What to Charge for a Fitness Video???

K

ksain

New member
We have just started a videography business, most of our income is from weddings. One of our clients has just contacted us to do a fitness DVD, which will be sold on a large scale. She is writing the script, we basically just have to film and edit. I'm thinking it will take two days to film. What kind of rates do we charge for the filming and editing? what percentage of deposit should we collect before we start?

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
hmm

hmm

Really depends how you film it. I mean I guess it could be anywhere from like $3,000 super crappy to $30,000 or more if it was done really well. That's not enough information at all to know what you're doing.

Are you going to hire a crew of 10-12 to make it look really professional and light it really well? Are you filming in a studio of some sort? Two camera shoot? More? Are you expected to hire any B list talent to give this project more notability? How much motion graphics will be involved in the final product? DVD menus are created by you too I assume? Packaging artwork and DVD artwork?

There is a lot that goes into deciding what to charge and it all depends what the client can pay. I never give anyone a quote without knowing exactly what they want first.
 
We plan on making it look as good as we can. There will be me and one helper, two cameras, it will take place in a pilates studio that will be lit. The script is being written by the instructor, and she is taking care of the talent in the video. I just need know what i should be charging hourly for filming and the hourly rate for editing afterwards. All the DVD authoring will be done by me as well. Is there some sort of insudtry standard for commercial work like this?

thanks!
 
ksain said:
We plan on making it look as good as we can. There will be me and one helper, two cameras, it will take place in a pilates studio that will be lit. The script is being written by the instructor, and she is taking care of the talent in the video. I just need know what i should be charging hourly for filming and the hourly rate for editing afterwards. All the DVD authoring will be done by me as well. Is there some sort of insudtry standard for commercial work like this?

thanks!
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No, there's no standard and rates would be highly dependent on your location (which you haven't put into your signature). Hourly rates in New York City are going to be a considerably higher than the same shoot in Minot North Dakota.
 
Hmm

Hmm

Not really sure if I agree with that, actually.

In a city where there is almost no talent, you can get away with charging a LOT more than a city where everyone knows how to do what you're doing. In Los Angeles, the price for ANY pro talent is extremely cheap. I can hire good DPs for ridiculously low rates if I get to know them or they like the project, etc. Really good, feature film DPs, not like Gladiator or something, but people who have shot numerous indie features and major commercials and things like that. I can hire editors for super cheap, too. Whatever I want, I can get for cheap.

But in cities where there isn't much of a film market, you have to pay more because those people work less. So if anything, I'd say it's the opposite. But if you're talking about "the major production companies in NYC charge more than the major production company's in North Dakato," well yeah, because that just makes sense. Cost of living, locale, "name" recognition, etc. But on average, I would not agree with that.

As for the OP, think of this more like a businessman, less like a contractor. Are you running a business or are you holding a camera? I guess you have to decide. Because if it's a business you don't just charge some hourly fee. You are the boss. You need to get paid for your company's overhead, marketing efforts, insurance, equipment, whatever else. You don't say "Gee man I want $45 an hour that'd be cool." Go get a day job then. If you're putting together this project you are going to have your hourly rate plus whatever company fee you want, but more likely you're just going to offer a project fee. I never consider my hourly rate. I may consider that I'm working for 12 hours on this project and would like to make $2,000 profit, but it has nothing to do with an hourly rate. It just has to do with what I pay my sales person, my insurance company, the place where my equipment is stored, what new equipment will cost to buy, etc.

So be fair to yourself and charge them what you deserve!
 
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