film budget and price to pay DP and editor
 

Someone I know has script and has 450k budget for the film. he wants me to be the cameraman/DP and editor. I have no idea what to ask for payment. any ideas? its a 90 page script so a feature length film

hourly? or a set price? it would require me to travel.

if a set price any thoughts on how much?

At $450k, I'd go with union rates, if I were you - even if you're not union. The producer can afford it at that figure but everyone will be working at scale with the exception of whatever B list celebs get brought on board for distribution.

The last I checked, the basic rate for DPs was around $3500 per week (I could be wildly wrong on this) and editors start at around $1300 per week. This is off the top of my head. I haven't checked union fees on either of them in a few years, but that's what I recall.

It gives you a guideline as to where to start and figuring a 3 week shooting schedule and an 8 week editing process, puts you around 5% of the budget for both roles.

I doubt you could get full union rate on a feature at that budget, especially if shooting for a month.

I know of a feature film with a bigger budget and the DP was getting £750 per week.

Brian,
Yes, he can get full union on $450k.

You can get it, although that would depend on the script, the shooting format and how much the above the line costs are. Often they pay those and put the squeeze on the below the line costs like the crew.

Charge your full day rate, or as Lori suggests, union rates if you can swing it.

I see you have Craigslist in the UK as well...

No, just tough producers. There are feature films made at this cost level, but they're still low budget productions and you often find that people higher up the scale do get paid higher rates, but at the expense of lower grades. A quality BBC one off TV drama would have a higher budget and people do get the rate or at least close to.

It really depends on the production values involved and how long the schedule is. You should be hard nosed and get the best rate you can.

Someone I know worked on a $40m feature and he thought that was a good budget until he was told it should really be $80m.

I think the squeeze is pretty universal, that's why they're shooting films in lower cost locations like Eastern Europe.