Crew pay?

[Vishal Gurung]

Hey guys, i was just reading the "Ridiculous job offers" thread which cracked me up- However it did get me thinking on what would be a reasonable rate to offer crew members in post as well as ongoing productions

Say for a 1 day shoot- typically 12 hrs on call but obviously time off for breaks- lunch etc what would you expect to pay certain positions on a non union shoot? based on per hr- in the Northwest market (Seattle/Vancouver/Portland/Calif etc)

For a
Grip?
Boom Op? (audio equipment provided)
Camera person (working say an XL2 or XLH1- equipment provided)
PA?
Director?

and in Post production
Editor?
Asst editor?
Sound Editor?

Any insight on what would a pay scale be for these type of positions shooting either SD DV or HD DV?
cheers
Vish

[Kevin Wild]

People don't usually like to discuss pricing much on-line, but I will tell you that many of the positions you mentioned should go between $250 - $500/day. Obviously, a director may be more than that, but grip, boom op, pa, etc.

Big range...I can't be more specific because I'm not familiar with that market. As far as a freelance editor, again, it's all over the place. I do think $50 - $70/hour is not out of the question, though if an editor is using his/her own equipment it can be much more.

Hope this helps...

Kevin

[Vishal Gurung]

Originally Posted by Kevin Wild

People don't usually like to discuss pricing much on-line, but I will tell you that many of the positions you mentioned should go between $250 - $500/day. Obviously, a director may be more than that, but grip, boom op, pa, etc.

Big range...I can't be more specific because I'm not familiar with that market. As far as a freelance editor, again, it's all over the place. I do think $50 - $70/hour is not out of the question, though if an editor is using his/her own equipment it can be much more.

Hope this helps...

Kevin

Thanks kevin, it does give me somewhat an idea of what to expect as well as to what crew would expect- if anyone can contribute more ideas as to how this bodes in the northwest area, i'd really appreciate it

Cheers
Vish

[Dylan Couper]

In Vancouver.... everyone works for free, didn't you know? Or at least that seems to be what's expected.

[James Emory]

Originally Posted by Dylan Couper

In Vancouver.... everyone works for free, didn't you know? Or at least that seems to be what's expected.

Hahaha!! LMAO!! That and everybody that gets a job from Craig's List! :O

[James Emory]

Vishal, Kevin is correct about that range. The following rates are typical in the Atlanta market and from what I have heard from others I know in other markets. I think rates are lower in areas where there is a huge amount of crewmembers to pick from such as L.A. and New York. Of course these typical rates are if you get the job which means you have to have a resume to get these jobs therefore to get the rate. Of course if you have your own gear and it's what they need, you get the rental on that too! I recently got called to shoot for the Discovery Channel show Coast Guard S.O.S.. It is airing now and the format is DV and the pay is......$600 / day! This is because of the hazardous conditions and because the crew is embedded to be ready for anything.

Atlanta Market
Betacam (Digital or SP) Operator - $500 - $600 / day for 10-12 hours

DV Camera Operator - $350 - $400 / day for 10-12 hours
(we got $425 / day on Room Raiders)

Boom Operators/Mixers - $400 - $450 / day for 10-12 hours
(most will only work with their own gear)

Production Assistant - $100 - $200 / day for 10-12 hours

[Craig Seeman]

Originally Posted by James Emory

Atlanta Market
Betacam (Digital or SP) Operator - $500 - $600 / day for 10-12 hours

DV Camera Operator - $350 - $400 / day for 10-12 hours
(we got $425 / day on Room Raiders)

James, are you sure your rates are correct? I can't see professional "Low budget" productions in a major city like Atlanta being that low.

I'm in NYC area with a very high cost of living. Imagine paying $1500-$2000 a month for rent. Add utilities, web page, insurence (both for you and your gear), cost of gear, maintenance, software updates etc.

I shoot with PD-150/170s. My "starving artist" rate for demo reels (actor/reporter demo reels) is $37.50/hr. Otherwise my rates are $50-$62.50/hr for corporate work or established artists. Even at those rates I'm not making much money after expenses.

BTW I even get my above rates on Craigslist. You just pick your jobs. When I see someone offering jobs at lower rate I do send a link to my demo and my rates. When they start comparing good work to those working for less, sometimes they ARE willing to pay more.

[Kevin Wild]

Craig, I don't get it. You say the rates James mentioned are low, but they are nearly identical to what you said you're getting. $600/day is $60/hour for a 10 hour day. I also think he was stating the rates without equipment rental, which would be added on. I think his rates were right on for many markets...definitely here in the SouthEast.

For what it's worth, I don't know of any pro shooters that bill hourly. Matter of fact, many of the good shooters won't even do 1/2 day rates. It's full or nothing.

Again, this is why people stay away from talking rates around here. Your rate is whatever you can get and decide to take. If you do $x per hour...go for it. You are worth whatever your clients are willing to pay you repeatedly.

Kevin

[James Emory]

Yes, Kevin restated what I said in my earlier post. Those rates are labor only! I said that if you have your own gear and if it's what they need, you could get the rental on that in addition to your labor. I don't know of anyone that works on an hourly basis, at least doing broadcast work. I also don't know of anyone that will work half days because you can't really sell the other half. I will not do it. Also, as we all know, presumed 3 - 4 hour days always turn into 5-8 or sometimes more which means you just worked 4 - 5 for free! I would stay away from half days. Most production days are a minimum of 10 hours anyway and it is going more and more to 12 hours as the minimum. I also agree with Kevin about some DP/shooters getting even higher rates than what I stated. I know some shooters that have been doing this for 30 years and can command at least $700 - $800 per day for labor alone. That's because they are very good at what they do, have a client list a mile long and know most of the key people to be able to get those rates. Other than broadcast, I don't know of rates much higher than the average ones that I stated earlier. Now corporate video is a different market and there is alot of money to be made in that area of production.

[Vishal Gurung]

wow! definitely a plethora of information here- i'm really glad i asked though and i do appreciate everyone coming in with your 2 cents-

Dylan, i do hear you with regards to the craigslist ads- it's like everyone wants a lot for nothing, typically 'Excellent opportunity for demo reel!' which is fair but considering the amount of worked being put in *shakes head*

I was on a shoot quite a few years back doing Epk for a music video and it was one of those 'volunteer opportunities' and on set honestly felt like there was no appreciation at all for the efforts in hand and we started at 6am and finished at 2am- so it was a grueling one day shoot that ended with a 'Thanks for coming out'

Of course being that i was brand new then and fresh out of film school i was thrilled but in the same breath looking back, i'm not sure i would've done it the same-

Either way, i'm glad to have a general idea now - good to have for future gigs where we have to pay our crew and we know what is fair-

[Adrian Nelson]

I know i sent this to you Vishal but I thought i'd post it up here as well for anyone else that was interested. You can download the current labor rates and pay scale for film here in BC. This is from the BC film commission and is the standard union rates, depending on the union.

http://www.bcfilmcommission.com/data...FINAL_2005.pdf

[Craig Seeman]

I misunderstood James' post. Thought he meant that was with gear. He did say $600 a 10 hour day for BetaSP. That's what I'd get with DV (camera included). I often bill half day (4 hours) or full day (8 hours) but I break it out hourly because some clients feel a day (or half day) is not a specified length. If the shoot is only 2 hours they still pay for 4. It does mean they can't go longer on half day shoots except at my discertion. If they fell it may go longer than 4 hours in advance, they simply pay the 8 hour day rate. Since I also edit and do compression, I often use the rest of a partial day to do unsupervised work. I'm booked a minimum of 20 hours a week non shooting. I've also booked 2 partial day shoots in one day. Often it's a morning shoot followed by an evening shoot.

[James Emory]

Originally Posted by Craig Seeman

I've also booked 2 partial day shoots in one day. Often it's a morning shoot followed by an evening shoot.

I wouldn't mind working half days if I could sell the other half. You are fortunate to be able to do that frequently.

[Harikrishnan Ponnurangam]

I'm doing my first music video project renting equipments. I have done small project before.

I hired DV camera operator and lighting for $350
Production Assistant for $150
I will be another camera operator.

What are the responsbilities of Production assistant?

Please let me know,
Hari

[Vishal Gurung]

Originally Posted by Harikrishnan Ponnurangam

I'm doing my first music video project renting equipments. I have done small project before.

I hired DV camera operator and lighting for $350
Production Assistant for $150
I will be another camera operator.

What are the responsbilities of Production assistant?

Please let me know,
Hari

Hi Hari
From my experience, what a PA does depends on the size of the project- the bigger the project, the more specific are the duties assigned to the PA- the smaller the proj usuall means the PA does a whole slew of things from preparing the coffee to helping lay out cable to directing traffic etc- Pretty much whatever that doesn't involved camera work/grip work, the PA does- Hope this helps!