How to kill our videography market

[Chris Harding]

Hi Josh

I was merely pointing out that hourly rates if a company is paying you doesn't take travel into account so really no client is involves there as the company would change the couple $XXXX and then offer the shoot to the freelancer at $25.00 an hour which would be time on site.

I deal direct with my clients and I never quote an hourly rate simply because a lot more than half of the gig is editing. Even if you specify a hourly attendance at the wedding brides will then do a calculation of your price ...like $2000 to shoot a 10 hour wedding and of course arrive at a rate of $200 an hour ..Wow that a lot of money and a BIG rip off BUT they fail to factor in the many hours for editing!!

I prefer to give a bride a costing based on events rather than hours! I can still charge the same as the "hours" guy ie: $2000 BUT there is no hours mentioned, just event coverage, editing and packaging and that tends to be better accepted than a cost based on hours.

If I was freelancing I would rather be offered a fixed sum for specified coverage and then see if it's worth my while or not. I even work that way with my second shooters and they prefer to be paid $XXX for a specific bit of coverage.

Chris

[Josh Bass]

I see what you're saying. I have one client who is actually cool enough that I don't quote ahead of time for editing and simply send him a bill based on the hours that I keep track of via my invoicing software. Pretty much anyone else, I do my best to guesstimate what the total cost (I don't edit much that I don't shoot except for the aforementioned client) of shooting and editing will be, BASED on the number of hours I think it'll take me, and just send them a lump quote without mentioning how it's subdivided ("$300 for this, $500 for that"). I won't bill more than that quote unless something changes (they ask for additional blah blah blah not previously discussed). If I end up spending way more time than I thought, that's on me and I try to readjust my rate the next time I deal with someone.

[Pablo Aura]

I believe today's video market is expanding so much that there is room for everyone. In the past, corporate videos were a luxury only a few could afford, I remember some 75k budgets for such works, but it was maybe "the project of the year" for the client, and certainly a good one for the production company, but you had to invest crazy money to get a Betacam SP unit going.

Nowadays the entry level is so low and the video market has expanded so much that the clients that use to do one or two videos a year now want a video for almost everything!, which, off course is good and bad.

And if you are just starting, you could spend, let's say 3k for a starters rig is quite feasible. So in this case you might be up for a $25h job that will bring some experience, you'll meet people, etc.

When a client calls me asking me: "you are crazy with your prices, this guys will make the commercial for $500", I always say "wow, great deal, go for those guys" in the end the client always come back because, as so many fellow said in this post, sell yourself as a commodity, get paid like one.


Pablo Aura | Director/Filmmaker