OT: Ballpark Cost of an EPK?

jlafferty wrote on 5/7/2006, 11:04 AM
Hiya,

I'm making some headway into creating an EPK for a good friend. I'm in the position to have the tools to get it done well, and I want to go easy on the guy's wallet, but I'm stuck between thinking what a "fair" cost would be, and not knowing whether I'm pricing myself too low or high.

So, hypothetically speaking, I'm thinking of around $1,500 (if this strikes you as ridiculously low, please say so but also remember he's a friend and this will be very KISS driven). This price includes:

1) Basic website based on Flash -- I have the experience and code down to do this site pretty quickly -- it would basically be contact info; an image slideshow; some background music streaming with a simple on/off switch; maybe some embedded video. All of this stuff is within my grasp already: e.g. http://melinahammer.com or http://craveus.com

2) DVD which pretty much is an extension of the website, featuring a similar layout and some similar content -- just higher res and portable, for any of his potential backers. This would mean my interviewing him, and doing a sort of "profile" spot, cutting it with existing road footage, titling, etc. But, again, simple and short (well under 12 minutes)

3) General material prep for use with his MySpace account -- compressing audio and video clips, maybe even monkeying around with the look and layout of his MySpace area.

I think this is just about the better part of two week's work in my off time -- i.e. one or two days per week, 4-6 hours per day. Even if I'm off a bit, the pay scale is looking like $40-50/hour.

I feel kind of good about this, but I just figured I'd stop by here to see if this elicited any responses like: "$1,500 -- are you on crack? A typical EPK is $800-1000 and no more!" or the reverse, of course :)

- jim

Comments

Stonefield wrote on 5/7/2006, 11:54 AM
Just curious if and how much shooting you'll be doing ? A standard EPK is mostly doing some shooting of them in an interview situation, maybe some live coverage by you and the assembly, graphics and editing of a 5-7 minute promo. What you're talking with website, myspace and DVD is much more than the standard EPK.

EPK's are quite popular up here in Vancouver as the local music scene is very strong. The cost as I mentioned is based on how much shooting you'll be doing, or if you're mostly assembling pre-shot footage. So if you're doing some shooting for him AND doing a website, myspace pimpage, and a DVD, I think he's getting a hell of a deal for $1500. These days, a website alone is worth that or more, based on your skills as a webdesigner.

( what is KISS driven by the way ....? )
epirb wrote on 5/7/2006, 12:01 PM
I think it means the guy will be wearing really big boots and lots of make up or.....

Most likely:
Keep It Simple Stan...(cause I know you aren't stupid, my freind)
Stonefield wrote on 5/7/2006, 12:04 PM
Ahhh........
[r]Evolution wrote on 5/9/2006, 5:11 PM
He's getting a whole heck of a lot for $1500.

Guarantee it would come out to be more if you charged him by the hour. You should document your time just so you can see for yourself how much you can make on your next job when you're billing accurately. I think you'll see that he's one lucky MoFo to get you to do all this work for so little, whether he knows it or not.
apit34356 wrote on 5/9/2006, 9:55 PM
jlafferty, the Craveus site was very nice, the music set the viewing mood! The movie at the Craveus site was well shot and edited. Your friend is getting a great deal if the Craveus site is your standard job performance. Doing work for a friend is always a tough deal if you cut your price too much and he doesn't appreciate it and still demands all the extras and free support. Do the deal as "start of new business break" but clarify in the outline what and what not the deal covers for the fix price. This is always a hard thing to do, but defining expectations in the beginning, can save a friendship.
jlafferty wrote on 5/9/2006, 11:00 PM
Thanks for the advice and kind words... :)

- jim