How do you charge for prep?

[Dan Coplan]

Do you only bill your hourly rate or do you bill your hourly rate plus a pro-rated rental or...?

 

Dan

[RonBaldwin]

I've never been able to get a rental for the prep-day, and in my experience it's an 8 hr day at your agreed rate.

 

rb

[Rob Vuona SOC]

Do you only bill your hourly rate or do you bill your hourly rate plus a pro-rated rental or...?

 

Dan

Yo Dan,

Prep day rate . . . .wow . . .But wait I'm confused, are you talking about a prep. day on location or off location.?

 

If it's on location, then it's full rental and full operator rate

if it's off location (at home) then nope your on your own.

 

If my rig is there then it's getting paid for being there and so am I.

 

Travel days are full rental and full op rate on anything traveled over 4 hr's

Under 4 hr's and I'll give them a half day rental

 

Hope that helps or maybe I just answered the wrong question

[Dan Coplan]

This particular prep is at the rental house day before the shoot. Never discussed the rate with them - they just mentioned on their own that they would pay my hourly rate. In my mind it should be the hourly rate plus pro-rated rental but just came up with that on my own and wondering how everyone else handles it.

 

Dan

[Rob Vuona SOC]

This particular prep is at the rental house day before the shoot. Never discussed the rate with them - they just mentioned on their own that they would pay my hourly rate. In my mind it should be the hourly rate plus pro-rated rental but just came up with that on my own and wondering how everyone else handles it.

 

Dan

-----------

Hey there Dan,

In my book if my rig is anywhere other than in my garage it's being paid for and so am I.

 

Charge away Dano

 

Time is money.

 

you can never get that time back

[Lohengrin Zapiain]

In my experience you get paid for your time and that's the minimum 8 hour guaranteed (you never really do more than 8 hours prep... let's be honest). As for the sled I have never being able to charge for it at prep but I guess a day rental should be the standard.

[Dan Coplan]

I'd love an 8-hr. guarantee but I can't justify charging that for something that will take me 3 hrs. tops, assuming there are no problems.

 

I'm inclined to do an hourly rate, though I can see working out a fixed half or full day rate depending on the amount of time.

 

Dan

[Eric Fletcher S.O.C.]

I'd love an 8-hr. guarantee but I can't justify charging that for something that will take me 3 hrs. tops, assuming there are no problems.

 

I'm inclined to do an hourly rate, though I can see working out a fixed half or full day rate depending on the amount of time.

 

Dan

 

 

Prep has always been an 8 hour day. Take it. Don't be "That" guy that screws it for the rest of us.

[RonBaldwin]

I'd love an 8-hr. guarantee but I can't justify charging that for something that will take me 3 hrs. tops, assuming there are no problems.

 

Dan

 

 

oh...there will be problems. Once you've dynamically balanced your rig and put it away, you'll have 7.5 hours remaining to hit on the hot p.a., get your cappy machine and bottles of scotch situated on the truck, and have a rushed 3 hr sushi lunch. If you are a skilled, seasoned operator, you'll leave the prep with 20 min left so you drive home on the clock (with p.a. in co-pilot's seat).

 

rb

[Jason Torbitt]

You guys in the US are lucky - prep days seem to be becoming less and less common here in the UK, sadly. They're always paid, that goes without saying - but they seem to be very infrequent nowadays, due to "time" and "budget", but nevertheless it often all boils down to lots of surprises on the first day of shooting, working out what you've got, what you haven't got, what you need and what you are amazed that they haven't thought of.

 

In the same way, call sheets seem to be becoming more of a rare-ity, too - more and more last minute planning seems to be the way things are going.

[RonBaldwin]

They can be rare here too...I usually only get prep days on long term episodic shows (not always). Whether I'm paid or not, I'll usually stop by to say howdi to the assistants and drop off all my stuff (so I won't have to deal with all the headaches of loading in the first day).

[Robert Starling SOC]

We get very few camera preps here in Las Vegas but mostly because there are no camera rental houses here, so the AC does the prep in LA and I do the best I can to work through the key points with them for Steadicam before they prep. When I do get any prep at all I charge for it, but it usually consists of meeting the AC at 8:00 pm when they get to town, running back to my place and doing a prep that night before the 6:00 a.m. call time.

[Dan Coplan]

Prep has always been an 8 hour day. Take it. Don't be "That" guy that screws it for the rest of us.

 

Really? I definitely don't want to be "that guy" and do my best to stick up for rates. I just had no idea. Though judging from other people's comments here, it's doesn't seem to necessarily be the norm. This is not a union TV show or feature where I'm guessing that's the norm. (???)

 

Charging full rate for my rig and time by the hour doesn't seem like undercutting, though.

 

Dan

[Rob Vuona SOC]

I agree with Eric,

Don't be that guy, and as for Ron, I have to party with you one of these days or maybe just hang out on a prep day because that sounds like a party anyway . . . .LOL . . .

 

Dan, if they don't give you a prep day, then always get an extra hour or two before the call time and if things don't get ready in time to shoot acording to the schedual then it becomes the PM's fault for not giving you a prep day that you requested in the first place. Once in awhile it's ok to let them hang themselves with the lack of pre production. Then once it all gets worked out by the end of the day you have gotten your 4 hr's of overtime and you have your full day anyway . . .

[Brad Grimmett]

oh...there will be problems. Once you've dynamically balanced your rig and put it away, you'll have 7.5 hours remaining to hit on the hot p.a., get your cappy machine and bottles of scotch situated on the truck, and have a rushed 3 hr sushi lunch. If you are a skilled, seasoned operator, you'll leave the prep with 20 min left so you drive home on the clock (with p.a. in co-pilot's seat).

 

rb

This sounds like a joke, but this is actually an accurate description of every prep Ron goes to.