What to charge?

Eric Shepherd · August 10th, 2007, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David W. Jones

You are assuming that the tapes are one hour long.
If instead they are 2 hours long, that translates into 100 hours of work.

Heck, either way you might as well just go to work for McDonalds if you are getting paid that little.

Okay good point. I guess I've spent too much time with MiniDV tapes. :)

For all we know, these could be T-180 tapes, running in EP/SLP mode and there's 8 hours on every tape.. Ouch!

Tobin Strickland · August 10th, 2007, 04:48 PM

Sure you want to charge a fair rate...but you're no robot either. If the client is a little old lady and can't afford your hourly rate...sure charge per tape. But what they are paying for is your professional care and expertise no matter how simple the job is. Charge what it's worth to you and what you think you might get, keeping in mind that you'll want repeat business at that price.

Eric Shepherd · August 10th, 2007, 04:51 PM

It could be recordings of Matlock too.

A friend moved into a house previously owned by a guy who couldn't part with anything (he had 17 vcr's!).. and he had a huge box of tapes, all filled with Matlock. ;)

Heath McKnight · August 11th, 2007, 05:13 PM

I'm probably echoing here, but I'd call a couple of dupe houses and see how they do it. I remember when DVDs first came out, before Apple had the Superdrive, and here in West Palm Beach, FL, they'd charge $100 per DVD, $20 for each additional copy.

If you can find out the current pricing structure, per tape or whatever, that might work. Most dupe houses have, like, 50 VCR-to-DVD, or the like, devices ready to go.

Glad to see some fellow Floridians.

heath

Heath McKnight · August 11th, 2007, 05:14 PM

Btw, and I don't know if this is still a standard practice, but some TV news stations allow an outside third party to record shows and distribute them. Perhaps talk to someone like that for bulk pricing.

heath

Eric Shepherd · August 12th, 2007, 02:11 PM

Maybe they could copy Matlock for you that way, too? :)

Denis Danatzko · August 13th, 2007, 07:04 AM

Is to find out the details, e.g. length of source recordings, recorded speed, etc., what it would cost to farm the job out to a duplication house, then add 10-20% for yourself, and arrange for the duplication house to do the work.

Though printing labels on one-off DVDs might be difficult/costly to get the duplication house to do. In either case, you'd get a real-life estimate of what the cost would be, so you'd have a good ballpark charge from which to start.

You could end up not buying any equipment, particularly multiple machines that you may not need again for some time, and not be tied up doing all the work yourself.

Just providing alternatives/food for thought.

Heath McKnight · August 13th, 2007, 08:03 AM

Good point, Denis. I have had to do that, too, because I did a DVD dupe job that has only happened once. I had a friend with one of those DVD burners with a labeler that could do like 30 at a time (with the little arm moving everything around). I didn't make as much money, but I received an extra $100 out of the deal.

Before that, I tried on my own and used bad DVDs and was almost burned by the clients until the manufacturer immediately refunded my money and I bought high-quality DVDs. I'll probably always farm that stuff out--companies like CreateSpace (www.createspace.com, formerly CustomFlix) can handle big orders AND if there's a problem, you won't have to spend the big bucks to replace them.

Heath

August 10th, 2007, 04:48 PM	#17
Tobin Strickland Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 86	Who is the client? Sure you want to charge a fair rate...but you're no robot either. If the client is a little old lady and can't afford your hourly rate...sure charge per tape. But what they are paying for is your professional care and expertise no matter how simple the job is. Charge what it's worth to you and what you think you might get, keeping in mind that you'll want repeat business at that price.

August 11th, 2007, 05:13 PM	#19
Heath McKnight MPS Digital Studios Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Palm Beach County, Florida Posts: 8,531	I'm probably echoing here, but I'd call a couple of dupe houses and see how they do it. I remember when DVDs first came out, before Apple had the Superdrive, and here in West Palm Beach, FL, they'd charge $100 per DVD, $20 for each additional copy. If you can find out the current pricing structure, per tape or whatever, that might work. Most dupe houses have, like, 50 VCR-to-DVD, or the like, devices ready to go. Glad to see some fellow Floridians. heath __________________ My Final Cut Pro X blog

August 11th, 2007, 05:14 PM	#20
Heath McKnight MPS Digital Studios Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Palm Beach County, Florida Posts: 8,531	Btw, and I don't know if this is still a standard practice, but some TV news stations allow an outside third party to record shows and distribute them. Perhaps talk to someone like that for bulk pricing. heath __________________ My Final Cut Pro X blog

August 13th, 2007, 07:04 AM	#22
Denis Danatzko Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: NYC Metro area Posts: 579	Another alternative: Is to find out the details, e.g. length of source recordings, recorded speed, etc., what it would cost to farm the job out to a duplication house, then add 10-20% for yourself, and arrange for the duplication house to do the work. Though printing labels on one-off DVDs might be difficult/costly to get the duplication house to do. In either case, you'd get a real-life estimate of what the cost would be, so you'd have a good ballpark charge from which to start. You could end up not buying any equipment, particularly multiple machines that you may not need again for some time, and not be tied up doing all the work yourself. Just providing alternatives/food for thought. __________________ Denis ------------ Our actions are based on our own experience and knowledge. Thus, no one is ever totally right, nor totally wrong. We simply act from what we "know" to be true, based on that experience and knowledge. Beyond that, we pose questions to others.

August 13th, 2007, 08:03 AM	#23
Heath McKnight MPS Digital Studios Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Palm Beach County, Florida Posts: 8,531	Good point, Denis. I have had to do that, too, because I did a DVD dupe job that has only happened once. I had a friend with one of those DVD burners with a labeler that could do like 30 at a time (with the little arm moving everything around). I didn't make as much money, but I received an extra $100 out of the deal. Before that, I tried on my own and used bad DVDs and was almost burned by the clients until the manufacturer immediately refunded my money and I bought high-quality DVDs. I'll probably always farm that stuff out--companies like CreateSpace (www.createspace.com, formerly CustomFlix) can handle big orders AND if there's a problem, you won't have to spend the big bucks to replace them. Heath __________________ My Final Cut Pro X blog

August 10th, 2007, 04:51 PM	#18
Eric Shepherd Major Player Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 404	It could be recordings of Matlock too. A friend moved into a house previously owned by a guy who couldn't part with anything (he had 17 vcr's!).. and he had a huge box of tapes, all filled with Matlock. ;)

August 12th, 2007, 02:11 PM	#21
Eric Shepherd Major Player Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 404	Maybe they could copy Matlock for you that way, too? :)