How much to charge for this? at DVinfo.net

Troy Davis · November 11th, 2010, 10:18 AM

Hello All,

I had someone ask me how much would I charge for this? I never shot a commercial before, but feel pretty confident in doing it.

Thankjs,
td

Here it is:

I need a 1-3 minute commercial. With about a 2-5 minute testimony as another track. Recording will be in one place or spot, sitting down giving an interview of my product, with an all white background maybe 2 cams. I would like to break it into to have the ability to upload my commercial and then another part as my testimony to be uploaded to the internet separately. It should take maybe 2 hours to record. Do you do something like this and if so how much would it be?

Stephen Dougherty · November 11th, 2010, 01:24 PM

Portal to Portal, with an hourly rate

Troy Davis · November 11th, 2010, 01:36 PM

Stephen,

Do you have a hrly rate range to use and what do you mean by portal to portal?

Matthew Craggs · November 11th, 2010, 01:53 PM

The first thing I would do is get in touch, have a chat about project, and try to determine how long it would take to complete. For example, do they have a script? I don't know what their product is, but if it is something like food, will it require bringing in someone else to prep the product and make it look good on screen? What are they expecting in the way of effects like text and graphics? Stuff like that.

I would judge how much time the project would take me I would send an estimate. I would quite simply multiply the number of hours by my hourly rate, and add on applicable expenses like a license for the music, or paying any extra bodies that are needed.

We have a minimum investment required for each project. If the equation above results in a number less than the minimum, we obviously quote the minimum.

Of course I can't tell you what your hourly rate should be because I don't know what kind of overhead you have, and what you expect to earn. But figuring out how much your time is worth takes a lot of guess work out of it when you're approached for corporate work.

Stephen Dougherty · November 11th, 2010, 02:03 PM

Portal to Portal is an industry term relating to how you get paid for work. From the minute you step into the rental house ( or load your own equipment into your truck) you start the timer, and the minute you unload all of you stuff, you stop the timer. So if it took 6 hours to shoot a commercial ( or 2 ) you charge [your] rate, at how many hours you worked.

My commercial rate is $150 per hour single cam, $200 per hour multi-cam, so for that two hour shoot, I am charging US$400. (this is based on camera only shoots, where we show up, film, drop off the footage and leave)

Your rates may be different, you may feel this is too much or not enough, but that is what portal to portal is. this does not include any post production work as that is billed differently, but as far as On-Location shoots, you bill them based on the portal to portal system. I typically charge $75-$100 per hour of editing, which they can choose to add on-to the package if they wish, at which point I use the program Billings. Its a time app that records the time you spend in programs editing, and adds in tax based on where you live etc etc.

November 11th, 2010, 10:18 AM	#1
Troy Davis Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Raleigh,NC Posts: 263	How much to charge for this? Hello All, I had someone ask me how much would I charge for this? I never shot a commercial before, but feel pretty confident in doing it. Thankjs, td Here it is: I need a 1-3 minute commercial. With about a 2-5 minute testimony as another track. Recording will be in one place or spot, sitting down giving an interview of my product, with an all white background maybe 2 cams. I would like to break it into to have the ability to upload my commercial and then another part as my testimony to be uploaded to the internet separately. It should take maybe 2 hours to record. Do you do something like this and if so how much would it be?

November 11th, 2010, 01:24 PM	#2
Stephen Dougherty Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 49	Portal to Portal, with an hourly rate __________________ JVC GY-HM700u www.dumbluckltd.com

November 11th, 2010, 01:53 PM	#4
Matthew Craggs Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Welland, Ontario Posts: 311	The first thing I would do is get in touch, have a chat about project, and try to determine how long it would take to complete. For example, do they have a script? I don't know what their product is, but if it is something like food, will it require bringing in someone else to prep the product and make it look good on screen? What are they expecting in the way of effects like text and graphics? Stuff like that. I would judge how much time the project would take me I would send an estimate. I would quite simply multiply the number of hours by my hourly rate, and add on applicable expenses like a license for the music, or paying any extra bodies that are needed. We have a minimum investment required for each project. If the equation above results in a number less than the minimum, we obviously quote the minimum. Of course I can't tell you what your hourly rate should be because I don't know what kind of overhead you have, and what you expect to earn. But figuring out how much your time is worth takes a lot of guess work out of it when you're approached for corporate work. __________________ craggs.ca

November 11th, 2010, 02:03 PM	#5
Stephen Dougherty Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 49	Portal to Portal is an industry term relating to how you get paid for work. From the minute you step into the rental house ( or load your own equipment into your truck) you start the timer, and the minute you unload all of you stuff, you stop the timer. So if it took 6 hours to shoot a commercial ( or 2 ) you charge [your] rate, at how many hours you worked. My commercial rate is $150 per hour single cam, $200 per hour multi-cam, so for that two hour shoot, I am charging US$400. (this is based on camera only shoots, where we show up, film, drop off the footage and leave) Your rates may be different, you may feel this is too much or not enough, but that is what portal to portal is. this does not include any post production work as that is billed differently, but as far as On-Location shoots, you bill them based on the portal to portal system. I typically charge $75-$100 per hour of editing, which they can choose to add on-to the package if they wish, at which point I use the program Billings. Its a time app that records the time you spend in programs editing, and adds in tax based on where you live etc etc. __________________ JVC GY-HM700u www.dumbluckltd.com

November 11th, 2010, 01:36 PM	#3
Troy Davis Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Raleigh,NC Posts: 263	Stephen, Do you have a hrly rate range to use and what do you mean by portal to portal?