I got a few emails from my last post and I thought now would be a great time to discuss this topic.

What should I charge for my services?

Right now my rate for any service is $50 an hour, with a minimum of $200 to shoot.

10 years ago you had videographers charge $750 for a day rate without equipment. In today’s market you are expected to supply lights, wireless lavaliere or shotgun mics along with the camera gear to the shoot. Ask them to spring for an assistant to monitor the audio and move the shoot along. There are plenty of professional videographers that still charge $750 or more a day and you know what…they deserve it. But with affordable technology the rates have fallen but that doesn’t mean yours should too. The bottom line is, you know what you are doing and how to produce the message that you were hired to do. So don’t sell yourself cheap unless you don’t know what you’re doing.

Case in point. Two months ago I helped a friend of the family (Never mix friendship and professional services together unless you want to do it for free…and if you do don’t hold it against them.) whose company hired someone cheap off of Craigslist. They were to shoot and edit 6, 5-10 minute videos based on the product. It took the guy 9 months to realize he didn’t know what he was doing. He agreed to shoot it and edit it for a total of $1,200. He got paid half for what he shot and I got his footage to edit with. The footage was clean but not thought out at all. I had to find stock photography and improvise with motion graphics and create the video with limited clips of his original footage. It would’ve went a lot faster if I reshot it. But they didn’t have the money to do that. I said I would do one video and give them a quote based on my experience.

They loved the video I produced in less than a week and wanted my proposal. I gave them a cheap quote but very specific knowing what I needed from them in order to get the job done. They refused to move on with the remaining videos and wanted to bring it back in house, meaning put it back on Craigslist and get the same result. Long wait period and with no professional experience on how to shoot the product. I’ve seen that happen a few times the past couple of years.

When a client asks “What is your rate?” Say.

• Before I give you a quote I want to understand what you want. That way I can charge you right down to the penny.

If they are pestering you and want an hourly rate. Say.

• The rate is…

Make sure you don’t say anything else besides what your rate is. That is the biggest mistake you can make when negotiating with a client. Avoid things like…

• My normal rate is
• My friend rate is
• For you my rate is

Just say what your rate is and if they have a problem with it justify your rate. You are an experienced professional and based on your rate they can expect to get a great product. Explain that by going with a more affordable person you might be getting a cheaper deal by the hour but with your experience you can edit and produce the end result quicker and with better results. If they have a problem with that…walk away. The worst thing you can do is to do a job cheap and do it well. Guess who will tell their friends how cheap they got their great video for and the next thing that happens…you will get hit up by moochers that they recommend.

Bundling
Someone contacts you asking to shoot and edit a 3 camera live event…concert, wedding or anything.

You: My rate for a 3 camera live shoot, edit and DVD is $5,000.

Client: I was thinking about $3,000, instead.

You: Sure, but I will shoot with only 2 cameras instead of 3.

Client: But I want a 3 camera shoot.

You: OK, I will shoot it with 3 cameras and have a professional audio mix down for $3000

Client: The whole point of this shoot is to make it a DVD.

You: I will shoot 2 cameras and edit it and make it a DVD for $3,000

If they want you to break it down be very simple about it.

You: I have 3 camera operators with 3 high end cameras and I have a professional sound mixer. He has to mix down the audio and I have to edit all the angles together, encode and create a DVD menu, program it, then author the DVD. All for $5,000. I can take out the professional sound mix if you want?

Client: No…OK that sounds fair.

Now don’t hit me up saying that I will shoot a show for $5,000…that was an example. Talk things out with clients, be a professional and get what you feel you are worth.

The fear of loss is more powerful than the joy of gain…
The ace up your sleeve is the power of taking away something that the client wants. But by discussing what they can get for the price you are justifying your rate and doing a little power move at the same time. A little psychology never hurts unless your a dick about it.

Long Term
If you get a long term contract then your rate decreases but make sure you don’t sell yourself to cheap. You still have to pay for your own benefits such as insurance and any other financial investments such as software, hardware and supplies.

So if your day rate is $500 for a 10 hour day and someone wants you for a month…hell see if they will hire you based on your day rate. Most times they will ask for day, week and month rates. So come up with a reasonable rate for those terms.

• Day: $500
• Week: $2000 (5 day)
• Month: $7500 (22-24 days)

If anyone else would like to share their strategy or negotiating techniques please feel free to post them here. Always open for questions.

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1. Red One Vs Film
2. Troubleshoot This
3. Editing, DVD Authoring, Producing…FCProducer For Hire
4. How To Telecommute As A Final Cut Pro Video Editor
5. Just Another Week