Premium Members Ed Moore Posted July 18, 2007 Premium Members Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Hi guys, Apologies up front if I'm out of line, but I was hoping to garner some advice on what an appropriate rate to charge for a standard Archer doing middleweight corporate and broadcast video work would be. Obviously including operator! I'm keen to ensure we don't underprice and potentially screw the community in general, but I'm also painfully aware that we're new to steadicam and don't have a lot of the accessories and hard won experience that the rest of you possess! It clearly isn't appropriate to charge £1500 a day, for example - but is maybe £500-600 too low? We're not looking to actively pursue steadicam-only jobs - we're a production company - but I want a rate to go on budgets to clients that reflects a suitable industry norm for the level of equipment. I should also say that we're 95% of the time limited to the Midlands - there's no way we're going to go try to 'break' the South East :) Many thanks for any advice you feel happy to give and feel free to rip into me if I'm causing offense! Ed Moore Fullrange Media Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members chris fawcett Posted July 18, 2007 Premium Members Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Hi Ed, It's a good plan to always quote a high rate, then offer a discount (because it's more than 3 days, because you like the project, whatever), so at least they understand they are getting it cheap. We all seem to be shy about talking about this, but since you ask a direct question, I think you should not quote less then £1,000 with assistant. I'm interested to hear what the rest of you think. Fly safe, Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Ed Moore Posted July 18, 2007 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 We all seem to be shy about talking about this, but since you ask a direct question, I think you should not quote less then £1,000 with assistant. I'm interested to hear what the rest of you think. Hi Chris, Really appreciate your response (and thanks to you or whichever admin moved this to the correct forum - I hadn't actually scrolled down far enough to spot the Business Practices one). £1000 sounds like a promising start - any other takers? Thanks again for allowing me the courtesy of stomping in here with my 3 posts and being all rude at you! Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Burton Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 (edited) Hey Ed Who is the steadicam op at your production company and how experianced are they ? I'd say you might be aiming a little high for an out of London production company but high is good if your clients are happy. Do you have a steadicam reel yet ? Good luck -Matt Edited July 18, 2007 by Matt Burton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jason Torbitt Posted July 19, 2007 Premium Members Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 Hello Ed, The best solution, I find, when quoting is to break the rate down and be descriptive, so that the client can easily see exactly how much they're paying, and what they're paying for. I ususally break the rate down on paper into 2, and itemise it under 'Operator' and 'Kit'. Other than that, I'm sure you are aware of the standard rates here, so try and stay within the rough parameters. If the majority of your work is corporate non broadcast, offer small token discounts to repeat customers and valued clients, to establish a base of repeat business. Rates of course always depend on your kit and skills, the job in question, and the production company / client. I hope this helps, feel free to get in touch to discuss Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Thomas English Posted July 19, 2007 Premium Members Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 It sounds to me like you will be adding this steadicam in with a whole package. In as much you as a company will be wanting to mark up the steadicam anyway by up to an extra 40% to make company profits. In so, I don t feel you need to stress how much you pay the operator (yourself or your company partner) and how experienced they are, you want to make sure the added hassle of having a steadicam on the job is suitably noticed and appreciated and a good way to do that is to charge shit loads. Job s right a £1000 MINIMUM with assistant to client (remember this is a client invoice to the clients client) or to put it simpler, charge £600 for just the steadicam rig and have you and your crew on the invoice seperately at what ever rates you like to charge. The client sees a nice cheap £600 for steadicam, your getting £950 to £1050 for you and your rig and your assistant / runaround boy gets his £150 to £300 and your company gets to make some profits from it s investment. I should nt worry how crap you are, your in charge of the client, it s not like you have a dop to satisfy, just steam in and get the most and show the client a good time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Burton Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 Boom Bosh Thomas you should teach business class ! Fair play to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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