How much to charge for editing, post, shooting?…

[Mark Suszko]

One of these days, it would be nice if Ron had a way to compile every variation of this thread into one sticky note we could just point everybody to. Until that time, if you keyword search this particular forum for the topic of rates and how much to charge, you will have an entire holiday vacation of reading to do.

A super-condensed version.

Know your costs. All of them.
Derive a reasonable rate hourly and day rate for your costs and goals.
Stick to that rate, get paid in thirds, never lowball or discount a job because they promise you more and better in the future, or to “prove yourself”.

You are not a bank.

[Timothy J. allen]

Aza,
$25/hr? How would you like to subcontract? 😉

Seriously, as Mark so succinctly pointed out, your rate is going to be based on your expenses, how many hours you want to work in order to pay those expenses, and the amount of profit you want to make.

Of course, you still have to balance that out with how much the market will bear. Deciding what market you want to serve can be a tough choice. Generally, higher end work means you can bill higher rates, but you need to do that in order to make up for the unbilled time that you spend developing that ability to deliver that quality of work.

Some folks prefer not to have the pressure of high end productions. They don’t get to bill as much, but when they need more profit, they have to sell more hours at that lower rate.

The trouble begins if there is a mismatch between your expectations and the client’s expectations. As long as it’s a fair price for a fair product, you can take either path.

Remember, it’s net, not gross profit that really matters at the end of the day.

-Tim

[Zane Barker]

Your rate is quite low. Most likely you are forgetting to calculate in a lot of things.

This has helped me, it helps point out all of your real costs.
https://freelanceswitch.com/rates/

There are no “technical solutions” to your “artistic problems”.
Don’t let technology get in the way of your creativity!

[Aza Allen]

Thanks guys! and Tim – to answer your question – yes. I could definitely use the work 🙂

Sorry to repost a familiar question.

Aza

Make sure to check out my Heroes Fan Film at http://www.myspace.com/ruesterprod

[Grinner Hester]

It’s probably still a matter of math in my head, just mutiplying my hourly rate by how long it’ll take but I have noticed now I bid according to how much I wanna mess with it now.
Like if it’s a sweet gig that’s fun and offers reel fodder, I may throw out a flat rate they can’t pass on. When it’s a glamourized ppt presentation with chefs who have never cooked, I may double it just to either weed it out or make it, again, worth messin with.

The simple answer is multiply and round up a bit.

[Aza Allen]

Well, to be honest – I work out of my apartment, I am very broke, but really like editing. My overhead isn’t much, just really have to pay rent and some bills right now, so $25/hr sounded reasonable at the time, being more than I’ve made at any previous job!

But soon I started to realize what some one pointed out – if it’s too low, people question your experience, or don’t take you seriously. So I came to this forum. I wanted to get some figures from people and adjust it based on my experience level.

Also – Where can I find a contract template for this work. I’ve been taking clients at their word, but I know I’ll get screwed here pretty soon if I keep it up. Can some one point me towards a fill in the blank contract, or email me one.

Make sure to check out my Heroes Fan Film at http://www.myspace.com/ruesterprod