friend wants a short 5 min video done
 

My friend wants to do a 5 min video to put out on mini-cd as a sort of calling card/ Business card... to shoot and edit it, how much would this cost?

How much of the cost is in front of the camera? Are there flying elephants? Spaceships? Or just his talking head?

Its just him in front of the camera basically talking about his company, and maybe a few shots of his work...he's an IT guy.

Hi,

Usually when I'm writing a budget and proposal, I will break it down into different tasks with a rate for each task. Every rate is half day minimum, even for a half hour shoot. When you count travel time, set up/ lighting time, and work time it all adds up even for a 20 or 30 minute shoot.

This is what I would charge in Atlanta, for a client that I thought was price sensitive. Your area & client may be different, so adjust your rates as needed. I start high on rate and the first estimate because you can always negotiate down. Charge a fair amount for your experience and time.

The first meeting is usually a free hour to ask questions and gather info about what they want done, by whom and how long a video. Ask about everything and be detailed. Cover how many people, distribution format, intended audience and purpose.

A simple production might have 1 day of research & interviews to gather info. $ 400 / day

Per day cost of scripting starts at $400/day for small clients or 25% of total production cost for large corporations on a corporate or sales video.

I then break down the script in terms of scenes, locations, number of camera setups, time for lighting and rehearsal and estimated number of takes. Then I estimate number of days of shooting

Audition and Rehearse talent and scouting locations varies in terms of cost.

Shooting starts at $ 1000-1200 per day for camera, tripod, Lowell softlight kit and 2 man crew.

Hiring a lighting or dolly grip starts at $400 / day and up.

Hiring a grip/lighting truck starts at $ 200 and up.

Dolly rental is usually $ 100 per day and up here.

Editing starts at $ 400 to $ 800 per day.

Plus cost of media and dubs or DVDs for distribution.

I try to budget even the smallest job at $ 1200 or more, since this is a business. My friends at a video studio across town try to bid at least $ 5000 or more on every job. If I don't have any other jobs scheduled for the current month and the client wants price breaks I may give him a price break on second day of shooting or second day of editing rate.

If the client tries to negotiate really low rates, walk away. He would then expect the same rate on the next job. It's not worth it, unless you're having a very lean month.

Hope this is helpful.

Ed

Re: friend wants a short 5 min video done
 

<<<-- Originally posted by Ryan Moore : My friend wants to do a 5 min video to put out on mini-cd as a sort of calling card/ Business card... to shoot and edit it, how much would this cost? -->>>


On the other hand...


If he is really your friend, do it for free already...
Or at least trade him for his services if possible, or a few cases of beer.

<<<-- Or at least trade him for his services if possible, or a few cases of beer.
-->>>


The Whole Beer thing would work if I wasn't 18...hehehe.

Oh yeah, by the way, Ed, thank you so much for your input, I really appreciate it.