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DVD Sales
I’m working on a proposal for a local ice skating orgainztions annual skating show in March and they are requesting DVD’s for distribution. While asking for the proposal, they mentioned that they could “help” in the duplication and distrubution of the final project in order to keep costs down. I have two thoughts on this and I would like some other opinions.
My first thought is to handle everything myself and just hand them the total number of DVD’s that they are requesting. This way I would have total control over the final product and would make sure that all copies are completed properly with the right labels and jacket covers. I could also prevent others from copying my work without permission, by creating one master and making all copies from that. For me this option is more of a quality control issue, I want the work that goes out in the public to be my best work from top to bottom and this would allow me to control all of that. The issues with this is time, it will take me a little longer to get everything burned, designed, printed, and distrubted. And it will cost the client a litte bit more, however this is a cost they can pass on to purchasers of the DVD.
The second option would be to just build them a master DVD and let them take care of the rest. They would print there own labels and purchase their own cases and print their own case labels, if they decided to do so. This would save me a lot of time, but it would take away the quality control part that I talked about before. I’m also not sure what to charge them for a master DVD like this if I went this route.
So my question is what are you all doing when it comes to a project like this? Is keeping the control over your project more important than just getting the project done quickly and more affordably for client? What do you charge for a Master DVD that you give to a client(I would of course keep a master as well.)
Whether or not this matters, I’m proposing my hourly rate for shooting and editing. And then I plan on charging a flat amount per DVD if I go the route of doing everything myself.
Any and all opinions are welcome.
Thanks
Jason Mechelke
Midnight Sun Productions, LLC -
30 Replies
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I would give them a master – those sorts of things never sell the way organizers (or you!) THINK they’re going to sell. Grant them the right to make copies of the master, charge them for the right and be done with it.
If there’s copyrighted music in the background – then don’t charge them because you don’t own all the rights.
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In my opinion, the answer to your question is entirely dependent on volume of DVDs you’ll be making/selling. If its less than 1000, you’re “duplicatiing” — or over a thousand, “replicating.” Duplicating means burning, no copy protection, and packaging by hand; replicating means professionally stamped from a glass master and usually including machine printing and packaging.
Depending on how many you’re making, DVDs can either be a good source of income or just a royal pain in butt, with lots of work involved and very little revenue. Tell me how many you’re projecting for the first run and I’ll be better able to help you determine how much of the job to keep vs. how much to give away.
David
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.
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David’s basics are spot on but the numbers have changed recently. Today, it is possible to get replicated discs in quantities of 300 at places like discmakers.com and I suspect there are others (but I am not sure of them and can’t recommend them).
Best regards,
Ron Lindeboom
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronlindeboom
Publisher, Creative COW Magazine
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I was told they wanted about 30-40 DVD’s.
Jason Mechelke
Midnight Sun Productions, LLC -
[Ron Lindeboom] “David’s basics are spot on but the numbers have changed recently. Today, it is possible to get replicated discs in quantities of 300 at places like discmakers.com and I suspect there are others (but I am not sure of them and can’t recommend them).”
Here’s the problem – no replicating house will replicate unless the music copyrights are paid for and clear. The client needs to be aware of that.
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[Raymond Motion Pictures] “Here’s the problem – no replicating house will replicate unless the music copyrights are paid for and clear. The client needs to be aware of that.”
If there was copyrighted music being used, it wasn’t stated in the original question nor in David’s reply — which is what I was addressing.
You are absolutely right that if copyrighted music does come into play, a replicator will not touch it with a 10 foot pole.
Best regards,
Ron Lindeboom
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronlindeboom
Publisher, Creative COW Magazine
Join the COW’s LinkedIn Group
Now in the COW Magazine: Commercials. A look at the history, strategy, techniques and production workflows of successful commercials. All brought to you by some of the COW’s brightest members. Accept no substitutes!Would you like to be in Creative COW Magazine with your story or contribution? Contact me.
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[Raymond Motion Pictures] “no replicating house will replicate unless the music copyrights are paid for and clear.”
That’s interesting, indeed…. I’d never thought about that.
I can say though that although our music is always paid for and with clear copyright, the particular replication houses that we use (including what I think must be the largest one on the world which happens to be in my hometown) have never once even asked us about music clearances.
Maybe we just got lucky…
T2
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Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
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[Todd at Fantastic Plastic] “I can say though that although our music is always paid for and with clear copyright, the particular replication houses that we use (including what I think must be the largest one on the world which happens to be in my hometown) have never once even asked us about music clearances.”
Well, they are doing the COPYING.
The whole thing’s a sticky-mess. BMI & ASCAP have no set up for 30 DVDs of amateur ice-skaters. By the time you add in macrovision requirements, the parents will be paying $200 (or more) a disk to watch their little Suzy.
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Jason,
30 – 40 oughta be easy for you to do, and the going rate these days is $6.50 to $7.50 per disc, just for burning and inkjet printed discs with a paper sleeve. That’s on top of a fee for authoring.
David
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.
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[Todd at Fantastic Plastic] “I can say though that… …the particular replication houses that we use… …have never once even asked us about music clearances.”
Todd,
In the last year things have gotten much tighter in the industry after some of the biggest labs and DVD replicators were implicated in major crimes when some bad-apple employees were caught red-handed copying many first-run films and stealing Academy Award nominated screeners.
As a show of good faith, many of the labs participated in sting operations that helped pinpoint exactly which employees were responsible. The bad employees wound-up with serious jail time. Meanwhile, the labs, many of which could have been sued out of existence, agreed to institute copyright checking proceedures. However, if the lab knows you, and they know you are legitimate, they often bypass most proceedures. The lab that I go to asks for a music cue sheet and a signature on a document declaring that we own all rights.
David
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.
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