OT : What to charge

goodtimej wrote on 7/23/2007, 11:40 AM

First I would like to say, I did search for this before asking and found nothing applicable.

I simply am curious of your opinion of an average rate to charge someone to come down with a Sony HDR-FX1 camera and film a presentation. No editing, bring a couple wireless mics. I know all skill levels charge different, but whats a workable average?

Thanks

Comments

jrazz wrote on 7/23/2007, 1:00 PM

Can you give us some of the rates that you have been provided and that will allow us to tell you if it is within reason to charge that amount. That would be easier than the other way around.

What you are asking could vary widely due to how far in advance you tell them you need their services, how booked they are, if they know what they are doing, if they have to rent equipment, etc.

j razz

MichaelS wrote on 7/23/2007, 1:20 PM

This is always the toughest question to answer. Often its because in our minds...we have 2 rates. What we want per hour and what we'll take per hour. Although some videographers demand and get their asking price...you'll find many are willing to "dicker" as opposed to losing a job.

Down here in the po' south...you can get a respectable $75 to $150 per hour (local) for simple camera time. But of course, a nice home here is $90,000 and gas is the cheapest in the country (US).

You may get a better response by asking for honest, per hour rates from around the country (world). If you're just starting out, don't give it away...but don't lose the customer, income and experience over an arbitrary number.

winrockpost wrote on 7/23/2007, 1:47 PM

depends on what part of the country or world you are in,, rates can vary greatly.. find a coupl of production companies in your area and call and get their day rate for cam, videographer and audio package, then go from there,,
good luck

FrigidNDEditing wrote on 7/23/2007, 3:39 PM

I run 500/day (to increase upon purchase of the XDCam EX).

I will be probably upping it to around 650/day plus or minus.

I run 50/hr to edit familiar work and 35/hr for unfamiliar work (IE things I'm not familiar with) I also live in ND so it's pretty low median income here and expenses are not very high.

Dave

Cheno wrote on 7/23/2007, 6:46 PM

I agree with Winrock, call some local production guys and ask them for rates.

Here in Utah you'll find averages for DP's to run 350 - 500 a day on the very low end and that's w/o any gear themselves.

Average daily rates here with lights and audio package and cam (DVX100 / PD170 / any of the HDV flavors) will run $650 - $1250 per day. Any 35mm adapters and lenses added on the packages can take them up to $1800 per day pretty easily.

I've personally got a 2 hour minimum for run and gun quickies and half day rate for anything over that up to 5 hours, then full day rate.

Of course this is in Utah where we're in the top 40% for overblown home prices, good steady employment rate and tastiest tap water according to NBC's "Today" Show.

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,695193935,00.html

Jeff9329 wrote on 7/23/2007, 8:11 PM

I live in Virginia and it's kinda pricey here. Any house at all will set you back 500K here. However, there are thousands of videographers around these parts.

A single cam presentation with an XH-A1 and two channels of wireless on a CF recorder and using on-camera as ambient, no lighting, 2-hours on site + 2 hours of travel & burn m2t to 2 DL-DVDs=$500 to $750. A buddy or good client price might be $200 if it were an easy shoot.

If you are going low budget (or no budget) just get a buddy to do it and use on-camera (shotgun) sound. A good camera and post will produce a pretty good soundtrack.

JackW wrote on 7/23/2007, 10:49 PM

The basic problem with your question is that the answer is wrapped up in your costs.

You can invent any pricing structure that appeals to you; you can ask others in the neighborhood what they charge. But the bottom line is this: what does it cost you to go out on a shoot, and are you charging enough to cover these costs?

The cost of doing business is based on annual expenses -- rent, auto, insurance, equipment depreciation, interest on equipment loans etc., as well as on out of pocket expenses on the day of the shoot -- and on the number of jobs you think you can do in a year to cover these costs. And be sure to figure into your costs a salary for yourself and a profit for your business.

In addition to figuring the relationship between annual expenses and what you charge, many professionals set their fees to establish a certain image in their business community. Low-ball the fee and you run the risk of being thought of as a bottom feeder. Set your fee higher than many and the reaction among potential clients is often that "he must be pretty good if he's getting that kind of money."

If you're interested in how this all works out you might take a look at http://www.videoccasions-nw.com/cost_analysis.html, where you'll find an article on the subject I published a couple of years ago.

You may not agree with everything I discuss, but at least it will give you something to think about as you set the fees for your business.

Jack