Hypothetical Question

[Jason Torbitt]

Sounds very frustrating. That said, there are also many other hypothetical questions that could be asked of individual operators in the UK too, when it comes to rates.

 

Very frustrating, when it comes to rates. Not enough long term-ism.

[Imran Naqvi]

You're right Jason, and I'm sure I've unknowingly undercut someone because I believed a producers BS about how they have no budget. But it comes down to the fact that as a much smaller pool of talent here, and with correspondingly smaller budgets, UK ops are secretive, and seem to go out of their way to not help each other out by being willing to drop their rate when offered someone else's job.

 

I'm not saying we should form a union, but when something smells we should be trying to help each other get a decent rate out of a producer that has the money rather immediately drop our rate through our own fear.

 

Case in point, there's a 35mm feature shooting around London that is calling around trying to get ops to undercut each other. Because I didn't know a friend had agreed a rate, I offered something that was lower because I believed them about having no money. He and I are cool about it now, but if you get asked to do it, and told it's an Arri LT you're being played, feel free to call me about it and I'll get you upto speed. They wrap shooting at the end of next week.

 

For the next couple of years we're going to hear about how producers are having their budgets squeezed and how we need to cut our rates or someone else will do it, but most of the time that's rubbish, I don't want to be the guy that is cool with stealing work and dropping their rate to unsustainable levels, because I'd quite like to have a roof over my head.

 

Right sorry, Rant over