Working hourly for a small studio

M

mikezip007

Active member
A studio I work with (Studio A) books me for small shoots lasting a few hours and want to pay by the hour (lower than my average rate). The problem is that when I work for them for only a few hours:

1. I can't book a full day shoot with someone else to make better money
2. No other studio I work with hires hourly so it's impossible for me to fill in around those few hours I work for Studio A.

What action should I take?

1. Charge Studio A a half day rate for these small, 2 hour blocks of shooting?
2. Charge them an "out the door fee" added onto their hourly rate.
3. Work out a new, hourly rate with them.
4. Something else?
 
Are they giving you regular amounts of work? Do you enjoy the work? Is it reel-worthy, are you making good contacts, getting around high-end gear, or anything else that makes it worthwhile?

For people who give me regular work, I don't mind getting a lower hourly rate.
 
Are they giving you regular amounts of work? - 8-15 hours per week
Do you enjoy the work? - I'd rank it 5/10
Is it reel-worthy - Usually Not
Are you making good contacts - Starting out, yes, for the past few months, no
Getting around high-end gear - No
 
Well I might go with whatever you get more money from on a per month basis... If you feel pretty confident that you'll land other full day shoots elsewhere, and get enough of them to survive, then politely bow out of your 8-15 hour gig. OR simply ask how flexible they are to UN-schedule you if something comes up. If you are prepared to leave, let them know, see if they will bump your pay to keep you, just be prepared to follow through.

I had a part time gig like this a few years ago, but they did two things to keep me around; I could re-schedule days with my supervisor who was very approachable, and I could get my hands on a good amount of gear pretty much whenever. The hourly pay wasn't nearly as much as a day rate, but for reliable, regular work and the benefits noted above i couldn't beat it.
 
With situations like this, I charge minimum 'half day' rates at 75% of a full day's rate. So if $800 is the standard day rate, $600 would be the minimum half day rate for 4 -5 hours work.

This makes them think twice about bringing you in for pip-squeak work, and makes you feel less like you're missing out on more business when they do hire you for short jobs.

Stop getting bent over, you're better than that!
 
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