I have a video production company which tapes shows and concerts and then sells DVDs of the show. Usually, I charge the general public buying the DVD between $15-$20 (depending on length of performance), and I sell between 15 and 100 or so copies--thus I make my money. I deal directly with the buyers, so it's one less thing for the director/coordinator of the performance to deal with.

However, now I have been asked to do something a little different via word-of-mouth recommendation. Instead of selling a bunch of copies to the general public, this family wants me to video their daughter's 3 hour dance ceremony and produce one master, and then make a few more copies for their family members.

I record two cameras, one my GL2 (which I operate for pans and close-ups) and second my Sony Digital8 which I use on a tripod for wide shots on the right side of the theater. Then I take the tapes capture, them into my computer and edit away, syncing and mixing the two video/audio sources. Then I author and produce the DVDs, complete with custom designed disc label and j-card. Everything is very high quality and professional.

So now comes my question. How much should I charge for a flat fee to videotape this 3 hour dance ceremony? And how much should each additional copy cost (roughly 5 copies total)? I really don't know where to start.

I hope you can help me, and if I left out any crucial info please let me know--I tried my best! Thanks!

Don't you have a basic rate you think your time is worth? Estimate total time needed for job, multiply by rate. Add supply estimate (tapes and first DVD). Add 20% for contingencies, and there you are.

Personally I do not charge for capture time, render time, etc. since I just start up a process and go eat dinner or watch the tube. It depends on your setup and philosophy and what you htink the market will bear.

As far as dups, my process takes me 12 minutes to do each dup. I burn it, verify it, print it, print a cover, assemble the whole thing. SO I can do five an hour. I add cost for 5 sets of materials, an hour of my time, add 20%, and divide by 5 to get my "each" price. When I hire an assistant, I will use her rate for dup labor instead of my higher rate.

Get it in writing ahead of time and get a deposit.