birthday fee at DVinfo.net

Dante Waters · February 3rd, 2006, 12:22 AM

Well just would like to get a general idea what everyones fee would be like
with the following setup:
- One camera
- Usage of wireless / shotgun mics
- 3 hr birthday part 83 year old (footage will be 1hr long)
- 5 interviews
- Ken burns effects applied to no more than 5 pictures
- minimal edits (chapters markers, no highlights, dvd labels)
- Lets say 4hrs of editing

How much would you charge for all of this?

Joe Allen Rosenberger · February 3rd, 2006, 01:38 AM

Dante......you shouldn't make the use of wireless mic, shotgun mics as if they are an "option"....they're not, they are a "mandatory" piece of gear that goes along with your camera. With that said.....a 3 hr party shoot plus an edit of it: on the low end I would say charge $600.00 and on the high end $1,200.00 but I have no clue how sophisticated your style is. I never charge an hourly rate.....along with weddings I shoot for various hollywood networks and corporate video and I always charge a "daily" for the shoot, even if they are 1/2 days shoots....doesn;t matter, its not like you will book another gig that day so you day is commited to the shoot. I always get a minimum of 275.00 and up to $450.00 per day for DV Cam shoots.....thats mini DV Cam not "full size", they have a price of there own....and that is just for camera, not editing.

Now that may seem high to you considering there are wedding videographers who charge 1,000.00 to shoot and edit an entire wedding, thats cool when youre a new company trying to build your client base but at those rates....well, you're in the "poor house".

I dont look at clients for events/weddings all the same......our company only deals with the one's who will pay our rates as we do not negotiate our fee......that's why there are $700.00 wedding videography companies and there are $3,000.00 wedding videography companies...what sets you apart from the $700.00 videographers is how talented you are in general...how you shoot/style.....how well you edit......and what "clients" you wish to work for.

I hope this helps some.....
J

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dante Waters

Well just would like to get a general idea what everyones fee would be like
with the following setup:
- One camera
- Usage of wireless / shotgun mics
- 3 hr birthday part 83 year old (footage will be 1hr long)
- 5 interviews
- Ken burns effects applied to no more than 5 pictures
- minimal edits (chapters markers, no highlights, dvd labels)
- Lets say 4hrs of editing

How much would you charge for all of this?

Dante Waters · February 3rd, 2006, 12:31 PM

Joe,

Thank you for your time and energy I sincerely feel that this small party is worth about $500 though I'm charging $250. At the end she'll get what it's worth. I will keep everything tight and snappy, no extras or open space I'll also post a clip on here.

I mean I go by what Ash Greyson (a member of this forum said)
once said: "Do as much as you can to start even if it's for free, and if your good work will find you." Although the business is growing and my prices are too I have to build a resume I haven't done a birthday party as yet, and the majority of my work has been for church. I feel I would have no problem
charging $750 if it was larger party size say 70-150 even $1000.

Seeing as how she doesn't have a plan or anything and it's 50 people I'm keeping it low and will probably get an hour of footage on tape. I'll also create a story with my camera.

Oh here is an ending for my 1st and only baby shower:
http://shalom-sda.org/ed/baby.wmv

give me your thoughts on my work...

Quote:

Now that may seem high to you considering there are wedding videographers who charge 1,000.00 to shoot and edit an entire wedding, thats cool when youre a new company trying to build your client base but at those rates....well, you're in the "poor house".

I dont look at clients for events/weddings all the same......our company only deals with the one's who will pay our rates as we do not negotiate our fee......that's why there are $700.00 wedding videography companies and there are $3,000.00 wedding videography companies...what sets you apart from the $700.00 videographers is how talented you are in general...how you shoot/style.....how well you edit......and what "clients" you wish to work for.

I hope this helps some.....

Joe Allen Rosenberger · February 3rd, 2006, 01:04 PM

That's cool Dante...good luck with it, I'm sure the family will be thrilled to get this video and what a nice thing for them to have givin her age and all......get lot's of footage of the lady who's b day it is for sure.

Dante Waters · February 3rd, 2006, 01:29 PM

So I have your blessings? You agree with what I'm saying or you just saying good luck and you wouldn't do it in my position?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Allen Rosenberger

That's cool Dante...good luck with it, I'm sure the family will be thrilled to get this video and what a nice thing for them to have givin her age and all......get lot's of footage of the lady who's b day it is for sure.

Joe Allen Rosenberger · February 3rd, 2006, 02:33 PM

oh...sorry Dante....I mean good luck in the nice way. To be honest....for someone so old who has limited time, not sayin she's gonna croak soon, but she is very old....I would most likely do the job for less $$ than I normally do......but I have a soft spot for old folks, and i love being around them.

goo dluck w/ your projects....and i mean that! :)

Travis Cossel · February 3rd, 2006, 11:16 PM

I don't know if this helps, but I always put together estimates by figuring out how many hours I will have to invest to complete the project. If you know what dollar amount you want to charge per hour, and you can estimate the number of hours the project will take you, then you can easily figure out what you should charge.

It the final number seems high, then you can drop a little off of it, but don't drop too much, because you need to charge what you are worth.

My company focuses on high-quality wedding videos, which means I have to pass on the smaller jobs all the time. While I hate to turn people away, I also know that what they want doesn't fit with what I want to do, so I don't really have much of a choice.

I must be tired. I feel like I'm rambling. Hopefully I helped you a little.

Peter Jefferson · February 4th, 2006, 08:03 AM

I agree with Joe on the mic situation.. alot of companies charge extra for this, but youd be surprised how much more business you can get by including this as a standard element.
Offering it is just something the client wont ever have to think about again or toss up as a consideration between yourself and the producer down the road.

With regard to rates, again Joe hit it on the head. Charge daily rates. This allows you to retain a standard costing across the board.
For what i do with Corp cients, i charge $264 per hour, this includes me, and one camera.... more are available a $132 per hour up to 4 if required <rare> Oh this also includes mics and a boom operator if needed ($66 an hour.. not bad for standing around and holding a pole.. lol theres mroe to it than that of course.. im just kidding.. )
This also includes travel. I have set my travel rate at 100km blocks.. anything over 100ks is charged extra
For additional operators and cameras, i charge $132 per hour. The operator gets half that per hour.
This is all aussie dollars, but when u consider i only need the guys in for afew hours, the money is really very good

With regard to editing, if u believe it will take you 3 hours to edit, consider the time it will take to digitise, render, transcode and process to DVD as well.. this will definately take more than 3 hours in total.
I usually double the editing time i ASSUME i will need..
Later on, i bill them accordingly <usually ends up being cheaper for them> , but for quotes and jobs im pitching for, i try to keep rates realistic.

For daily "package" shoot and edit and deliver type stuff, i set up a custom quote based on what they want. this price doesnt change, theyre told upfront how much it will be with no assumption of edit time.
These rates are totaly different to corp rates as they must compete with the public market, whereas corp are happy to pay more as they know and appreciate the work for what it really is (and the money its going to pull in for them), as well as the fact that they can write it off on tax.
Event stuff still has to compete with other event pros, so the prices must be around the same as the current public market value.

Charge accordingly, and the work will come.
If your too cheap, people may actually think there is "something wrong" with your work..

Nick Weeks · February 4th, 2006, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dante Waters

Joe,

Oh here is an ending for my 1st and only baby shower:
http://shalom-sda.org/ed/baby.wmv

give me your thoughts on my work...

Sorry if this is off subject, but just a quick comment. I like what you did with the interviews, but it was very hard to make out their faces. Perhaps a camera mounted light next time? The rest of the video looked great though

Bob Costa · February 5th, 2006, 01:36 PM

If you are building experience, you keep your rates lower and deliver extra value. I would probably charge from $475 to $600 for this type of project.

I suspect 3 hours is too low for edit estimate, for reasons already mentioned. And do not forget about travel/setup time, delivery of DVDs, etc... I would estimate whole project at 10 hours for travel setup shoot edit burn.

And like Peter I also have a different rate for corporate work.

February 3rd, 2006, 12:22 AM	#1
Dante Waters Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: NY, NY Posts: 217	birthday fee Well just would like to get a general idea what everyones fee would be like with the following setup: - One camera - Usage of wireless / shotgun mics - 3 hr birthday part 83 year old (footage will be 1hr long) - 5 interviews - Ken burns effects applied to no more than 5 pictures - minimal edits (chapters markers, no highlights, dvd labels) - Lets say 4hrs of editing How much would you charge for all of this?

February 3rd, 2006, 11:16 PM	#7
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	I don't know if this helps, but I always put together estimates by figuring out how many hours I will have to invest to complete the project. If you know what dollar amount you want to charge per hour, and you can estimate the number of hours the project will take you, then you can easily figure out what you should charge. It the final number seems high, then you can drop a little off of it, but don't drop too much, because you need to charge what you are worth. My company focuses on high-quality wedding videos, which means I have to pass on the smaller jobs all the time. While I hate to turn people away, I also know that what they want doesn't fit with what I want to do, so I don't really have much of a choice. I must be tired. I feel like I'm rambling. Hopefully I helped you a little. __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

February 5th, 2006, 01:36 PM	#10
Bob Costa Major Player Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Venice, FL Posts: 850	If you are building experience, you keep your rates lower and deliver extra value. I would probably charge from $475 to $600 for this type of project. I suspect 3 hours is too low for edit estimate, for reasons already mentioned. And do not forget about travel/setup time, delivery of DVDs, etc... I would estimate whole project at 10 hours for travel setup shoot edit burn. And like Peter I also have a different rate for corporate work. __________________ You are either growing or dying.

February 3rd, 2006, 01:04 PM	#4
Joe Allen Rosenberger Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: USA Posts: 419	That's cool Dante...good luck with it, I'm sure the family will be thrilled to get this video and what a nice thing for them to have givin her age and all......get lot's of footage of the lady who's b day it is for sure.

February 3rd, 2006, 02:33 PM	#6
Joe Allen Rosenberger Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: USA Posts: 419	oh...sorry Dante....I mean good luck in the nice way. To be honest....for someone so old who has limited time, not sayin she's gonna croak soon, but she is very old....I would most likely do the job for less $$ than I normally do......but I have a soft spot for old folks, and i love being around them. goo dluck w/ your projects....and i mean that! :)

February 4th, 2006, 08:03 AM	#8
Peter Jefferson Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Aus Posts: 3,884	I agree with Joe on the mic situation.. alot of companies charge extra for this, but youd be surprised how much more business you can get by including this as a standard element. Offering it is just something the client wont ever have to think about again or toss up as a consideration between yourself and the producer down the road. With regard to rates, again Joe hit it on the head. Charge daily rates. This allows you to retain a standard costing across the board. For what i do with Corp cients, i charge $264 per hour, this includes me, and one camera.... more are available a $132 per hour up to 4 if required <rare> Oh this also includes mics and a boom operator if needed ($66 an hour.. not bad for standing around and holding a pole.. lol theres mroe to it than that of course.. im just kidding.. ) This also includes travel. I have set my travel rate at 100km blocks.. anything over 100ks is charged extra For additional operators and cameras, i charge $132 per hour. The operator gets half that per hour. This is all aussie dollars, but when u consider i only need the guys in for afew hours, the money is really very good With regard to editing, if u believe it will take you 3 hours to edit, consider the time it will take to digitise, render, transcode and process to DVD as well.. this will definately take more than 3 hours in total. I usually double the editing time i ASSUME i will need.. Later on, i bill them accordingly <usually ends up being cheaper for them> , but for quotes and jobs im pitching for, i try to keep rates realistic. For daily "package" shoot and edit and deliver type stuff, i set up a custom quote based on what they want. this price doesnt change, theyre told upfront how much it will be with no assumption of edit time. These rates are totaly different to corp rates as they must compete with the public market, whereas corp are happy to pay more as they know and appreciate the work for what it really is (and the money its going to pull in for them), as well as the fact that they can write it off on tax. Event stuff still has to compete with other event pros, so the prices must be around the same as the current public market value. Charge accordingly, and the work will come. If your too cheap, people may actually think there is "something wrong" with your work..