What should I charge?

capel

capel

Active member
Hey guys. So I need some advice here. I'm gonna be shooting one of my first paid gigs and it's gonna be a 30 second spot.
I'll be using an HPX170 with a Redrock, I'll have a production sound mixer, gaffer and dp with appropriate lighting gear.

I need to give the people a competitive quote. It'll be one day of shooting tops, but I'll also be writing the spot and doing all
the post myself. (editing, color grading, etc.) I know how much the crew and gear will be, so I really need to know what a decent
amount is to charge for everything else. Thanks for any help! Much appreciated.

-Chris
 
Without more info on the scale of the project and an estimated budget the client is willing to spend, I don't think it's possible to give an answer that'll have any merit at this point. A 30 second spot could be done for $500 or $50,000 depending on the scale.

What's it for? where will it be shown and what is the final output; internet only, local TV, National Spot? Is this a company with a budget, or is this a local "mom and pop" business looking to put something on their website?

Answer those, and we can help

cheers!

-brown
 
Thanks for the reply Ryan.

They'll be showing it in a booth with a few other videos at a convention. About 1300 "buyers" are expected to attend. The video will mostly be
just showing what their work environment is like and introducing that particular branch of the company. Minimal effects, just some basic logo stuff
at the end. It'll mostly be interiors of their office and maybe interviewing a few employees or showing their daily process.

Hope that sheds a little more light on it. Thanks!
 
A 30 second spot looping over and over and over at a convention booth will get old fast and, likely, drive people away more so than pull them in.

That said, what will you be shooting?
 
It'll be playing with a bunch of other videos. But hey, it's not my idea. I'm just shooting the spot. I've explained pretty much all
I know so far in the post above yours. Thanks for any help!
 
Well, it sounds like a pretty small project a lot like the spots I used to do. The main difference: I did it all as a "one man band" with my own gear. Depending on what I thought they had to spend, I'd charge between 1k and 2k all in. $500-$1000 for 10 hour day of shooting with all my own gear including camera, lights and sound. $500-$1000 for edit. Basic edit = lower, and more advanced with graphics and animated logo = higher. One round of changes included in editing price, any additional changes = additional cash.

I'm afraid at this point you may be going over their heads with a sound guy, DP and gaffer. If you're sure they're up for something of that scale, then I'd be looking at a 2K to 5K all in. It also depends on the market where you're located...
 
Talking heads?
B-Roll in a factory?
Corporate people in cubicles?

Your overview is too generic for any specific advice.
 
That's all I know so far, Terry. Although shooting people in cubicles and doing basic interviews aren't really all that different. Even factory
b-roll. The only difference between those three, in fact, is sound and a couple of lights.

Thanks for the response Ryan. Your estimates sound about right. This whole thing feels like it'll be pretty simple, and really boring from a creative
standpoint. But hey, whatever funds my next personal project.
 
One thing I would ask them is their experience with videos at this or other conventions. Some times it can be just too loud to hear anything so talking heads might not work. A more visual spot might work better. It might be a quiet atmosphere and any VO would be fine but you might want to ask them about the crowd noise level at that particular convention.
 
ryan brown said:
Well, it sounds like a pretty small project a lot like the spots I used to do. The main difference: I did it all as a "one man band" with my own gear. Depending on what I thought they had to spend, I'd charge between 1k and 2k all in. $500-$1000 for 10 hour day of shooting with all my own gear including camera, lights and sound. $500-$1000 for edit. Basic edit = lower, and more advanced with graphics and animated logo = higher. One round of changes included in editing price, any additional changes = additional cash.

I'm afraid at this point you may be going over their heads with a sound guy, DP and gaffer. If you're sure they're up for something of that scale, then I'd be looking at a 2K to 5K all in. It also depends on the market where you're located...
Click to expand...

Sound advice. (If you're still looking for advice, that is.)
 
There are so many models to use. Me, I would look at what:
1. your crew costs are (assuming you arranging for them to be on set)
2. your costs are going to be (prepro, shooting and editing)
3. add a small profit margin (10-15%).

Basically, certain aspects are what they are (crew costs), if you are editing and shooting it, then you do have some flexibility on 2 and 3. But you have to be judicious on how much you devalue those. Because if you come in way under budget....you won't be taken seriously, Too much....you don't get the gig.
 
I do similar spots, but I shoot it as a one man band because that way I can maximize my profits. On occasion, I will bring an assistant to help me shoot for a day rate of $100. Students eat those jobs up and are more than capable of pulling focus or holding a boom microphone.

When you are shooting, since it's playing at a convention, it's important to get people's attention. Get interesting shots. I did a couple of spots for a welding system and got close ups with sparks flying everywhere. I heard that at the convention with my video playing, the crowd was pulled over by the video all day long.

What you're talking about shooting, and it being a 30 second spot, I can't imagine it taking all day to shoot. That said, I might charge a half day rate and a full day rate for editing. For me, as a one man band, that comes out to about $400. Add an assistant and it'll be between $450 and $500. I'm also pretty low on my prices since I don't have years of experience (in that way, I'm much like you).

Also, my advice to you is drop the Redrock. I shoot with an HMC bare, so I assume will produce similar images. I think that the Redrock will be more trouble than it's worth.
 
May be a little late with this but I've always used the AICP Production Estimate form as a starting point. It makes you think of all the line items so you don't have to continually ask for overages and it looks professional when you submit it. I think this is a link to the form- http://www.nypg.com/aicpForm.cfm Oh, and always ask for enough to do the job properly. No one remembers how cheap the price was if it sucks. Good luck!
 
I have a gig coming up friday, will shoot a celebration, some shots of the grounds of their campus, and a few talking head interviews. It will be myself and one assistant/ PA/GRIP/AC. I charged 1,850 for the day. So it works out to about 900.00 a day per man. plus 50.00 for gas and travel. They buy lunch.

So I think Ryan ballpark is spot on.
 
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