who asks this of me,
if the cause is so good, if they are willing to give up their salary and work at their job for free, trust me,
non profits have plenty of employees who get paid salaries, and those are the people asking me to
work for free. But, even then I've had some paying work from non profits as well, and I have a friend
who specializes in non profit videos and does very well doing them (fairly decent budget stuff, Red Epic,
jib, steadicam and the works).

I think it just depends, some people have respect for what you do and others don't, seeing it as more of a 'hobby'.
I've had religious organizations say that they have a 'limited budget' and ask what they could get for 2 grand,
but that's different from saying they won't pay. I can do a basic couple minute promo video for a couple grand.
There's plenty of people out there trying to get something for nothing and in my experience, many small businesses
are just as bad or even worse in this respect than religious organizations.
Click to expand...

I didn't say religious organizations don't pay. I said if someone mentions religion or God while negotiating, run! There's a difference. If someone says we're a religious organization and we want to hire you to do a gig, no problem. Negotiate your rate and all will probably be well.

BUT, if they say we'd like to hire you for a gig. And we know God is looking over this project....Run! That means because God wants it you should do it for free. Or if they say, I have a special price for you. You can trust be because I'm a very religious person and I run my business as God would want me to...run! This means they are about to charge you double because they think God wants them to be rich. Working for a religious organization? No problem at all. When people pull out the God card while negotiating a price? Run!
 
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