http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ Videomaker Community » Tag: pricing - Recent Posts en Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:32:38 +0000 http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/pricing-projects-and-services#post-50944 Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:29:37 +0000 Kemper 50944@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>KWFYV 25-<br /> Don't forget to factor in the costs on top of your time/talent. Equipment rentals, on screen talent, permits, voice over talent, &#38; locations. Even if you own the equipment you should still factor it in to the equation. </p> <p>Hey Steve.</p> <p>Would you mind elaborating on what the $950 day rate includes? Is this strictly your time on the set? Does it include "x" amount of gear? Does any pr-production (scripting, etc) come with that or is it billed separately? Do you have talent &#38; locations factored into that number (Assuming you included other line items in the $950)?</p> <p>Cole </p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/pricing-projects-and-services#post-50933 Sat, 19 Sep 2009 05:33:52 +0000 SteveMann 50933@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>I charge $950 for a full day project. A :30 commercial could take 2- 3-days to complete properly.</p> My editing rate is half that ($475), so a :30 commercial with no special effects and just simple graphics would likely end up very close to $2K.</p> <p>Steve </p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/pricing-projects-and-services#post-50925 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 21:53:40 +0000 kwfyv25 50925@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>So what are some good day or hourly rates? That's what I'm trying to figure out. None of this would be going national, by the way, just shown in the local area.</p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/pricing-projects-and-services#post-50922 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:17:54 +0000 grinner 50922@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>There is not an average price for spots as national spots can be millions and most local spots are done free by the cable company or tv station that sells the air time for em. This, of course, is why so many local spots do more harm than good for local advertisers. Just stick to your day rate or hourly rate. It's ok to bid flat prices for turn-key productions but you'll do this by multiplying your rate with your projected time, not by what you think it's worth to them. </p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/pricing-projects-and-services#post-50902 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:32:48 +0000 kwfyv25 50902@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>I've been looking through the posts and haven't found the info I need, but please help me out here if I've missed it. I've been given a tremendous amount of encouragement to venture out and do video production professionally. I just completed a 30-second commercial for my company (real estate brokerage) promoting a subdivision we represent. Well, word got out about that and now I'm starting to get more work from other local businesses. I've been in business for myself previously doing other things, and a stumbling block I always seem to hit is how to appropriately price my products and services, mainly so that I don't short-change myself. This is probably what would be considered a small-to-medium market located in the southeastern US. Most of the research I've done shows that the typical cost for a 30-second spot is around $2K. Of course, that includes voiceover with script writing, and other enhancements. This first project I did didn't have a voiceover, but did have original music. I did all the shooting and editing, and probably have about 15 or so hours into it. The next project I have lined up is for a 30-second spot and a corporate-type video, which will likely be about ten minutes long, promoting a product invented by a local company to other business who would have a need for it. I also have work from other Realtors to promote their properties.</p> <p>So you see, I have a variety of services where a one-price-fits-all approach won't do, or will it? Should I be charging by the hour, the project, or both? Thanks!</p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/pricing-1#post-50632 Sun, 06 Sep 2009 16:06:09 +0000 composite1 50632@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>Galin,</p> <p>Your estimated rate should take into account:</p> <p>Estimated production hours based on a 10-hour workday (1-hour setup, 8-hours work, 1-hour breakdown.) You also want to take into account how much traveling you may be required to do. If it exceeds 20 miles a day, you should look at charging for mileage. Don't forget to take into account the equipment you'll be bringing. The gear you use has to pay for itself so that $50 Cville mentioned is actually split between you and the gear. So if you are going to take pay, you get $25 and hour and the gear gets $25 an hour. I say that because whether you are a freelancer or have a company, the company has to be paid too. Now you can also charge 'half day' rates based on a 6-hour time period (1-hour setup, 4-hour work period, 1-hour breakdown.)</p> <p>Estimated post-production hours based on an 8 hour day. Again you the editor must be paid and your equipment/software usage costs must be paid as well. It still costs you money to use editing gear whether you own it or not so you'll again be splitting your fee between yourself and your gear.</p> <p>Now the tough part is figuring out a fair price to cover your time and expenses without being greedy and pricing yourself out of the gig. One thing you have to get a grip on is production costs money, but your clients generally have no clue about that. They know to make a Hollywood production costs big bucks, but most figure all you need is an 'Uncle Bob' special digital camera and expect huge production values for next to nothing.</p> <p>To get a good idea of a baseline rate to charge, go to your state gov website and look up base wages under television/film/video production. That will give you the going rate in your state and you can base your calculations on that. When setting your pricing, don't go with arbitrary numbers. Figure out exactly how much it costs you to operate and adjust your estimates accordingly. </p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/pricing-1#post-50611 Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:39:51 +0000 grinner 50611@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>Just multiply your hourly or daily rate by how long you think it will take you. Add some pad for revisions, ect. </p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/pricing-1#post-49481 Sun, 26 Jul 2009 23:27:22 +0000 Cville 49481@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p> 15 x 8 = 120 hours of just shooting.  If you don't need a crew and you make all of the shots your self and charged $50 hr that would be $6000 just for the shooting.  At $8000 that leaves $2000 to cover your editing as well as any addtional items you may need.  Plus they own all that you have done.  Just some food for thought.</p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/pricing-1#post-49478 Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:29:10 +0000 Galin 49478@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>I have to come up with a proposal for a video promoting my town in all<br /> four seasons, so it'll be a yearlong project. If hired I'll be working<br /> with the town's creative agency which will provide scripting and a<br /> suggested shot list. They expect a minimum of 15 days of shooting. I'd<br /> be in charge of all the releases, and at the end of the project the<br /> completed product and all raw footage will become property of the town.</p> <p>They say they want a 3 minute video, but I took a look at their list of<br /> suggested shots, and it would compile a video far longer than 3<br /> minutes. So i think in my proposal I'll offer to produce a longer<br /> promotional piece using a wider variety of footage, and then also a<br /> shorter 3 minute piece with a select few shots. I'd probably end up<br /> shooting more than 15 days anyways. </p> <p>This would be my first big project, and i have no idea what to charge<br /> for something like this. My past clients have said my work was very<br /> professional and some of the best they've seen, but personally I<br /> haven't really impressed myself with my work yet. But i guess I do do<br /> quality work. </p> <p>As for equipment, I'll be using an HVX200a with p2 set up, and if i get<br /> the job I'll use some of the money to purchase a 35mm adapter. I have a<br /> dolly and will most likely have use to a jib arm. </p> <p>I've been talking to a photographer about pricing who does a lot of<br /> work in this area. I know its really quite the same business, but he<br /> still has a decent grasp on it and knows some people who do video work<br /> so he's been asking around about pricing for me. He says $8000 is as<br /> low as I should probably go. </p> <p>What do you guys think about that price? Could i go higher? Keep in<br /> mind that it's a bid for this deal, so I don't want to price myself out<br /> of it. Then again, the photographer knows the guy in charge of this<br /> project, and is going to put a really good word in for me, so he said<br /> the job should be as good as mine.</p> <p>Also, i just thought of this, but ... music licensing. Do i just factor this into my costs? Or do I set a cost, then say they have to pay an additional fee for music licensing. My plan is to try to track down a local group for the soundtrack, so licensing may not even be an issue as far as cost goes.</p> <p> Thanks so much in advance,</p> <p>Galin</p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/unit-pricing-for-dvds#post-38116 Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:24:40 +0000 cdanddvdpublisher 38116@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <blockquote><p>Thanks to all that replied. I will absolutely consider all of this when I shoot my next recital. My bid was accepted for this corporate shoot, it has since been shot, and I am knee deep into the editing. Since this group will be giving these away and not selling them I didn't feel that a huge mark up was necessary on the re orders. I did state that they needed to re order in quantities of fifty but the unit price was very reasonable. Maybe a bit too reasonable but it got me in the door and another shoot is lined up assuming they are happy with the finished product. The exec that hired me sat in on the interview and was more than satisfied with the look, feel &amp; content of the shoot so now its up to me, Adobe and some Digital Juice. Thanks again! Cole</p></blockquote> <p> Good luck getting the editing done; glad they liked your work</p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/unit-pricing-for-dvds#post-38103 Thu, 10 Jul 2008 02:38:06 +0000 Kemper 38103@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>Thanks to all that replied.</p> <p>I will absolutely consider all of this when I shoot my next recital. My bid was accepted for this corporate shoot, it has since been shot, and I am knee deep into the editing. Since this group will be giving these away and not selling them I didn't feel that a huge mark up was necessary on the re orders. I did state that they needed to re order in quantities of fifty but the unit price was very reasonable. Maybe a bit too reasonable but it got me in the door and another shoot is lined up assuming they are happy with the finished product. The exec that hired me sat in on the interview and was more than satisfied with the look, feel &amp; content of the shoot so now its up to me, Adobe and some Digital Juice.</p> <p>Thanks again!</p> <p>Cole</p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/unit-pricing-for-dvds#post-38099 Thu, 10 Jul 2008 01:04:15 +0000 BarefootMedia 38099@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>I don't know if this is helpful or not. But when I used to produce DVD's of dance recitals, I charged nothing for the production services.  I just required them to buy a minimum number of DVD's.  For a really simple dance recital, I wholesaled to the studio at a low disc price so they could add profit margin and still sell the DVD's for less than $19.95 (remember you only charge taxes when you sell to the consumer, so let the company deal with that problem.)  Rather than trying to sell the DVD's as cheaply as possible, I wanted them to cost what is typical in the marketplace.  So I charged $17 per disc.  My clients were not surprised at the price, only that I'd do the production for "free."</p> <p>Charging the same $17 per disc, you'd earn $1700 dollars.  And every disc after that would be pure profit.  Actually worth your time to duplicate just a few DVD's.  Don't be fooled into thinking a low price per disc will encourage sales.  If it priced dramatically below market, your clients will think it is an inferior product.  So don't even consider selling for less that $10 or $12.  They just won't take you seriously.  And most clients can't tell an adequate job from an excellent job, so they judge the quality by the price.  And don't you want them thinking your work is a cheap knock off.</p> <p>When you are calculating your costs, give yourself a salary for the 20 to 25 hours the duplication will take.   And don't forget that the ink for printing will cost more than the disc (assuming you put a color background or graphics on it.)  And I feel i would be remiss if I didn't mention outsourcing your duplication.  They have a do-it-yourself custom service where you send in the duplication master and they return your initial 100 in just a few days, then you can have them duplicate DVD's anytime later using a free "storefront" online.  They charge like $10 a disc for the service, so you'd want to bill for your production expenses.  Then you can add your profit margin to the DVD's and whenever you sell thrm, they take care of duplication &amp; shipping and send you a check.  I know several companies do this, but I'd choose Disc Makers for personal reasons.</p> <p>Sorry I prattled on for a bit.  But trying to get the lowest price for your DVD's is a lose/lose situation.  You lose out on money they expect to pay and they view your work as a discount production.  So they won't think of you for their big deal productions.  The theory behind this is found in marketing research.  Consumers will buy an inferior but more expensive product because they believe expensive is better (in general.)  Since DVD's from a store cost around $20, significantly lower prices will represent lower quality to the consumer.</p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/unit-pricing-for-dvds#post-38060 Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:29:52 +0000 LDPLDP 38060@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>Figure out what your normal hourly rate is.  Divide it by the number of DVDs you can burn and package in one hour.  Add the material costs and that should be your per-DVD cost.</p> <p>Let's say you charge an hourly rate of $20 during production.  If you can burn and package 5 DVDs per hour, then your labor cost is $4 per DVD.  Add cost of DVD and Case @$1 which totals $5 per DVD.  You might also need to add in equipment depreciation.  Oh, and don't forget to charge for sales tax if applicable.</p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/help-me-pick-a-video-mixer-please#post-37812 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:39:33 +0000 trekkie1701D 37812@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p> Thanks, I was looking at that last night, but it appears to only have 2 inputs and I'm currently using 2 (on in the back and a remote controlled in the front) so it wouldnt leave any room for expansion.</p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/help-me-pick-a-video-mixer-please#post-37793 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 05:27:36 +0000 Aspyrider 37793@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>I used to own a Panasonic AVE5. Loved it. Might find one cheap <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Panasonic-WJ-AVE5-Digital-Audio-Video-Mixer-clean-BIN_W0QQitemZ220251867571QQihZ012QQcategoryZ21166QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem">on ebay</a>.</p> <p>J</p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/help-me-pick-a-video-mixer-please#post-37791 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:40:01 +0000 trekkie1701D 37791@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p> Hi, I run the audio and video production at my church and am decent at video production. We've been borrowing a Videonics MX-1 unit from a school that one of my friends works at, but recently they had to reclaim it so we are searching for a new one. Our budget would be no more than $500 ($300-$400 would be better). I plan on getting the unit used on Ebay. I was wondering if I should stick with the MX-1 or if there was a better model from a different company that I should consider. I've been eyeing the MX-3000 and MX-PRO, but they arent really in our pricerange.</p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/unit-pricing-for-dvds#post-37719 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:48:04 +0000 Johnboy 37719@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>there are so many factors to consider like market, cost of time and materials, what profit margin you need vs. what you will get, actual production time (writing, set-up, shoot, edit, render, client consultation, possible re-shoots, re-edits, render, burn and print dvds, delivery), length of the video, expected distribution and future order possibilities...</p> <p>You are right to insist on clam shells for protection, but the client is probably looking to keep costs down by requesting sleeves.  I would nicely suggest the hard cases, but if they don't want them, that's <strong><em>their </em></strong>decision and you'll have to just deal with it.  I would set bulk quantity orders with progressive discounts on volume, but not a big percentages, maybe cap at a 10% to 15% discount on the highest level.</p> <p>John</p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/unit-pricing-for-dvds#post-37696 Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:15:46 +0000 Kemper 37696@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>I have been approached by a local organization to shoot an interview/promo spot to be distributed on DVD. I have a good idea what to charge for my efforts (time, equipment, etc) but I am stumped on what to charge for the actual DVDs. The initial package will include 100 copies but they also want pricing for future quantities. I am handling all of the work from start to finish; lighting, audio, directing, editing, authoring, printing, burning and packaging. The finished product will be an inkjet hub printable DVD-R (Verbatim) in a clear plastic "clam" shell case. They want paper sleeves but I hope to convince them to protect them a little better.</p> <p>What should I build into the proposal for the first run of 100 DVDs?</p> <p>What is a fair price (more or less per unit?) for future orders? Do I establish a set quantity or minimum for future orders?</p> <p>Any help would great. Thanks in advance for your time.</p> <p>Rob</p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/documentary-pricing#post-35939 Sat, 12 Apr 2008 01:30:50 +0000 TheDVshow 35939@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>$75/hour is average for someone entering in. If you have years of experience and can back it up with testimonies and a reel then you could get away with $150-200/hour</p> <p>Here is a great article:</p> <p><a href="http://www.thedvshow.com/cgi-bin/dvtips/newsscript.pl?record=96" rel="nofollow">http://www.thedvshow.com/cgi-bin/dvtips/newsscript.pl?record=96</a></p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/documentary-pricing#post-35935 Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:57:09 +0000 G-Stan 35935@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>Can some want hely me with some Tv contacts? Here is my email <a href="mailto:stanlo105@yahoo.fr">stanlo105@yahoo.fr</a></p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/documentary-pricing#post-35931 Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:42:05 +0000 dldsilver 35931@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>I understand that, and I am working on that,</p> <p>but what is the indrustries pricing for something like this, so I can compare.</p> <p> thank you!</p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/documentary-pricing#post-35930 Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:48:12 +0000 Johnboy 35930@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>you need to determine how much time it's going to take you to complete the project, how much the voice talent will cost and how much profit you are looking for.</p> http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/documentary-pricing#post-35929 Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:07:29 +0000 dldsilver 35929@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p> I have a question,<br /> I am just getting into more documentary style filming.</p> <p>I use the canon XH-A1 with the netus 35 extreme adapter,<br /> and have many years in video production, but my first with documentary style videos.</p> <p>I am going to be doing a 5-10 minute video on the history and philosophy of a company.</p> <p>All shot in HD and outputted to Blue-ray or DVD.</p> <p>Can anyone help me with approximate cost...</p> <p>I will be doing all the scripting, editing, filming myself.<br /> And have another colleague of mine do the voice over.</p> <p>Any thoughts would really help!</p>