I'm curious to see what most people charge on an hourly/daily basis. So far I've charged by the job based on what they can pay, not based on an hourly rate. I'd like to set a rate for myself, so I'd like to get an idea of what I can reasonably charge. I don't want to set it too high and not get work, and I certainly don't want to undercharge.

I know some of the more experienced people here charge considerably more.

I'm a novice in the biz. . .but on the rare occasion that people ask my rates (most my gigs have been pro bono), I tell them 20 an hour if my camera is used, 15 if not. Remember, I'm a newbie. If you're a pro, don't scoff.

I was thinking of charging $350us as a day rate, including use of both XL1's.
$200us for a 1/2 day, 4 hours.
$55us per hour.

I've checked some rates localy, and many videographers (using XL1s) charge double that. Rental for a bare bones XL1 runs $100us on it's own in Vancouver.

That seems fair for starting out. I would bump my hourly to $70 or $75 because of travel etc. Then they start to see where the day rate and 1/2 day rate are a good deal. Remember, it is very hard to raise rates. You will loose some of your old clients when you do. Just expect it. But you'll gain new clients because of your increased experience and better reel.

jeff

Dylan,
I charge by the job ~99% of the time......
If the clients needs are difficult or unrealistic, we charge more to accommodate.

I use an excel spread sheet to show all my cost, then mark them up by a rate that my partner and I can agree on.

At this point we don't do weddings or events like that...so factor that in......

I've only had 2 clients that wanted to edit/produce the footage the we shot for them.

When clients want us to come to a remote location, I have them pay for the transportation (float plane/boat/etc.) directly in advance. This way we don't have to worry about it, and they pay "their rates" for transportation. Most of the time they can get a better rate than I can, and we sell that as a cost savings to the client, and there is never a question of us marking it up.

We used to use our boats to go to some remote client locations, but if something happens or you break down, you could potentially miss the customers window for the shoot etc.
We only use our boats now, on our own films.

I had a rate system that I used when I still had both my XL1s and GL1, and was activly working.

I charged $50 an hour, per camera. That way I could pay the person on the other camera a decent rate, and most folks would only want to pay for what they needed. That meant, I wasn't standing around for two hours, and paying my camera operator to twiddle their thumbs. Set up and tear down were included in that time schedule.

I also charged $15 an hour for editing. This rate was low, because most folks only wanted simple titles, cuts, etc. There was nobody to cause me grief in the edit room, and very little unexpected crap. ( Just between us, I love to edit, and would almost do it for nothing! But don't tell anyone! Shhh! :)

Of course, once the video was finished, and the client decided what they wanted to do with it, there were expenses and time involved in transferring to the final media and duplicates.

As your experience and equipment grow, so do your rates. Don't charge the same as a 10 year veteran if you are just starting. Be honest, but enthusiastic and confident, and you can do well if you are willing to work hard.
Keith

I never had much travel involved, so it was never an issue

Keith,

It's good to see you back and posting again.

Jeff

A half day shotting rate ~
A full day shooting rate ~
A hourly editing rate ~

But what about flat fee packages for sporting events, concerts, weddings and stuff like that?

I think it would be foolish to offer a flat fee, mostly because you can't forsee everything. Plus, there are always those clients that will "could you just...", into a straight jacket or the poorhouse.

At the very least, have an extra's rate to cover your butt.
Keith

P.S. Jeff- It's great to be back! I missed this place!
Keith

<<<--I was thinking of charging $350us as a day rate, including use of both XL1's.
$200us for a 1/2 day, 4 hours.
$55us per hour.

I've checked some rates localy, and many videographers (using XL1s) charge double that. Rental for a bare bones XL1 runs $100us on it's own in Vancouver.-->>>

I'll agree with you completely on that, the cost of renting a camera or hiring someone for the day in Vancouver is really high, I know of people who charge $600 CND just for filming a wedding, add another 700 for editing and post production (DVD & VHS stuff)

your rates sound very resonable. If you know who your going to be working for can afford more don't be afraid to ask for more, people here ( and i'm sure you know ) have this problem of paying people to much.

the vancouver consumers don't ever do any research.

We charge 200 per hour per camera. That includes Camera, operator, and all other gear that we bring (stabilizers, cranes, audio gear, whatever). And then $30 per hour for editing.

We are in California. And we do a lot of specialty projects.

Does this seem high?

Dylan Couper asking about rates? Josh Bass a newbie? Jeff Donald posting???

David, you resurrected a three year-old thread! LOL!

I think what you'd find in newer posts (hah!) is pretty much the same: Charge according to your ability/experience and what the market will bear. If you're getting those rates, you're happy, and the clients are happy, then you've got a good thing going. :)

And Lorinda finally chimes in... I guess this thread is old ;)

15 bucks an hour. 200 bucks a day, even half day. Heck!! :)

I'm totally disillusioned. This sounds like Kiwi down under rates.... and we thought you guys in Yankie land were making mega bucks. I must admit you've got it made though. A half day here is 5 hours and a full day ten hours. :)

Right now I work for $30/hour as a blanket rate -- editing, shooting, basic website work, photography... it keeps my math simple. I do work for my church and a couple friends for a little less. Right now I still shoot with my trusty GL2.

Weddings I usually do as subcontracts with other videographers, and usually they run $300/day flat rate no matter how long the drive or the event. If it's unreasonable I'll bring that up, but it usually evens itself out. Even that settles out to be close to $30/hour.

I read somewhere once that when you're working for yourself you should charge twice what you want to make as an hourly rate, so I guess that means I make about $15/hour actual rate.

I want to work up to $50/hour at some future point, but right now I think it's a little unrealistic. I will probably raise it to $35 next year though.

Wow -- I just read the dates on the original thread -- didn't realize it was that old. Funny on me...

Wow that is old. April 2002? Yeah, I don't even remember if I had a paid gig back then. Hopefully I've learned a fair amount since that time.

By the way, videographers usually go by day rate /half day rate, as opposed to hourly. 5 hours or less is a half day (so yes, sorry, client, that shoot you SWEAR will only take an hour is a half day), more, a full day. I'm told gear (camera, lights, etc.) is supposed to be billed at a flat day rate (e.g. my camera rents for $150 a day, period--this is the way a rental house would do it. The client is renting your gear, are they not? Therefore, you are a rental house), and you can halve your time. Some people don't even do the half day rate--full day or no day.

I've HEARD with editing, some people do charge by the hour, but don't charge AFTER the fact. What I mean is, you estimate that a project will take, say, ten hours, and if you're billing $50 an hour, then you quote $500 as your editing price, as oppposed to saying, "well, I'm $50 an hour, I'll let you know how much you're being charged when I finish."

I guess everyone's different. It's whatever you can get away with (or live with), really.

for resurecting the thread.. came up in a search.. so.

:-)

David

Please, don't be sorry. I think it's kind of fun to see how things have changed. :)

...
By the way, videographers usually go by day rate /half day rate, as opposed to hourly. 5 hours or less is a half day (so yes, sorry, client, that shoot you SWEAR will only take an hour is a half day), more, a full day. I'm told gear (camera, lights, etc.) is supposed to be billed at a flat day rate (e.g. my camera rents for $150 a day, period--this is the way a rental house would do it. The client is renting your gear, are they not? Therefore, you are a rental house), and you can halve your time. Some people don't even do the half day rate--full day or no day.

I...

Look at it this way - a half day shoot still takes up your whole day in that it prevents from taking the full-day booking for the same day that was the very next phone call you got after committing to this client. Once that day is gone from your inventory it's gone and the client has actually "used up" the same amount of your inventory as if he'd gone ahead and booked the full day.

I totally agree. On a commercial basis this half day concept suits only the hirer. Some times one can be required to work between 11am and 2pm. Some are prepared to pay a whole day as it straddles the day. Others are not.

The sad part is it seems us vidographers suffer the same dilemma world wide. We undervalue and undersell ourselves far too often. (I include myself in this statement)

Yeah, right now I'd do a half day rate 'cause I don't shoot that often. The chances of me having to turn down a full day from one guy 'cause I've already committed to another guy's half day--slim to none. That's my reasoning. If I became Johnny McShootsalot, then maybe a different story.

For my wedding work, I charge a flat rate based on the package selected. The hourly rate varies because the actual time involved varies. Using the flat rate for weddings allows the B&G to budget for the service. The hourly rate is relatively low compared to corporate clients.

For corporate, commercial, etc. clients, I charge $60 per man-hour. That applies to pre-production, production (including camera and operator) and post-production. I don't merely leave a meter running though. I estimate the amount of time for a production so the client will have a ballpark idea of what the cost will be. I let them know that I'll try to bring it in under that estimate but it could run more if the reason for additional time is due to the client.

Sometimes I'll get a request for a lower amount and I agree to it if the project is interesting, fun, or I really want to do it. I don't do the freebies thing anymore. I did a few freebies but what I found, and this is my opinion, is that when you offer to do the work for nothing, the "client" tends to treat the work as worthless or unimportant. They'll jack you around and waste your time. If you make them pay, they have something at risk. They will take the project more seriously if they have cash on the line.

Like some others have mentioned in other threads, some "clients" are tire-kickers and some are shopping by price. Occasionaly, I hear the "XYZ company said they can do it for X number of dollars." I avoid putting down XYZ or engaging the "client" in fee negotiations. I kindly suggest to them that they avoid making a choice based on price, and it comes down to choosing who they like and who they think will take care of their needs the best. I remind them that all videographers are not the same. It's a service, not a commodity.

Jeff

Josh, you are correct, budget your gear seperately from you. I charge $500 a day for me plus I own most my own gear so that is extra. On large format (2/3" CCD cams like Varicam) I charge $800 a day. This is where owning your own gear really pays off.





ash =o)