.. when I first started out in this business, my approach to clients was to be competitive and give them a better deal than they could get elsewhere... this meant I had to analyse all the market segments and compete with pre or post production houses, with other editors and with all the wannabees with software out there.... this also meant I had to do business on THEIR turf and I wasn't generally successful or happy or making any money ... using this approach, I found that my prices were always being compared to others and if I gave them competiitive prices, they'd still go with the more "established" studios.....
....I also used to put together highly competitive "package" deals and charge for the amount of "glitz" they wanted but I'd lose out anyway to some twelve year old wannabee who would do it for the price of a Britney Spears concert ticket and do it from his bunk bed....
... then I said to myself, hey ClipMan, why do you wanna torture yourself? Forget about competing on their turf and become a "media consultant" that offerred solutions to their "communications problems". ... suddenly I was on a different playing field and all I needed was to make sure I never left money on the table ... this meant smartly estimating the size of the project, whatever it was, and multiplying the hours by what my time was worth... it was never worth less than 40 to 50 dollars an hour and mostly 80 to 100 per hour.... it didn't matter what the nature of the work was ... editing, post, pre, directing, producing or defragging their computer ... all that mattered was at the end of the project, I made money and they were happy with the "solution" to their problems........ when it came to out-of-pocket expenses, I'd pass it on to the client as previously arranged and NEVER put a mark-up on it... there's no faster way to lose credibility by marking up a piece of equipment they can compare prices with a million catalogues out there...
... so, how am I doing? ... once I acclimatized myself to the fact that I will never direct, produce or edit a Hollywood movie and to the fact that I will never lose money again, I'm quite OK, thank you...anyway, this worked for me .... FWIW ...
....I also used to put together highly competitive "package" deals and charge for the amount of "glitz" they wanted but I'd lose out anyway to some twelve year old wannabee who would do it for the price of a Britney Spears concert ticket and do it from his bunk bed....
... then I said to myself, hey ClipMan, why do you wanna torture yourself? Forget about competing on their turf and become a "media consultant" that offerred solutions to their "communications problems". ... suddenly I was on a different playing field and all I needed was to make sure I never left money on the table ... this meant smartly estimating the size of the project, whatever it was, and multiplying the hours by what my time was worth... it was never worth less than 40 to 50 dollars an hour and mostly 80 to 100 per hour.... it didn't matter what the nature of the work was ... editing, post, pre, directing, producing or defragging their computer ... all that mattered was at the end of the project, I made money and they were happy with the "solution" to their problems........ when it came to out-of-pocket expenses, I'd pass it on to the client as previously arranged and NEVER put a mark-up on it... there's no faster way to lose credibility by marking up a piece of equipment they can compare prices with a million catalogues out there...
... so, how am I doing? ... once I acclimatized myself to the fact that I will never direct, produce or edit a Hollywood movie and to the fact that I will never lose money again, I'm quite OK, thank you...anyway, this worked for me .... FWIW ...