Adding cards, hard drives, laptop to camera package day rate

[Dan Brockett]

I charge $400.00 per day for HVX-200, Three 8 GB and Two 16 GB P2 cards, HD monitor, tripod, batteries, laptop and Duel adapter. Don’t have a P2 Store. Drives are charged to the client without markup or client can provide drives.

Grip/Lighting and audio are extra, depending what is needed.

I may eventually pick up a 32GB card or I may wait for the 64GB cards, not sure. Depends on how business goes this year.

Best,

Dan

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs

[D. scott Dobbie]

It also depends on what the market will bear in your area and who your clientele is: shorts, features, corporate, actors demos, whatever. If you’re starting out, you need to price yourself so you’ll get work. If you’re more experienced AND do good work, word will get around and you’ll be able to command more. If you’ve got to turn away business because you’re too jammed, it’s time to raise your rates a little. If you find yourself twiddling your thumbs perhaps your pricing isn’t realistic.

Also, are you producing the project yourself (like corporate) or are you being hired as one of many crew? If you wear more hats you should get paid more.

For what you’ve got, $600 for a 10-hr. day isn’t an unrealistic starting point as a shooter for hire (I’m assuming you’ve also got a separate monitor for the client). Set a target of $1000 to $1200/day as you add more camera gear (matte box, zoom attachment, filters). While you could set a half-day rate, never price yourself as hourly if you really want to be seen as a professional. Also, keep your gear in great condition and invest in some Pelican cases (or similar). Adds to the professionalism.

I see college kids with no experience (and no overhead), willing to shoot all day on their HVX for $200. Several rental houses in L.A. price the camera closer to $450/day complete (though some say $250 for the camera, but then add $30 for each 8GB P2 card, $50 for sticks, extra for VariZoom, etc. so the pricing can exceed that). So, to include the shooter for LESS than the camera rents for doesn’t make sense to me in this market.

[Jeff Wilmes]

Thanks for the replies. I have been shooting for twelve yrs and started editing 2 yrs ago. I’m in St. Louis and mainly work for a few clients and have control over the shooting and editing. Some corporate, non-profit and moving into longer format documentaries. I agree with your pricing structure and that is basically where I’m at. Rates here for a freelance shooter range from $300 to $400. In the transition from Beta, I was just checking if prices went up at all because of the extra gear, but with the price of the 200, I guess it’s kind of a wash…until you get up to the 500 or 2000, then the rates could go a little higher, I suppose.

Thanks for the input and if you want to see if I’m experienced and do good work, please check out http://www.saltriverproductions.com.

[D. scott Dobbie]

Oh – 12 years. Didn’t know you were transitioning cameras. I wasn’t trying to be condescending – I thought you were new to the field.

-S.

[Jeff Wilmes]

No, I didn’t take it that way at all, don’t feel bad, actually after I posted, I thought it may come across that way. I guess it was a shameful plug on my end. I appreciate all your insight and was hoping you might take a look at some of my work. Sorry if my response came back in a rude way.

[Nate Stephens]

I am also in the midwest, Buckeye head quarters,

My goal for the year is to be all HD. I have over 25 years with most of that doing Betacam SP, script, shoot, edit.. I picked up the HVX200 and hope to have the 500 by mid year. We have sold and been paid for our first HD spot (chromakey-betacam delivery) We ran into a lot of flack from the client when we told him $1,500 but he jumped at $1,000 start to finish, our insert stage. So we didn’t go anywhere, It was a one take politician keyed over store bought motion graphics. About 3 hour shoot and 10 hours edit, dvd, web, betacam SP master. We didn’t get rich but it is ok 2nd shift work. The HVX200 made a great key too.

The client did have recent emigrants, who priced it at $500 but they had to ship the tape to another state to be edited.. So there is always somebody cheaper.

A stripped basic Sony CineAlta rents for $1,600/day in this market – just camera. So I am planning on offering the 500 with camera person, lights, audio, grip at that rate. Which smells pretty good. Our Betacam SP is 1.4k/day and we are targeting the HVX200 at 1.2k/day… Basically so many flavors they gotta like one of them. And you always have second shift to keep busy too.