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Production rates for strictly online vids
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I had looked into TurnHere and thought it was pretty decent. But not for making money. TurnHere hires you like a retail store contracts out local service repair businesses to come to your home and fix your Console TV. To start it’s exactly how it’s been described. You are assigned businesses that sign up for a 1 minute video. (They also have a program right now where you can go door-2-door and offer their first promo video for free, and you still get paid to do the work). You go out, have them sign release forms, film the interviews, shoot your B roll according to their interview(s) then do a quick editing job.
Apparently they score your work and if you constantly do good work, then they assign you to Bigger clients. You get paid $200 for the small work, and I have no idea what you get paid for the big ones. I actually haven’t gotten a call from them to do any work yet, but they did say I can promote my business as long as I don’t take their client away from them to finish the job I was contracted to do. Which is pretty common terms in my experience in the sales world.
Again, it’s not much money, and I see it more as a way to promote my business for other things. While you;re there tell them, “I think this will really help your business and we’ll take good care of you, but have you thought about your other video needs? While TurnHere can get you started and fulfill your online video needs, (hand them your card) I can show you some other ways to utilize video to help promote your business! When would be a good time to come back and share with you some other options? Let’s shoot for next Tuesday?”
I don’t condone this as the best line of work, in fact I can’t see anyone making a living off just this unless you sell your butt off!! But when it comes to playing the numbers game…it’s another resource for getting business.
Remember, when the economy is good…Promote your business.
When the economy is bad…Promote your business even more!Jeff Bonano
http://www.bonanoproductions.com“I want to have a cool quote at the bottom of my signature, just like everyone else on the cow forum!” -Jeff Bonano
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As far as I’m aware of, yes they pay $200 for these. Turn Here is pushing the model of quick and efficient – 4 or 5 hours total. It looks like the clients can subscribe to a $20 month hosting fee for the videos after 3 mos. free trial or buy the embed code for $600. This last number is what I’m wondering may be competitive enough to interest the mom and pops. It could, if done efficiently, be enough to make a little money. The main thing I’d be looking at though is getting “in” with the businesses that would have other video needs.
If they are having the videographers do the selling by going out and offering a “free” video with no obligation to purchase – well, that’s pretty hard to go up against.
Mark
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Thanks very much for your thoughts and opinions on this. I don’t post too often but when I do ask a question this is where I come to. You folks are the best!!!
Mark
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800 bucks.
for 7 hours of work.
Thats fine by me today. My edit suite is in my house and, as you mentioned, all of my gear is paid for. I subtract 200 from that grand because I understand and agree with your point that it cost us a little for every production. It doesn’t cost me more than that unless I travel though and the truth is, I just don’t need more than a grand a day to make ends meet anymore. Passing these savings on to my clientele really is what keeps me busy every day.
Keep in mind the price example we are using is only an example. In many cases, I can work it to where I am making the same hourly rate I was when I had big overhead. That’s the cool part of one-man-banding for a flat fee.
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thos ecompanies are not created to pay freelancers. They milk students and offer experience… as advertised.
You’d be surprosed how many kids are happy to make a quick video for 1oo bucks. It’s 100 more than they would have made that day and they get to make videos instead of flip burgers.
win/win for all involved but you’d only frustrate yourself if you tried to do real work for them for regular wages. -
The bottom has fallen out of this business. I have been doing this for 33 years, mainly as a DP and I have two kids graduating college. If they said they were going to enter into the video production business I would drown them.
Unless one is from a wealthy family or marries someone who is or making a great steady salary, it is now financial suicide to offer freelance creative services, especially in video. Us old pros here on Creative Cow have client bases and networks, but these young kids will never be able to support themselves financially.
And it’s not just small companies that are going cheap, I shoot for many Chicago area Fortune 100s and they actually want me to “dumb down” the look so it doesn’t appear we are wasting money. How can they justify a slick video when they’re laying off people? Sometimes I’m given my full day rate to use their in-house mini DV camera! And that includes filming the CEO.
I also produce quick turn around online videos for small companies and thank God I have the office in the home during these times. With minimal overhead I can do a half day shoot/half day edit and make the same money as a full day DP shoot. I think we are all working harder to make less…
The internet is a double edge sword, and with the low entry price of getting into the biz, the ease of use of cameras and the digital media savviness of young kids, this was bound to happen. On the other hand, the internet has increased the amount of desired professional looking video for websites, so if we can ferret out these clients we can survive.
The Golden Age is over. Only the Johnny Hustles will survive, especially when you lay a recession on top of all this. Viva Low Overhead!
Ned Miller
Chicago Videographer
http://www.nedmiller.com
http://www.bizvideo.com
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