What are you charging

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DVX100Shooter

Veteran
What are you charging? This question is mainly towards those who have posted their videos here on DVXuser of various rock bands or rappers, etc. I know some of you are in school and have done these as school projects but some of you have done it for pay.

For me, I can tell who is really serious about making a video or not when I start throwing figures at them at what it will cost. It seems like no one has money for a video yet they want it to look like this persons or that persons!

Sometimes I feel like I am caught in the middle...I am tired of doing favors and doing these long shoots on my days off from my main job I might add and not either get paid or not get what I should be getting for the amount of work that is involved in either shooting or editing.

Those of you in the same sort of boat, what is your compromise?

I feel like I dont get much work now because people can't afford my rates but I can't keep doing stuff for free and I can't keep cheating myself either by charging way less for a project that I just spent over 20 sum hours editing!

Back in June I charged this organization a fee of $175 to edit a short 6 minute documentary. They gave me all the footage and someone narrated through the script. I edited everything on my own time and I had creative control over the editing as well. I kept a log of my hours spent editing and it came out to be close to 20 hours. Had I charged them the $2,000 my rates came out to, I don't think I would have gotten paid, they would have not got their finished project and it would have been a mess....I am trying to get my name out in a positive light not negative so I took a HUUUUGE pay cut!!!!!

I can't let things like this slide by too many more times....not trying to let it slide like that at all here on out to be honest with you!
 
What are you charging??

Well don't forget that most bands & rappers are broke when they first start out(band bills). So all there worried about is to get there name out (most bands & rappers).
 
yup your very right about that twoclk. I think I need to come to some sort of happy medium though. I want to get my work as a Producer, Director, Editor, Shooter out there just as much as they want to get their name/music out there...But I dont think I need to be doing it for free or for a really small amount of money. As for a need to survive....I already have a full time job and everything I shoot with the DVX is done on the side so its not a matter of shooting to survive.
 
You have to live and die by your estiates and quotes, but $175 ws too low. Would they have paid $275? Likely. How about $475? (If you sell it correctly). $600?? I think so. AT $600, you would have earned amore respectable $30 an hour. Not a goal, but okay while you build your portfolio, especially if you get other concessions out of them (like rights touse it in your demo in whole or in part). Retention of any non-sensitive footage for use or sale as stock video. Other things like that can justify the $30/ hour rate, and leave you in a position to charge more in the future when you don't need those rights or they do not want to give them. If you feel squeezed it is because you are squeezing yourself.

You never know how much you can charge until people start saying "No."
 
galt said:
You never know how much you can charge until people start saying "No."
Click to expand...

That is absolutely true.

How many people have you had turn you down?
And, what are you charging?

Is it safe to assume, given that you said the video would have cost $2000 that you are charging $100 an hour?


When I started cutting for a living another editor I worked with often warned me that there no matter how long you work there are always two rates... the rate you want to get and the rate you charge. That's not necessarily bad, but be aware that many people who make more that you may right now also drop their rates for clients all the time (they just start from a higher price).

So what are you charging on the average now?
And what is it you think you should be charging?
 
Well for an all day editing job which equals 8 hours I would charge $1,000. $500 for 4 hours (1/2 day) and $100 an hour under 4 hours. I came up with these rates after researching what the rates were in my area which were actually higher than what mine are.
 
I know this is somewhat unrelated, but people think I charge too low for wedding when I say my base package is $1000.

Thats with 2 cameras, most of the reception, rehersal, actual authored and chaptered DVD, 5 copies of said DVD with labels, covers and cases.

I came to this price because I was looking at the competition charging $700 for stuff on tape, and then they would start adding on with DVD's and all that good stuff. So I came to a nice round average of $1000. Is it low? Yeah probably, but videographers have to get their name out there just like some of the singers have to.

It's all give and take. Chase the dollar now, and not get as many clients, or charge cheaper, get more experience, and then justify your costs later. (As in a raising in price)

The scary thing is that when I get back from overseas, I will probably undercut the competition with like a 20% discount (with would be $200 off my base package, equaling $800) Since I plan to "own" the equipment, 95% of my price will be profit.

This will probably fill up my calendar real quick, and give me a lot of experience, and get my name out there. It will be a limited time offer, like if they book with me while I am deployed, or soon after I return.

Now for those of you who are saying "You have no samples, or they are really shitty" -- why do you think I am dying to get a 100A or B while I am overseas? Practice, and sample footage. Micha-Angel Productions is just that... a PRODUCTION company that won't just do weddings - even though that will be my bread and butter - my samples will come from practice work I do overseas.

So thats how I look at it. If you are CONFIDENT in your skills charge what you think you are worth. If not...look at it as a learning experience. Charge cheaper, get your name out there, and then justify your prices with your skills.

My view is: If you charge them 'x' amount, and you give them 'x amount' times 10 in quality, they will talk more. You just have to make sure there is some sort of non-disclosure aggreement about price.

Just my 2 cents....
 
DVX100Shooter said:
Well for an all day editing job which equals 8 hours I would charge $1,000. $500 for 4 hours (1/2 day) and $100 an hour under 4 hours. I came up with these rates after researching what the rates were in my area which were actually higher than what mine are.
Click to expand...
If you already know what your rates are, and yet you bid the job like it would take you an hour and a half, what is your point in this thread
 
galt said:
If you already know what your rates are, and yet you bid the job like it would take you an hour and a half, what is your point in this thread
Click to expand...

While that sounds simplistic...it's a damn good point.
If those are the rates you feel you can realistically command then you need to stick to your guns. Yes, it will mean turning down work because the client can't or won't pay, but it will also mean not wasting your time with work that isn't paying you enough.
 
My 2 cents. If you get all the jobs you are bidding, you're priced too low and will eventually lose money and go broke. People get into trouble when they treat shooting/editing as a hobby. If you are trying to make a living at it then you need to price it as a professional would. Fair market price (depending on where you live and your overhead) is $75-$125 per hour. Double this figure for every crew member hired on to help in production or post. Also, these figures are a gauge, not a scientific fact. Once you or your hired gun can edit in your sleep is when you can make even better margins.
Also, never let people know how long it takes you to wrap up a job. They too will try and see where your hourly comes in at, it's none of their business. (but it is yours) I bid per job, never per hour. Now and then I may take a slight hit with unforseens but not often.
 
Good points...I will have to come up with something...I thought having a demo reel would help so people could see why I charge what I charge but I think that sometimes scares them away. I just need to move up to the next level of clients...those that have some money to pay out for my services!
 
I've found through experiance that if you charge too low to begin with, any work you get on referalls will get snooty if they don't get the same low rate. Can be more damaging in the long run if word gets out that your a clearing house for cheap labour
 
from my experience i have found that the lower you charge the MORE they want you to do especially flat rates ... and if you're doing it for a favor becareful because they may lock you into that rate

at some point you have to move up to next level. you decide when that is and then you stop taking the lower end work .. it might be a little slow at first and for some the next level can be cash poor which just might mean your area doesn't support that pay scale ...
 
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