Recently, it has been brought to my attention that I might be charging too little for the services that I offer. Of course this really is a subjective topic that has so many variables: where are you located, what format do you work in, what equipment do you own, how much experience do you possess? But how does one find out how much they should charge for production services?
I have found that in the work place people are really quite tight lipped about how much people are making and especially about how much people are worth. The other night at the Intervention premier party after a stiff drink I began to present the “money” question to the production manager. That got me nowhere. So, that next day I hoped on The D-Word, a forum of documentary filmmakers and aspiring ones. This has proved to be quite a great resource, after I posted the “money” question within 6 hours I had responses from big shot producers and Academy Award Nominated filmmakers. It turns out that according to California state law I have to charge more, you see I have not been getting paid for overtime on television work this year, and when you tend to work 14-18 hours a day of shoots that overtime easily turns into a lot of breathing room in the bank. The tricky thing about cinematography rates in Los Angeles is the fact that it is so easy to price yourself out of work because there are hundreds of young talented camera people just waiting for a break, and many will work for pennies to get it. (I know, it was not long ago that I was one of them) So for right now, I am going to start logging how many overtime hours I work on my next few shoots. If it is quite a few, as I expect it will be I will have a nice chat with the line producer.
Pricing for corporate work is different, rates are more dependent on the services that you offer, so in order to raise my rates in this side of my business I am going to be taking a close look at investing into the world of High Definition. I will keep you up to date on that.
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That’s right - time to take it to new heights, and your work is worth it!
Left by dbaron on March 22nd, 2007
I have lots to say on this subject so it can wait until we get together. But my basic principle is to continually consider where your highest value lies. As a person occupying time and space and burning resources on this planet. But also your highest economic value. Who values the special gifts and abilities you have? And who will pay what for them? There are many who will pay, but are simply not in a position to be the highest bidder for your service. But, they may offer something else–more valuable: the kind of work you want to do, the kind of people you want to support and be with. But, if you decide on that basis, it is good to understand that what you are giving them is a gift. On the other hand, as a husband and father, you have to think about how generous you may be with your precious gifts of time and talents. so there has to be thought given to who will pay for what you have to offer.
Not sure this helps, but we will talk more.
Left by gb on March 26th, 2007