What to charge for footage already shot

[Kirsten Scully]

I have been shooting a documentary on a Spanish Flamenco dancer. I live in Spain and traveled to New York last year to film the guy performing. The footage is great. A New York production company who is doing a tv series saw the footage and wants it. The footage I shot is key to their first episode. They also want to use it in a 2-5 min. promo tape. It has been suggested that I charge PBS standard rates. Does anyone know what these are, where I can find out or have any other suggestions as to what this footage is worth?
Any help would be appreciated...

[Martin Catt]

Well, a good place to start would be the producers' page for PBS:

Producing for PBS | PBS

Martin

[Richard Gooderick]

It depends on what rights they want ie what territories and what media. The duration of the licence period also comes into it.

A network or pay TV sale to the USA will be would be worth more than a sale to PBS.

Rates paid for commissioned programmes differ from those that are acquired.

Your best bet is to talk to any friendly producers who have licenced footage from film libraries.

You may get a library to quote rates to you but it's unlikely unless you are a bona fide customer.

[Rick L. Allen]

Kirsten, in your case the complicated answer is "What will the market bear?"

You have a couple of choices; charge them a flat fee based upon what it would have cost them to shoot the footage and whether they want non-exclusive or exclusive rights and how it will be used, or charge them a per second charge for what they use. SD rates can run from $25-$100/sec and HD from $40-$150/sec depending on uniqueness of the video.

If you search the stock footage sites most will have a rate card you can use a reference.

In the end your footage is worth what you and the buyer agree it's worth.

[Will Mahoney]

Any update on this? I'm really interested to see how this all worked out.