OT: Pricing for Commercial Shoot

jrazz wrote on 9/14/2007, 3:17 PM
I was approached about doing some shooting for a commercial that will be paid for by the city. The shoot will probably be no more than an hours worth of footage but it will span the course of 1 to 2 days including shots in the morning hours and at night. I will not be doing the editing, just the shooting (although I hope to put something together and give it to them in hopes that it may open up some new avenues)

Setting the stage:
-The average house in our market costs around $120,000 for a 3 bedroom home in a decent neighborhood.
-It will be one camera.
-Subject is a new sportsplex that just got going this year which includes 13 ball fields. They will use this to market to potential travel ball teams.

Any ideas on what I should charge to do this? My initial thought is to charge $60 an hour for my time/expenses to go out and film. I figure it will involve around 3-4 hours of face time.

j razz

Comments

Patryk Rebisz wrote on 9/14/2007, 3:29 PM
too many factors to give an estimate. i assume they are looking for videographer rather then a DP (meaning you won't be lighting the "set" but just trying to get the best possible footage you can with whatever lighting is there). In NYC for camera op (videographer-like) projects i charge $550/12 hours min for me showing up and knowing what to do (more if i have to rent a camera and such). For doing similar thing as a DP i charge $750 and more depending on the budget but then i help put together crew, camera and lighting package.
rjkrash wrote on 9/14/2007, 3:49 PM
I usually calculate a bid at a daily rate of $1250 per person regardless of discipline (videographer, editor, script writing ...). So a ½ day shoot with 1½ day edit realizes a $2500 revenue.

A day is from 8 -10 hours.
jrazz wrote on 9/14/2007, 3:56 PM
Thanks Patryk for the information. There will be no lighting brought in. Just to give you an idea of the video footage shot last year, take a look .

Something tells me that they have not budgeted the money to pay out something along those lines (white balance/jittery cam movements, etc.)

When I spoke to the guy over this project, he stated that he wanted something like what they did last year as it was done really well. The crew that was contracted to do this last year are booked this year and they gave me a call to see if I could film it and they would edit the footage.

j razz
rmack350 wrote on 9/14/2007, 5:56 PM
You're saying that the cost of living in your area is fairly low.

If you feel that 60.00/hour is good for your area then go for it. There are a few strategies people seem to use though:

Hourly rates often have a minimum day associated with them. For instance, a gaffer in the bay area may charge $50/hour with a 10 hour gauranteed day (meaning they will charge for 10 hours no matter what). The hourly is than used to calculate overtime after ten hours. 1.5x from 10-12 and 2x after 12 hours.

Most lighting people I know just bill a 10 hour day rate but I always liked to spell it out as an hourly rate with a minimum billing of 10 hours.

Half days usually bill out at a higher hourly rate-like 60% to 70% of the day rate. They aren't encouraged.

Cameramen are a little more competitive than lighting people so you might want to be more accomodating and give them an hourly rate with no minimum billing. It's up to you, but if you start to bring in crew then you need to look out for their interests too.

Usually you want to bill separately for an equipment package. Discount the package if you need to but never discount your own rate. You want to establish the idea that people are worth money.

Rob Mack
jrazz wrote on 9/14/2007, 6:04 PM
Appreciate the information Rob.

It will just be me on this shoot. The reason I am asking is because I am starting to venture out and do more shooting that is not related to the wedding business (and to be honest I am liking it). Since I have not done much in this area, I just wanted to see if what I was thinking sounded reasonable for the area I live in. Of course, it is all just opinions, but they are helpful and aide in me knowing a range to work from.

Thanks guys.

j razz
Jessariah67 wrote on 9/14/2007, 7:31 PM
I think you'll find that, generally, the kind of work like this is going to pay better than wedding work.

This situation also sounds like "Work For Hire," which basically means you hand over the tape when you are done and have no intellectual claims to the footage. In those cases, you will generally charge more than you would if the shoot was part of an overally package (including editing, etc.) and the footage remains "yours" when all is said and done.

The best way when starting out is to get an idea of what others charge and guage your equipment/experience/reputation against them and price yoruself accordingly. Anybody who's been in this business for any amount of time can give you stories where a client suffered sticker shock on a reasonalbe quote and others where the client didn't even bat an eyelash on a "higher" bid. It's just something that you're gonna have to feel your way through.

A nice trick is to quote a bit on the higher side, but always have elements within the quote that will let you drop your number by "removing" certain services offered. Never just "drop your number."

My biggest rule is this: unless you really want/need a job for whatever reason, never quote a price below what you "need" out of it - not "want," but actually "need." Going to work at a "too low" rate is a recipe for resentment on your part - due in some part to the fact that clients who are looking for "cheap" tend to be the highest maintenance people you will ever work for.

KH
CClub wrote on 9/14/2007, 9:06 PM
Jessariah,
Your "biggest rule" is SOOO true... I printed it out and taped it to my desk! Until this past year, I used to do small jobs for $300-400, and those people were so picky about a million things. And like you said, I'd be editing the revisions at 1 am all ticked off and resenting them. My wife finally told me to stop working with the middle class people cause it was getting me too upset (I'm not being elitist, as I'm basically middle/upper-middle myself... just being practical with my work time). Now, I've been doing a number of projects for quite wealthy people, and they haven't batted an eyelash when I tell them the cost is several thousand (well, most of them... there's always a few cheap rich people).

Now, my basic guideline is this: I don't market to the people who "mow their own lawns" (meaning, they are the type that don't like to pay other people to do work that they can do themselves). Wealthier people seem more accustomed to paying others to do work for them (e.g., landscapers, maids, etc.). When a potential client asks me about doing a video project and then starts to tell me that Uncle Bob can do it for free or they can buy their own camcorder AND computer for what I'm charging, I tell them they're right and move on before wasting anymore of my time.